Havergal Brian - Gothic Symphony (Symphony No. 1) (1/10)
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- Symphony No. 1 in D minor, "The Gothic" (1919-1927)
Part I
Movement I: Allegro assai
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Gothic Symphony is the largest symphony ever written - larger even than Mahler's Eighth (Symphony of a Thousand). It is the first symphony by British composer William "Havergal" Brian (1876-1972), a contemporary of Granville Bantock, Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Walton. Over the course of his long life, Brian composed 32 symphonies - 8 of them while he was in his nineties. For most of his life, Brian's music was neglected and fell into obscurity, apart from two fruitful periods when he received wider recognition: before the First World War, when Thomas Beecham championed Brian's music, and for a short time in the 1960's when his many symphonies were rediscovered. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that much of his oeuvre has slipped back into obscurity since then.
The Gothic Symphony lasts just under two hours and requires extravagant forces:
- Woodwind: 2 piccolos, 6 flutes (1 doubling alto flute), 6 oboes (1 doubling oboe d'amore 1 doubling bass oboe), 2 cors anglais, clarinet in E-flat, 5 clarinets in B-flat (1 doubling 2nd E-flat clarinet), 2 basset horns, 2 bass clarinets in B-flat, contrabass clarinet in B-flat, 3 bassoons, 2 contrabassoons
- Orchestral brass: 8 horns in F, 8 trumpets (2 doubling cornets in E-flat), bass trumpet, 3 tenor trombones, bass trombone (doubling 2nd contrabass trombone), contrabass trombone, 2 euphoniums, 2 tubas
- Percussion: 2 sets of timpani, 2 bass drums, 2 (preferably 3) snare drums, African long drum, 2 tambourines, 2 triangles, 6 pairs of large cymbals, gong, bird scare, thunder machine, small chains, xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, chimes in E-flat
- Keyboards: celesta, organ
- Voices: solo quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), 4 mixed choirs, children's choir
- Four offstage brass bands-used only in the fifth and sixth movements and each comprising: 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 tenor trombones, 2 tubas, 1 set of timpani
- Strings: 2 harps (preferably more ad lib.), 20 first violins, 20 second violins, 16 violas, 14 cellos, 12 double basses
The first part of the symphony is purely orchestral, while the second involves multiple choirs in a setting of the Latin hymn "Te Deum." Brian worked on the symphony for eight years and submitted it to the Columbia Gramaphone Competition in 1928, but it lost the top prize to Kurt Atterberg's Sixth Symphony. The first movement of Part I is in extended sonata form, with a lively figure in D minor as the first theme, and a calm violin melody in D flat major as the second theme. Following the development section, there is no formal recapitulation, but rather a final coda. The second movement is a solemn march, almost funerary in character. The third movement is built up from a Brucknerian recurring ostinato, introduced by the horn section, and it leads up to a xylophone cadenza culminating in a march that brings the tonality back to the key of D minor. Part I ends with a D major chord. Part II of the Gothic is notable for its use of Renaissance polyphony, polytonality, dissonance and medieval compositional techniques. The orchestra is expanded and the choirs and brass bands are brought in. In the three movements of Part II, the text of the Te Deum is treated sometimes tenderly, sometimes raucously, sometimes homophonically, sometimes polyphonically and with many other creative approaches. In the end, the choir closes the work softly in the key of E major.
Performers -
Soprano: Eva Jenisová
Alto: Dagmar Pecková
Bass: Vladimir Doležal
Tenor: Peter Mikuláš
Chorus-master: Pavol Procházka
Conductor: Ondrej Lenard
Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava
Slovak Opera Chorus
Folk Ensemble Chorus
Lucnica Chorus
Bratislava City Choir
Bratislava Children's Choir
Youth Echo Choir
Te Deum Text:
en.wikipedia.or...
I was there at the Royal Albert Hall performance on 17.7.2011. Absolutely shattering - one of the greatest concert-going experiences of my life. Amazing musicianship and stamina from all involved. The choirs sounded (quite understandably) a little hesitant at times but Martyn Brabbins held it together amazingly and the ovation at the end was well-earned indeed. Thanks to the BBC for pulling off such an awesome event.
Unlike a lot of composers William 'Havergal' Brian certainly lived a long and eventful life. To think he may have seen Queen Victoria, been around when Britain was at its zenith during the Edwardian era, heard about Titanic, fought in two world wars, lived through the cold war, and then in his final years witnessed the decline and decay of Britain in the 1970's. Wow, what changes to live through during a life!
This symphony is pretty epic I have to say, and befitting of this man.
After listening to classical music for 50 yrs and being a ( modest ) musician myself , I must confess to never hearing of Brian or this monumental work until just a few days ago!! Imagine my delight when I heard its first performance was given by my all time favourite conductor Sir Adrian Boult. It takes a great deal of musicianship to master a score as complex as this, just like when Boult gave the first performance of the planets- what a genious!!
Oh you timely devil of an uploader! I have only just f***n heard of this monster - and there you are, freshly put up, the whole thing, a mere 13hrs ago. Brilliant . Me hugely grateful!
Well, it's about time this neglected masterpiece gets a full outing on youtube. Thanks.
@lilplinky It was an awesome moment when all 800 members of the choir stood up to sing, gives me goose bumps just thinking of it!
What an astonishing achievement this is!!!!
If I were a wealthy man, given to donating money to the arts, a new recording of HB's "Gothic" would be my first priority.
Delighted to find this posted; almost needs its own playlist ! Thank you.
Well Done Bravo!
@musicanth Me very grateful too!
@wigs666 I was there, amazing it was too!
Décidément, c'ette symphonie est une oeuvre splendide. Je la réécoute avec bonheur...
@Caigga900 The painting is "Gothic Cathedral with Imperial Palace" by Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
excelente de lo mejor
@farrtube Hi there! Just to correct your facts: 1st performance of 'The Gothic' under Bryan Fairfax on 24 June 1961; 1st performance of Symphony No. 18 (1961) on 26 February 1962; 1st professional performance of 'The Gothic' under Sir Adrian Boult on 30 October 1966; 1st radio performance of Symphony No. 18 under Bryan Fairfax on 20 October 1974.
قمة في الروعة🥀😊
YESSS!
Wow I just found this hear that some are going to do this so I looked up it’s Deep 😭💘
Like the Dead Sea?
I agree that the Mahler 3 is the largest in terms of length but largest in terms of orchestral forces, would probably be the 8th. Why quibble over such magnificent music- the Gothic is not so bad either- but like poor Hans Rotts gorgeous symphony, it will fade into the dustbin of music history and obscurity!
I will be singing in it.. hope the stage doesnt collapse
@IzzyJiagu Yep me too
17 July - Royal Albert Hall. Be there.
sounds like a mash up of Nielsen, Vaughan Williams, Mahler, Holst, Strauss and Delius
@walteredstates I'm glad you like this monster :)
@wigs666 YESS.
@musicanth did you make a playlist of them all?
@sstuddert It seems 'The Gothic' will be performed at the Proms, on 17 July (look at the site of Musicweb International, under Notices).
@1bateleur it's a PDF, I'll send you the link.
@musicanth did one myself... (it seems youtube wont let me publish links on comments, so i sent it as a personal message to you)
if you've done one too, maybe you could paste it on the video info
thanks agains! :D
Funny that, with novels, in the form, 'a cross between Mailer and Borges', that kind of view is approving; whereas, for some reason, in music, talking like that usually signifies disapproval, and is usually in the form 'a mash-up' or 'you can hear Sibeliuus, Ravel and a bit of Bach.' Bit strange.
@sstuddert Contact the Havergal Brian foundation is your only option mate. It's being performed in Brisbane, Aust on December 22 and the scores were produced specifically for that purpose, not sure how you will go, but give it a shot.
PS - it's huge, some pages are 60+ ledger lines and it's 2 hours of music, so be prepared for a lot of paper. There are also some scoring errors, which may be corrected after our performance as we're doing 'on the go' editing. Maybe hold out 'til next year?
I hope that someday Gustavo Dudamel will conduct this symphony.
@sstuddert Where? I searched in amazon, and ebay, no way!
On comprend mal comment un compositeur aussi imaginatif peut demeurer inconnu du grand public... Son orchestration vaut bien celle des Planètes de Holst...
Its me or the timpanis at the end messed up?
Fantastic music! BTW does anyone know what the painting's called in the vid?
Gothic Cathedral with Imperial Palace
Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Part 10 has been blocked.
I'm not sure if this orchestra is the biggest one ever used in a symphony. Actually, Berlioz' Symphonie funèbre et triomphale asks 9 flutes, 5 oboes, 33 clarinets, 9 bassoons, 12 horns, 8 trumpets, 4 cornets, 10 trombones, 6 tubas, 8 side drums, tam-tam, timpani, cymbals, Gran cassa, a 200 hundred-people chorus, and 80 strings.
@musicanth Painting name?
@sstuddert Now that the performance has been done, I would expect that score notes (as the score is, in some parts, inconsistant) will be sent back to the HB foundation for further amendment. Perhaps they will now wait until after the performance in July.
9:00
@sstuddert And me too :D
@kezza140884 yes, I'm going to that concert in Brisbane, what's this about next year?
@sstuddert Where?
The most technically difficult, largest, and longest piece of music ever written.
OliviaJH It's not even close to being the longest piece of music ever written. It's not even the longest SYMPHONY ever written, much less comparing it to operas (some of which can last 5 hours or more). Nor is it even the second-longest symphony ever written, for that matter.
Stanley Pinkwater
What are you talking about? It certainly appears to be the whole thing.
+IgnatzKolisch Check your facts.....this is only a small part of it. "The Gothic" lasts just under two hours and requires over 800 musicians to perform.
Wendy Pippin-Yarberry
I have checked my facts.
The post to which I was responding claimed this was the longest PIECE OF MUSIC ever written. Clearly, it isn't.
However, I also pointed out it isn't the longest symphony ever written. That's also factually accurate. I know of at least one longer: Sorabji Symphony #2 "Jami". Here you go:
www.davetubaking.com/3.html
Having heard the entire 'Gothic' symphony, I know perfectly well how long it is. There is another single UA-cam video of the entire thing, for that matter.
+IgnatzKolisch My apologies. That reply was meant for +StanleyPinkwater who made the assertion that this "certainly sounds like it is!" when you told him that this was only a small piece of the movement.
look, I need to get a score of this, can anyone help?
please, send me the full score's link, i'm from Chile and here isn't human way to get the score ...
pic: karl friedrich schinkel
@padredemishijos12 Dear Lord, I hope he DOESN'T! Something like this is completely over his head.
una delle più lunghe sinfonie ( forse la più lunga, ma densa di mistero, affascinante)
musica aerea di suggestiva attrazione
carlo lamberti (carliszt39@gmail.com)
@sstuddert And me too :D please :)
I found a score.