Jena Symphony

Last updated

The Symphony No. 14 in C major, [1] the so-called "Jena Symphony" by Friedrich Witt, is a symphony that was at one time attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven. The symphony was discovered by Fritz Stein in 1909 in the archives of a concert society in Jena, from which it derived its name. Stein believed it to be the work of Beethoven and it was so published by Breitkopf und Härtel in 1911. It is now known that the piece was the work of Witt (born the same year as Beethoven).

Contents

History

Stein thought it was quite likely an early work by Beethoven and pointed out some stylistic similarities in the preface to the score. From each of the four movements he singled out a few passages he considered especially Beethoven-like. Stein's belief in Beethoven's authorship was strengthened by the fact that Beethoven's letters show that prior to writing his own Symphony No. 1 he tried to write a C major symphony with Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 97 as a model, [2] and it is easy to find parallels between the Jena Symphony and Haydn's No. 97.

When H. C. Robbins Landon found another copy of the work at the archives of Göttweig Abbey with Witt's name on it, he convinced most other scholars that the work was in fact by Witt. Ralph Leavis, for example, condemned the work as "a piece of plagiarism, put together almost with scissors and paste from reminiscences of Haydn." A second copy under Witt's name was later found at Rudolstadt. [3]

Analysis

In four movements, the symphony is scored for flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in C, 2 trumpets in C, timpani and strings.

The first movement begins with an Adagio introduction of 20 measures. A sonata form movement follows with a mostly triadic first subject group

JenaSymSatz1Quote1.png

and a more dance-like second subject group.

JenaSymSatz1Quote2.png

The exposition has a repeat (not always followed in performance). The development of just 30 measures ends with a crescendo leading directly to the recapitulation.

The second movement in F major has a central section in F minor.

JenaSymSatz2Quote.png

The timpano in C is used in this movement (the timpani were set to C and G for the first movement and are not changed in the course of work).

The third movement is a Minuet with Trio.

JenaSymSatz3Quote.png

The fourth movement begins piano.

JenaSymSatz4Quote.png

The handling of the winds in this movement led some scholars to believe (before Robbins Landon's discovery) that perhaps this movement was in fact written by Beethoven while the rest was written by an unknown composer.

Recordings

The Jena Symphony has been recorded on:

Notes

  1. "Symphony No. 14 in C major (Witt, Friedrich)".
  2. N. Marston, "Symphonies" in The Beethoven Compendium, ed. Barry Cooper. Ann Arbor: Borders Group (1995): 214
  3. Leavis, Ralph. "Witt, Friedrich" in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Stanley Sadie, ed. Volume 20. London: Macmillan Publishers Limited (1980)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergiu Celibidache</span> Romanian conductor (1912–1996)

Sergiu Celibidache was a Romanian conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over five decades, including tenures as principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Sicilian Symphony Orchestra and several other European orchestras. Later in life, he taught at Mainz University in Germany and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. C. Robbins Landon</span>

Howard Chandler Robbins Landon was an American musicologist, journalist, historian and broadcaster, best known for his work in rediscovering the huge body of neglected music by Haydn and in correcting misunderstandings about Mozart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johann Peter Salomon</span> German violinist, composer, conductor and musical impresario

Johann Peter Salomon was a German violinist, composer, conductor and musical impresario. Although he was an accomplished violinist, he is best known for bringing Joseph Haydn to London and for conducting the symphonies that Haydn wrote during his stay in England. He also knew and worked with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 25 (Mozart)</span>

The Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183/173dB, was written by the then 17-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in October 1773, shortly after the success of his opera seria Lucio Silla. It was supposedly completed in Salzburg on October 5, a mere two days after the completion of his Symphony No. 24, although this remains unsubstantiated. Its first movement was used as the opening music in Miloš Forman's film biographical Amadeus.

<i>The Seasons</i> (Haydn)

The Seasons is a secular oratorio by Joseph Haydn, first performed in 1801.

Symphony No. 103 in E major is the eleventh of the twelve London symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. This symphony is nicknamed The Drumroll after the long roll on the timpani with which it begins. It is from 1795, and his second-to-last symphony.

<i>Great Mass in C minor</i>, K. 427 Musical mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Great Mass in C minor, K. 427/417a, is the common name of the musical setting of the mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which is considered one of his greatest works. He composed it in Vienna in 1782 and 1783, after his marriage, when he moved to Vienna from Salzburg. The large-scale work, a missa solemnis, is scored for two soprano soloists, a tenor and a bass, double chorus and large orchestra. It remained unfinished, missing large portions of the Credo and the complete Agnus Dei.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 101 (Haydn)</span>

The Symphony No. 101 in D major is the ninth of the twelve London symphonies written by Joseph Haydn. It is popularly known as The Clock because of the "ticking" rhythm throughout the second movement.

Friedrich Jeremias Witt was a German composer and cellist. He is perhaps best known as the likely author of a Symphony in C major known as the Jena Symphony, once attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven.

The Symphony No. 98 in B major, Hoboken I/98, is the sixth of the twelve London symphonies composed by Joseph Haydn. It was completed in 1792 as part of the set of symphonies composed on his first trip to London. It was first performed at the Hanover Square Rooms in London on 2 March 1792. Some musicologists and historians interpret this symphony as Haydn’s tribute to his friend Mozart who had died on 5 December 1791.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 3 (Mozart)</span>

The Symphony No. 3 in E major, K. 18, formerly misattributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is a symphony composed by Carl Friedrich Abel, a leading German composer of the earlier Classical period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paris symphonies</span> Group of six symphonies by Joseph Haydn

The Paris symphonies are a group of six symphonies written by Joseph Haydn commissioned by the Count D'Ogny, Grandmaster of the Masonic Loge Olympique. Beginning on 11 January 1786, the symphonies were performed by the Olympique in the Salle des Gardes du Corps of the Tuileries, conducted by Saint-Georges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cello Concerto (Kraft)</span> Work by Antonín Kraft

The Cello Concerto Nr. 1 in C Major (Op.4) is a cello concerto by Antonín Kraft.

The Symphony No. 75 in D major is a symphony composed by Joseph Haydn between 1779 and 1781.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 52 (Haydn)</span>

The Symphony No. 52 in C minor is one of the last Sturm und Drang symphonies composed by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn while the composer was in residence at Esterházy in 1771 or 1772.

The Symphony No. 53 in D major, Hoboken I/53, is a symphony by Joseph Haydn. It is often referred to by the subtitle "L'Impériale". The symphony was composed by 1777. It is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, timpani, and strings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 27 (Haydn)</span>

Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 27 in G major was probably written before March 19, 1761, while he was employed by Count Morzin. Its chronological position was assigned by Eusebius Mandyczewski in 1907. Although later adopted by Hoboken, Robbins Landon has subsequently revised the work's likely chronological position and now believes that the symphony is one of Haydn's earliest, written at roughly the same time as symphonies nos. 15–18. Haydn himself may have labeled the symphony his 16th, although this remains unclear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 29 (Haydn)</span> 1765 symphony by Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 29 in E major, Hoboken I/29, was written in 1765, just after his 28th, and to be performed in Eisenstadt, under the benign auspices of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 11 (Haydn)</span>

Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 11 in E major is a symphony which may have been written as early as 1760 but no later than 1762, meaning that it was written for either the orchestra of the salubrious Count Morzin or the noble Paul II Anton, Prince Esterházy's palace in Eisenstadt.

Friedrich Wilhelm Stein was a German theologian, conductor, musicologist and church musician. He found in an archive in Jena the score of the so-called Jena Symphony, which he published as possibly a work by the young Ludwig van Beethoven. After a long period in Kiel from 1919 to 1933, teaching at the Kiel University and as Generalmusikdirektor, he had a leading position in the Reichsmusikkammer of the Nazis in Berlin.

References