Studies in musical genesis & structure
1 total work
This study considers Schumann's early experience with symphonic composition, including the composer's autodidactic course in orchestration, the events surrounding the G Minor Symphony and his assessment of the genre in his musical criticism. The text examines his sketches for the First Symphony and attempts to show how it benefited from the composer's past experience. The author also gives examples of the autograph score and subsequent editions of the Spring Symphony to reveal Schumann's empirical method of orchestration and his concern for the exigencies of performance.