Symphony No. 1 in D major, ''An das Vaterland'' (''To the Fatherland''), Op. 96, was composed by Joachim Raff between 1859 and 1861.

History

The work was Raff's first numbered symphony, though not the first symphony he had written. He composed a Grand Symphony in E minor, WoO. 18, in 1854, but only two of the work's original five movements survive. Raff entered the completed symphony in a competition organized in Vienna, sponsored by Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and judged by

Ferdinand Hiller Ferdinand (von) Hiller (24 October 1811 – 11 May 1885) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, writer and music director. Biography Ferdinand Hiller was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main, where his father Justus (orig ...

, Carl Reinecke,

Robert Volkmann Friedrich Robert Volkmann (6 April 1815 – 30 October 1883) was a German composer. Life Robert Volkmann was born in Lommatzsch near Meißen, Germany. His father, a music director for a church, trained him in music to prepare him as a successor ...

and

Vinzenz Lachner Vinzenz Lachner (also spelled Vincenz) (19 July 1811 – 22 January 1893)"Vinzenz Lachner", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians''. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1980. was a German composer and conductor. Early life Born in Rain am ...

. It won first prize out of 32 entries.Symphony No. 1, op.96 An das Vaterland (1859-61)
Avrohom Leichtling, 2007, retrieved 2013 The symphony was premiered in February 1863 in Vienna at the Musikverein, conducted by

Joseph Hellmesberger Sr. Josef Hellmesberger Sr. (3 November 182824 October 1893) was an Austrian violinist, conductor, and composer. Born in Vienna, he was the son of musician and pedagogue, Georg Hellmesberger Sr. (1800–1873), and was taught violin by his fath ...

It is dedicated to

Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , image = Held Carl Alexander Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach@Weimar Schlossmuseum.jpg , image_size = , caption = , succession = Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach , reign = 8 July 1853 – 5 January 1901 , predecessor = ...

and was published in 1864 in Leipzig by J. Schuberth & Co. The duration is between 60 and 70 minutes.Joseph Joachim RAFF (1822-1882) / The Symphonies
musicweb-international.com 2011

Scoring and structure

The symphony is scored for 2 flutes, 2

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 4

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

in F, 2

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s in F, 2

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

s, bass trombone,

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...

and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

. The symphony is structured in five movements: # ''Allegro'' # ''Scherzo. Allegro molto vivace'' (

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

) # ''Larghetto'' (

B-flat major B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor. The B-flat major scale is: : Many transposing ins ...

) # ''Allegro dramatico'' (

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the con ...

) # ''Larghetto sostenuto'' (D minor) Raff uses extensively a melody composed in 1825 by Gustav Reichardt for

Ernst Moritz Arndt Ernst Moritz Arndt (26 December 1769 – 29 January 1860) was a German nationalist historian, writer and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany. Arndt had to flee to Swe ...

's poem '' Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland?''. According to Helen Raff's biography of her father, "The first three movements are supposed to show German life and existence, the fourth describes German disunity." She further adds: "The fifth movement begins with a lament on the destiny of greater Germany and then proceeds to develop prophetic visions of future unity and majesty." Joachim Raff's note about the symphony states "Here the composer felt himself permitted the use of a motive not original with him ... as a symbol."

Notes

Sources

*
''An das Vaterland''
on YouTube {{Authority control 1861 compositions Symphonies by Joachim Raff German patriotic songs Compositions in D major