Gnomon's Guide

Carl Nielsen was Denmark's most important composer. Born in 1865, he was taught violin by his fiddle-playing father, played trumpet in the school band and went on to study music in the Royal Conservatory in Copenhagen. He divided his working life between playing violin in the orchestra, conducting and composing. He died in 1933.

Music

Nielsen composed many different musical works, including concertos for violin, flute and clarinet. However, it is for his six symphonies that he is best remembered. These are six jewels in the repertoire of the early 20th century.

Common features of the 6 symphonies

Written over a span of 33 years, these symphonies are remarkably similar to each other, with enough variety to make each one interesting. They share the following features:

• Each symphony is about 30 - 35 minutes long
• The orchestration relies heavily on the brass instruments
• Most of the symphonies use the technique of confusing the listener as to what key the piece is written in. This is done by playing music in more than one key at the same time. It increases the dramatic tension so that the listener subconsciously yearns for a resolution. When this finally arrives, the relief is overpowering.

Symphony No 1 (1892)

Not as heavyweight as the rest, this is still a very respectable first symphony. The dramatic tension technique is not fully developed yet, but it is very recognisably Nielsen.

Symphony No 2 - The Four Temperaments (1902)

This is probably the easiest to understand. It depicts the four temperaments which were thought in mediaeval times to make up human nature. Each temperament is given in one movement of the symphony. These are:

• Choleric - prone to outbursts of temper
• Phlegmatic - stolid and not easily excited
• Melancholic - sad and depressive
• Sanguine - cheerful and optimistic

The Melancholic third movement is particularly fine, in a style reminiscent of Mahler at his most doleful, or of Wagner's Parsifal.

Symphony No 3 - Sinfonia Espansiva (1911)

It is not exactly clear what Nielsen meant by the term Espansiva (expansive). It does not refer to the size of the symphony or the orchestra, as these are similar to the other symphonies. It seems to mean the 'outward growth of the mind's scope', to quote Robert Simpson, an eminent Nielsen scholar.

The symphony is very beautiful. It is the first to really exploit Nielsen's 'two keys at the same time' technique. It also features a peaceful section with two singers, a soprano and a baritone who sing a tune without words.

Symphony No 4 - The Inextinguishable (1916)

It is not this symphony which is inextinguishable, but the spirit of life itself. The music depicts a battle between the destructive forces of hatred and the burgeoning, 'elemental will to life'. There is a constant tug in the music between the forces of order and chaos. One section has a dramatic 'battle of the timpani', where two complete sets of timpani (kettledrums) hammer out chords, drowning out the rest of the orchestra for a time.

This symphony is one of the most popular of the six with audiences. It was written during the Great War so it was undoubtedly the events of the time that influenced Nielsen.

Symphony No 5 (1922)

Almost as popular as the 4th Symphony, this is another great battle between the forces of order and chaos. A snare drummer is given the task of interrupting the orchestra, playing ad lib, out of time, with the intention of destoying the music. The rest of the orchestra fights back by playing ever more musically while the drummer struggles on. Eventually he is beaten down and the glorious music prevails.

Symphony No 6 (1925)

This is the strangest of the symphonies. At first, Nielsen had intended it to bear the title Sinfonia Semplice (simple symphony) but he abandoned that idea, as it is far from simple. It starts in a very similar vein to the other symphonies, but soon degenerates into a number of cameos, some sad, some grotesque, some humorous, some just plain silly. Perhaps we can forgive Nielsen, after all those glorious life and death struggles, choosing to end his life's work with a good joke!