List of symphonies in C major

This is a list of symphonies in C major written by notable composers.

Notes

References

See also

For symphonies in other keys, see List of symphonies by key.

Symphony in C major (Wagner)

The Symphony in C major, WWV 29, is the only completed symphony of Richard Wagner.

Form

The Symphony in C major is in four movements:

The performance time is approximately 35 minutes.

The first movement is in sonata form movement prefaced by a slow introduction. The second movement is in the key of A minor; the overall shape is A + B + B + A + coda, a strong contrast existing between the lyrical A and the signal-like B ideas. The movement begins with a motif from the coda of the first movement. The third movement is a scherzo and trio with the traditional structure A + B + A + B + A + coda. The scherzo is characterised by a dynamic rhythm, whilst the trio (un poco meno allegro) features a contrasting smooth melodic line. The fourth movement is structured in the same classical sonata form as the opening movement. The idea which follows the presentation of the first theme is equivocal in tonality. Wagner accelerates the tempo (più allegro) half way through the coda to generate increased excitement as the music moves towards its close.

Symphony in C

Symphony in C may refer to any of a number of symphonies written in the key of C major:

See also

Symphony in C (ballet)

Symphony in C, originally titled Le Palais de Cristal, is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to Georges Bizet's Symphony in C (1855). The music of the ballet, which Bizet wrote at the age of 17 while studying with Charles Gounod at the Paris Conservatory, was lost and only rediscovered and published in 1933 (Stravinsky informed Balanchine of this).

The premiere was on Monday, July 28, 1947, in the Théâtre National de l'Opéra with the Paris Opéra Ballet where Balanchine was guest ballet master. According to City Ballet docents the four movements were originally associated with and designed using the colors four gemstones, three of which Balanchine subsequently retained for the three movements of his 1967 ballet Jewels: Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. Even before the ballet was renamed Symphony in C, he had eliminated the color scheme and changed to the white costumes still used.

The NYCB premiere took place as the final piece on the first performance, October 11, 1948, of the newly renamed City Ballet at the City Center of Music and Drama with costumes by Karinska. Jerome Robbins was in the audience at that performance and is quoted as saying that he immediately wrote to Balanchine asking to be hired in any capacity.Suzanne Farrell says that Symphony in C is the first ballet she ever saw and determined at once to become a ballerina and join City Ballet; both of which she did. When she was in rehearsal learning her role from Balanchine, he asked her whether she could touch her knee with her nose en penchée, which she could, and this addition to the choreography remains to this very day.

Symphony in C (orchestra)

Symphony in C (Orchestra), formerly known as the Haddonfield Symphony, is a professional training orchestra based in Camden, New Jersey. Founded in 1952, Symphony in C's mission to train young professionals is similar to that of the Chicago Civic Orchestra and Miami's New World Symphony. The orchestra's home is The Gordon Theater on the campus of Rutgers–Camden University, and its current music director is Rossen Milanov.

History

The Haddonfield Symphony began as an amateur, volunteer ensemble for music lovers in 1952. The orchestra's debut performance was in January 1954 under music director Guido Terranova, and for decades brought classical music to its local communities. During the 1987–1988 season, the orchestra established a Professional Development Internship program and began providing training and performance opportunities to young professional musicians. The shift from an amateur to a semiprofessional ensemble caused controversy about the symphony’s mission and in May 1991, the majority of amateur volunteers refused to put on a scheduled show, quit the Haddonfield Symphony and formed the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey. Instead of recruiting new volunteers, the orchestra altered its mission and evolved into what it is today - a professional-caliber orchestra accountable for training some of the country's top music directors and musicians. The orchestra is made up of current and graduate students from the most reputable music schools in the country, including Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music and New York City's Juilliard School of Music. Many Symphony in C alumni now perform with the best orchestras in the world.

C. major

C. major may refer to:

See also

C major

The C major scale consists of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps.

Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel minor is C minor.

C major is one of the most common key signatures used in western music. Most transposing instruments playing in their home key are notated in C major; for example, a clarinet in B♭ sounding a B-flat major scale is notated as playing a C major scale. The white keys of the piano correspond to the C major scale. Among brass instruments, the contra-bass tuba is in C. A pedal harp tuned to C major has all of its pedals in the middle position.

Simplicity

C major is often thought of as the simplest key, because there are no sharps and no flats, and beginning piano students' first pieces are usually simple ones in this key; the first scales and arpeggios that students learn are also usually C major. However, going against this common practice, the Polish-French composer Frédéric Chopin regarded this scale as the most difficult to play with complete evenness, and he tended to give it last to his students. He regarded B major as the easiest scale to play on the piano, because the position of the black and white notes best fit the natural positions of the fingers, and so he often had students start with this scale. There are no black keys in the C major scale, thus it doesn't fit the natural positions of the fingers well.