not a symphony

[calimac]

Now I really have to decide how many symphonies I have recordings of, because this month's BBC Magazine recording is of two Organ Symphonies by the French composers Charles-Marie Widor and Louis Vierne. Rather liked the Widor, not so hot on the Vierne. I don't think I'll count them. Although I'm generally of the view that, at least after 1800, a symphony is whatever a composer chooses to call one, and not required to meet certain internal characteristics, I do think that, for my purposes at least, it has to be a work for an instrumental ensemble. And one organist, with two assistants pulling the stops, doesn't count. You are free to organize your collections differently.

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Russia need have nothing to do with it. Many composers customarily write out in piano score before orchestrating, especially if as performers they're primarily pianists, which Debussy was. Berlioz didn't, of course, but then Berlioz was unusual in not really playing the piano at all.