贝多芬的交响乐给后人留下了宝贵的遗产，但也给后来的交响乐创作者们留下了一个高难度的标准：辉煌的形式, 有机的结构, 统一的主题, 加上个性化的浪漫情怀. １８３８年德国音乐学家Gottfried Wilhelm Fink在一个百科全书里是这样定义交响乐的：
关于形式和结构:
"It is absolutely necessary that the great symphony have as its essence, and in considerable abundance, the greatest potential for development, as does the morning dream before awakening. Thus, that which music alone has--melody; rhythm; harmony; character; the roundedness of an autonomous whole; shapes that are clear; well-formed and beautiful, even uniquely magical and stimulating; the setting into motion of these shapes--all this must be present in the highest degree within and for the symphony, like a life force that is ever bubbling and richly vital. All these things must interwine and grow from one another without effort, as if by chance. They must support each other mutually, they must strengthen, necessitate, and condition each other until the fruit, which must be nutritious and refreshing, is ripe"
关于内容:
"It is a tale, developed with psychological coherence and told in tones. It is a dramatically developed story that captures a particular state of mind shared by a large group. Stimulated by some main impulse, it expresses their common essential feeling individually--in all respects like a representative democracy--through an instrument absorbed into the whole."
从以上的定义我们可以看出在贝多芬以后人们对交响乐的期望是多么的高. 与其说贝多芬的九大交响曲给后人留下了交响乐创作的典范,还不如说是给后人留下了难以抹去的阴影．在年轻的舒伯特去世后, 德国的交响乐创作出现了危机．1839年舒曼在新音乐杂志上综述当时的交响乐作品时表现出了极大的失望:
"When the German speaks of symphonies, he means Beethoven,...., we find many too close imitations, but very, very seldom, with few exceptions, any true maintenance or mastery of this sublime form in which, bound in a spiritual union, continually changing ideas succeed one another. The great number of recent symphonies drop into the overture style, especially in their first movements; the slow movements are of the scherzo about them save the name; the last movements completely forgot what the former ones contained."
舒曼写这篇文章时, 伯拉姆斯还是一个六岁的小孩. 十四年以后, 二十岁的伯拉姆斯找到了舒曼并演奏了自己创作的两部钢琴奏鸣曲, C大调和升F小调. 舒曼听后喜出望外, 从伯拉姆斯的钢琴奏鸣曲中他听到了德国交响乐的未来, 在新音乐杂志上撰文宣称伯拉姆斯的钢琴奏鸣曲是带着面纱的交响曲, 而伯拉姆斯则是未来德国交响乐的希望. 舒曼没有想到的是, 伯拉姆斯的第一部交响曲要等到1876年才完成, 而那时舒曼早已与世长辞了.
I. Allegro
关于形式和结构:
"It is absolutely necessary that the great symphony have as its essence, and in considerable abundance, the greatest potential for development, as does the morning dream before awakening. Thus, that which music alone has--melody; rhythm; harmony; character; the roundedness of an autonomous whole; shapes that are clear; well-formed and beautiful, even uniquely magical and stimulating; the setting into motion of these shapes--all this must be present in the highest degree within and for the symphony, like a life force that is ever bubbling and richly vital. All these things must interwine and grow from one another without effort, as if by chance. They must support each other mutually, they must strengthen, necessitate, and condition each other until the fruit, which must be nutritious and refreshing, is ripe"
关于内容:
"It is a tale, developed with psychological coherence and told in tones. It is a dramatically developed story that captures a particular state of mind shared by a large group. Stimulated by some main impulse, it expresses their common essential feeling individually--in all respects like a representative democracy--through an instrument absorbed into the whole."
从以上的定义我们可以看出在贝多芬以后人们对交响乐的期望是多么的高. 与其说贝多芬的九大交响曲给后人留下了交响乐创作的典范,还不如说是给后人留下了难以抹去的阴影．在年轻的舒伯特去世后, 德国的交响乐创作出现了危机．1839年舒曼在新音乐杂志上综述当时的交响乐作品时表现出了极大的失望:
"When the German speaks of symphonies, he means Beethoven,...., we find many too close imitations, but very, very seldom, with few exceptions, any true maintenance or mastery of this sublime form in which, bound in a spiritual union, continually changing ideas succeed one another. The great number of recent symphonies drop into the overture style, especially in their first movements; the slow movements are of the scherzo about them save the name; the last movements completely forgot what the former ones contained."
舒曼写这篇文章时, 伯拉姆斯还是一个六岁的小孩. 十四年以后, 二十岁的伯拉姆斯找到了舒曼并演奏了自己创作的两部钢琴奏鸣曲, C大调和升F小调. 舒曼听后喜出望外, 从伯拉姆斯的钢琴奏鸣曲中他听到了德国交响乐的未来, 在新音乐杂志上撰文宣称伯拉姆斯的钢琴奏鸣曲是带着面纱的交响曲, 而伯拉姆斯则是未来德国交响乐的希望. 舒曼没有想到的是, 伯拉姆斯的第一部交响曲要等到1876年才完成, 而那时舒曼早已与世长辞了.
I. Allegro