The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms – The Fall and Rise of a Genre

Christopher Fifield

Routledge 978-0-367-59940-9 330pp (pb) £38.67

Few would dispute the contention that the scale and originality of Beethoven’s Ninth acted as an impediment to successive generations of German composers seeking to make significant contributions to the Symphony.

Yet with the notable exceptions of Mendelssohn and Schumann, the majority of aspiring symphonists became so intimidated by Beethoven’s achievement that it took the best part of 50 years for the genre to regain its hallowed status with the arrival of Brahms’s First.

This fascinating book examines this symphonic ‘black hole’ focusing detailed attention on a whole swathe of repertoire that has fallen into oblivion. Yet the picture that emerges is far more complex than the standard music history books would suggest. Although there is little doubt of the decline in musical invention of many symphonies written between 1830 and 1850,

Fifield makes a persuasive case for reappraising works composed later in the century, suggesting that the symphonies of Goetz, Bruch, Gernsheim and Julius Otto Grimm achieved a singularity of expression which paved the way for Brahms.

It’s a verdict that can fortunately be scrutinised thanks to the availability of much of this music on recordings. Erik Levi ★★★★