The development of the symphony 1750 to 1900: the rise of the four-movement Classical symphony, sonata form, the growth of the orchestra, and the move towards the larger, more expressive Romantic symphony, the compulsory Area of Study A context for the WJEC set works.

What this dot point is asking

This is the compulsory Area of Study A: The Western Classical Tradition, focused on the development of the symphony from 1750 to 1900. It asks you to explain how the symphony grew from the balanced four-movement Classical model into the larger, more expressive Romantic symphony, in terms of form, orchestration and style. This context underpins the WJEC set works (the Haydn London Symphony and the Mendelssohn Italian Symphony).

The answer

The Classical four-movement plan

Sonata form, the structure of the first movement (and often the finale), is the central design of the Classical period: an exposition (first subject in the tonic, a transition modulating to a second subject in a related key, usually the dominant or relative major), a development (the material is fragmented, sequenced and put through distant keys), and a recapitulation (both subjects return, now in the tonic). A coda often rounds it off.

The Classical orchestra and style

The Classical orchestra was modest: a string body, pairs of woodwind (flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons), two horns, two trumpets and timpani. The texture was largely homophonic (melody plus accompaniment), clear and balanced, with the strings leading and woodwind adding colour. The style prized balance, clarity, elegance and wit, with regular phrasing (often four-bar phrases) and clear cadences marking the structure.

The growth into the Romantic symphony

This expansion was gradual. Beethoven's symphonies are the pivot, stretching Classical forms with greater length, weight and emotional range. By the later nineteenth century the symphony could be vast, but the WJEC set works sit nearer the start of this journey: Haydn at the summit of the Classical style, Mendelssohn an early Romantic who keeps Classical clarity while adding lyricism, brilliance and a programmatic flavour.

The set works in context

Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D major, the London Symphony (1795) is a model late-Classical symphony: a slow introduction into a sonata-form allegro, a songful slow movement, a minuet and trio, and a vigorous finale. Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, the Italian (1833) keeps the four-movement plan but glows with Romantic energy: a sparkling sonata-form first movement, a processional slow movement, a graceful third movement, and a fast finale based on Italian dances (the saltarello). Studying the development of the symphony lets you hear what is "Classical" in Haydn and what is "Romantic" in Mendelssohn.

Examples in context

Model paragraph (form across the period). The four-movement plan is the constant thread from 1750 to 1900, but composers stretched it as expression grew. In Haydn's London Symphony the design is crisp: a slow D minor introduction gives way to a sonata-form D major allegro whose two subjects are clearly articulated, and the minuet is a real, if stylised, dance. In Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony the same skeleton is present, but the proportions and colours are Romantic: the first movement bursts with energy over a buzzing accompaniment, the third movement is a graceful, horn-coloured piece rather than a courtly minuet, and the finale is a whirling saltarello in the tonic minor, an Italian dance that gives the work its programmatic flavour. The plan endures; the spirit changes from Classical balance to Romantic brilliance.

Try this

Q1. Name the four movements of a Classical symphony in order. [4 marks]

• Cue. Fast sonata-form allegro, slow movement, minuet and trio, lively finale.

Q2. Name two ways the orchestra grew in the Romantic period. [2 marks]

• Cue. Added brass such as trombones and tuba, plus extra colour instruments such as harp and cor anglais (and larger percussion).

Q3. Discuss how the symphony developed between the Classical and Romantic periods, with reference to the set works. [20 marks]

• What the marker wants. A comparison of form (four movements, sonata form, scherzo replacing minuet), orchestration (the growing orchestra) and style (Classical balance versus Romantic drama and lyricism), anchored in Haydn's London Symphony and Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony.