Edward Lein: Symphony no. 1 "Divertimento"

Originally composed in May 1998 and at first called simply "Divertimento," this Symphony no. 1 was written basically for my own amusement since the possibility for performance was very unlikely. So, because there was no effort to be "impressive," it probably is the most spontaneous thing I have ever written. My goal was to write something I might like to hear at a symphony concert, but that would not be so unnecessarily difficult that, say, an undergraduate orchestra couldn't handle it if the opportunity presented itself. in 2006, The 2nd-4th movements were submitted for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra's bienniel "Fresh Ink" composition contest, and were selected among the finalists. The 2nd movement, Meditation, was premiered by the Jacksonville Symphony in May 2006, with soloists Alexei Romanenko (cello) and Eric Olson (oboe) under the direction of Fabio Mechetti.

Before composing began I had a plan: to write a four-movement orchestral work akin to the light-hearted instrumental suites of the 18th Century. The movements would emulate formal designs perfected by Haydn and Mozart, and the harmonic fabric would be essentially diatonic -- straightforward and easygoing. And, like those rococo entertainments, I wanted to incorporate elements of folk and contemporary popular music, hopefully without irony or parody, but as a natural part of the musical discourse -- kind of like a movie soundtrack but in traditional symphonic forms.

The first movement, revised in 2008, is in a sonata form (exposition-development-recap, in B minor), except that the full recapitulation of the "first subject" is delayed until the fourth movement. It wasn't part of the pre-compositional plan, but the thematic material of all four movements derives from the first three measures. These measures incorporate three principal three-note motives, the simplest I could come up with: (1) starting note--up (or down) a step--back to starting note; (2) three consecutive notes in a diatonic scale; and, (3) three repeated notes. I thought their simplicity would be very limiting, but they turned out to be more versatile than expected.

The second movement is an elegy featuring cello and oboe solos. The brief and solemn introduction (and coda) was an afterthought added to establish the 5/4 meter before the cello begins its parlando song; it is drawn from a countermelody that occurs when the orchestra takes up the main tune.

The original plan for the scherzo movement had been to alternate something like '70s-style disco with Edwardian salon orchestra waltzes (okay, so the plan was not completely without irony). But, while playing around with motives from the first movement, a huapango seemed to write itself, and disco died, again. The 1st Waltz begins with a transposition of the first 15 notes of the huapango-like Scherzo, disguised in a new rhythm.

The "A" section of the Rondo finale transforms the principal motives into a jaunty tune in dorian mode (on B), first presented by unison oboe and clarinet. Some--mostly oboists and clarinetists, I think--might consider this an unfortunate doubling, but the intent is for a rougher, more rustic feel than one might get with either instrument on its own. The "B" section (F# minor) is composed entirely of the three main motives (presented consecutively and interlocking), with frequent octave displacements -- the challenge was to write a "lyrical" tune when there is a leap of a 7th every few notes. The "C" section (C major) has, I think, a Baroque feel to it. As mentioned, the beginning of the original first movement is interjected, just before the return of the "B" section (now in E minor). The movement ends with a jazzy clarinet (or saxophone!) variation of the rondo tune, and a big crescendo amid a wash of harp glissandos.

Instrumentation

2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in A
2 Bassoons
3 Horns in F
3 Trumpets in C (1 with Harmon mute, stem removed)
3 Trombones
1 Tuba
Timpani (23", 25", 28", 30")
Percussion (3 players)
	Bass drum
	Chimes (Tubular bells)
	Conga drum (or Bongo drum)
	Cymbals:
		Clash cymbals (2)
		Suspended cymbal (soft sticks)
	Drum set:
		Chinese cymbal (soft stick)
		Crash cymbal (wood stick)
		Hi-hat (open, ad lib., wood stick)
		Snare drum (wood stick)
		Kick bass (Pedal bass drum)
	Glockenspiel (Orchestra bells)
	Triangle
Harp
Piano
Strings

symphony no. 1 "divertimento"