What are the formulas of Chinese and Western classical music?

Chinese ancient music does not have a formula, the Western ancient music formula is as follows:

I. Introduction to the musical formula

Theme

(Theme) The melody that characterizes the piece and is in a prominent position. It expresses a complete or relatively complete idea of music, and is the core of the piece. Its image is clear, short structure, is the seed of musical development, it expresses a certain thought, character, style characteristics, is the basic elements of the structure and development of the music. It also has a certain generalization, mostly rich in singing, easy for people to understand and remember. Excellent musical themes have rich connotations. Some works have only one theme, while more works have two or more themes, representing different characters and forming contrasts. Themes often appear at the beginning of a piece of music, but sometimes the full picture is revealed only when the whole work is unfolding.

Form

(Form, musical) The structural form of a piece of music. Tunes in the development process to form a variety of passages, according to the regularity of the formation of these passages, and find out the format with **** is the formula. The structure of a section and a pattern: a section is usually composed of two or four phrases. Two phrases of four (or eight) bars each form the "section" (specifically called "square section") most common in instrumental music. It is characterized by a strong sense of balance and proportionality. A piece of music consisting of only one section is called "a piece of music".

Two-part form

Consisting of two distinct sections, the first and second sections are symmetrical or in contrast to each other. The usual pattern is A + B. This is one of the basic forms of music.

Three-part form

Consists of three sections, the third of which is the same or essentially the same as the first, the second is of a contrasting nature, and the third has a reproducing character. Its schema is A + B + A.

Complex trilogy

A complication of the three-part form. One of them has more than one section which is itself

composed of a two-part body or three-part body, etc.. The patterns are: A + B (a + + A, etc.). Instrumental music is often used in this form.

Variation form

(Variation form) first played a self-contained paragraphs of the theme, and then a series of thematic variations (i.e., variations), so that the theme through a number of different variations to get a variety of aspects of play. The pattern is: theme-variation 1-variation 2-variation 3 ......, less than three or five times, more than dozens of times. Variations of the theme, most of the more beautiful and moving. Often with variations written in the form of independent music, but also used in large-scale music such as sonatas (usually used in the slow happy), such as Beethoven's "Passion Sonata".

Rondo form

(Rondo form) originated from the European folk dance, the early eighteenth century, the French ancient piano music used. It is based on the principle of alternating the repeated basic theme with a number of different "interludes". The pattern is: A (basic theme) + B (first interlude) + A + C (second interlude) + A .... This pattern is suitable for the performance of active and joyful scenes, sonatas, symphonies and other large-scale music of the final movement commonly used to end the music with a warm atmosphere.

Sonata form

(Sonata form) one of the structural forms of music. Since the second half of the 18th century in Europe, a variety of large-scale instrumental music genre in the most common, but also one of the most important form. The first movement of most symphonies are written using the "Sonata form", the structure is roughly as follows:

Sonata form is always written in "Allegro", so in the "sonata" (suite) in the sonata movement, often called "Allegro movement". Regarding the three main parts of the sonata form (presentation, development, reproduction), some people say metaphorically: its presentation is like a contradictory, debatable issues; the development of the Department of the discussion, and even the contradictions of the struggle between each other, the reproduction of the Department of the rapid unification of understanding, a preliminary conclusion; "end" (coda) is the conclusion. Sonata form of this "contrast - development - unity" structure layout, very suitable for the performance of complex, even dramatic content, so the sonata form is not only "sonata", "symphony" and "concerto" in an indispensable movement, and orchestral "overture" and "symphonic poems" are also often used in the form of this song written.

The word "sonata" first appeared in the mid-16th century and originally meant "fragments of sound. At that time, there was no clear-cut form for a sonata, and any instrumental piece could be called a sonata. In the 18th century, during the period of the Classical School, composers began to emphasize the transformation of musical motifs, and developed a clear form of the 'sonata', which contained three or four movements at different tempos.

Because of the simplicity and ease of use of the sonata's structure, many forms of music were based on the sonata. Symphonies, concertos, and chamber music can be seen as another form of sonata. As time has changed, the sonata has evolved from a simple instrumental piece to a complex piece with themes, developments and recurrences.

(Sonata) is originally an Italian word, which is derived from the Latin word "Sonare" (sound), which is opposed to the word "Cantata" (cantata, chorus), and is one of the genres of large-scale vocal suites. It is one of the genres of large vocal suites, originally meaning "sung with the voice", one being "sounded" and the other "sung". At first, sonata refers to a variety of structures of instrumental music, to the late seventeenth century in the Italian composer Collelli's works began to use several contrasting movements to form a suite of sonatas. In the 18th century, the sonata was standardized into three movements. （The piano sonatas of Haydn and Mozart are in three movements.) Later, "Sonata - Symphonic Suite" added a "minuet" movement, inserted between the second and third movements, becoming a four-movement "Sonata - Symphonic Suite". The four-movement "Scherzo" was added to the "Symphonic Suite", which was inserted between the second and third movements. Beethoven used the "Harmonie" to replace the "Minuet", and later composers used the "Waltz" as the third movement. Sonata in structure similar to the suite of a set of music, but it and the symphony is not quite separate, it is a large suite form of one of the genres.

Rondo sonata form

(Rondo sonata form) One of the structural forms of music. It is a variant of the sonata form, and is mainly used in the final movement of large instrumental suites (sonatas, recitals, symphonies, concertos), and sometimes in independent instrumental works. It is structured as follows:

Warp section

(Cadenza) Musical term. Originally, it referred to the passage at the end of an aria in Italian opera in which the soloist improvises. Later, such passages were often inserted at the end of concerto movements, where the orchestra usually paused to allow the soloist to give full expression to his or her performance skills. This part is freer and more difficult to play, and therefore more dramatic. The colorful section was first improvised by the soloist, but later, the composer also began to write, and became an organic part of the work and a unique character of the passage.

Three-voice middle section

(Trio) A musical term for the middle section of a round dance, march, harmonic, or minuet, etc., composed in three-part form. Its main characteristics are: smooth melody, soft style, change to a new key, and well in contrast to the previous and following parts. The name of the middle part of the trio evolved from the Italian word Trio (trio). The middle part of the ancient instrumental music and dance music of Western Europe is often marked with Trio, played by three instruments, so as to contrast with the volume of the two before and after played by the whole orchestra.

II. Introduction to musical genres

Prelude

(Pre1ude) means "prelude" and "introduction". It is a kind of medium and small instrumental music with a single theme. It originated in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, some kind of music before the introduction, initially often for improvisation, with a test instrument intonation, activities and fingers and prepare for the latter part of the role of the music into. Many composers have independent piano prelude. After the nineteenth century, Western opera, music in the opening or pre-scene music is also called "prelude", its meaning is different from the above prelude to an independent genre.

Overture

(Overture) one of the musical genres. Originally refers to the opera, oratorio and other works of the opening music, seventeenth and eighteenth century opera overture is divided into "French overture" and "Italian overture" two types. The former is polyphonic style, by the slow plate, fast plate, slow plate three paragraphs, the middle section for the fugue form, the end of the shorter; the latter for the main style, by the fast plate, slow plate, fast plate three paragraphs, the latter symphony that is evolved from this. Since the nineteenth century, from Beethoven onwards, composers often use this genre to write independent instrumental music, and most of its structure for the sonata type and title. For example, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, Tchaikovsky's Overture of 1812.

Suite

(Divertimento) A set of instrumental or vocal music that includes a number of pieces or movements, in which there are thematic interconnections and coherent development of relationships. Such as Tchaikovsky's piano suite "The Four Seasons", Schubert's vocal suite "Beautiful Mill Woman" and so on. Recognize the broader sense, sonatas, symphonies, suites, cantatas and so on belong to it.

Minuet

(Menuet) a three-beat dance song originated in Western Europe, popular in the French court, because of its dance steps smaller and named. The speed is moderate and can depict many liturgical dynamics in an elegant style. In the early nineteenth century, the minuet formed the third movement of the symphonic sonata suite, and was later replaced by the harmonic.

Harmonies

(Scherzo) Harmonies, also known as witticisms, are instrumental pieces in three beats. It is characterized by an active rhythm and a fast tempo, often with sudden contrasts of strength and weakness. It often appears as the third movement in suites such as symphonies to replace the courtly minuet.

Fugue

(Fuga) One of the main forms and genres of Western polyphonic music, also known as the "recluse", meaning chase, recluse. It is the most complex and rigorous form of polyphonic music. Its basic feature is the use of imitative counterpoint, so that a simple but characteristic theme in the music of the vocal part of the rotation of the emergence of a time (the presentation of the Department); and then into the theme of the development of some of the motives of the interlude, and then the theme and the interlude in the various different new key again and again (the expansion of the Department); until the final theme back to the original key (reproduction of the Department), and often end with the end of the coda.

Canon

A type of polyphonic music, originally meaning "regularity". The same melody occurs in different heights, such as in the same degree or in fifths, in each part of the voice, resulting in a succession of imitations, i.e., strict imitation of counterpoint.

Canon and fugue

The basic point of the canon is that a single theme is played alongside itself. A "copy" of the theme is sung by each of the different voices that join in. But this can be done in many ways. The simplest of the canons is the round, as in "Defending the Yellow River," where the first voice sings the theme first, and after a specified period of time apart, the "copy" of the theme enters in exactly the same key. After this second voice has traveled for the same prescribed length of time, a third voice enters and sings the theme, and so on. For most themes it is impossible to harmonize them in this way. In order for a theme to be a canon, each of its notes must be able to play two (three

, or four) roles: firstly, it must be part of the melody, and secondly, it must be a part of the harmony of that same melody. For example, in a tune containing three canonic voices, each note of the theme, in addition to forming the tune, must also form the harmony in two different ways. In this way, each note in a canonic tune has more than one musical meaning, and the listener's ear and brain automatically apprehend its exact significance based on the tones that precede and follow it.

There are, of course, more complex canons. The first, in order of increasing complexity, is that the various "copies" of the theme are interspersed with each other not only in time but also in pitch. That is, the first voice may be singing the theme in the key of C, and the second voice, which interlocks with the first, may be singing the same theme in the key of G, which is a fifth higher than the key of C. The first two voices may be singing the same theme in the key of G, which is a fifth higher than the key of C. The third voice that intersects the first two voices may be singing the theme in the key of D, which is five degrees higher than the key of G, and so on. The next, more complex type of canon is that the individual voices have different tempos; for example, the second voice may have a tempo that is twice or half that of the first voice. The former is called diminution, the latter is called augmentation (because the theme seems to be contracting or expanding).

That's not all. The next, more complex stage in the composition of the canon is thematic transposition, meaning the production of a melody that jumps down whenever the original theme jumps up, both crossing the same number of semitones. It's a rather peculiar kind of melodic transformation, but if one has heard a lot of transposed themes, this kind of thing seems quite natural. Bach, for one, was particularly fond of transposition, and well often used it in his compositions - The Devotion to Music is no exception. As a simple example of transposition, try singing the tune Good King Wenceslas [Good King Wenceslas]. When the original theme and the transposed theme are sung together, an octave apart and two beats apart, it makes for a rather pleasant canon. Finally, the most esoteric of these "copies" is the retrograde - a theme played from back to front at a certain time. Canons that use this technique are commonly called "crab canons" because of the peculiar movement of the crab. Needless to say, Bach's Dedication to Music includes a crab canon. Note that either "copy" retains all the information of the original theme, which means that the original theme can be fully recovered from either copy. This information-preserving transformation is often called isomorphism. We'll talk about isomorphism a lot in this book.

Sometimes it is necessary to relax this very strict form of canon. One way to do this is to allow a slight deviation from full repetition in order to achieve a smoother harmony. There are also kanuns that have "free" voices - voices that do not use the theme of the kanun, but simply harmonize with the individual voices in the kanun.

Each of the canons in Musical Devotion has a variation of the King's theme as its own. Each of the above-described techniques for complicating the canon is used to full effect in The Devotion of Music. In fact, these methods are sometimes used in combination. For example, one of the three-part canons is known as the Reverse Value-Added Canon. It has a free middle voice (which, in fact, sings the King's Theme) while the other two voices jump above and below it in canonic form using value-added and transposition. The other voice is simply labeled with the cryptic phrase "quaerendo invenietis" ("seek and ye shall find"). All of the Canonic puzzles were solved, and the exemplary solution was given by one of Bach's students, Johann Philipp Kornberg. But one can still envision more solutions yet to be discovered!

I should also briefly explain what a fugue is. A fugue is like a canon in that it is usually based on a theme, played in different voices, in different keys, and occasionally at different speeds, either upside down or backwards. However, the concept of the fugue is far less strict than that of the canon, thus allowing for more emotional or artistic expression. A fugue is recognized by the way it begins: a single voice sings its theme, after which a second voice enters either five degrees higher or four degrees lower. Meanwhile, the first voice continues to sing the "counter theme," also called the second theme, which is used to contrast the theme rhythmically, harmonically, and melodically. Each voice sings the theme in turn, often accompanied by another voice, with the other voices playing as many roles as the composer imagines. When all the voices have "arrived", there are no more rules. There are, of course, some standard techniques, but they are not so strict as to allow for the creation of a fugue according to a certain formula. The two fugues in the Dedication to Music are outstanding examples of fugues that could never be "created according to a formula". Both pieces have something far deeper than the nature of the fugue.

Overall. The Dedication to Music is one of Bach's highest achievements in counterpoint. It is itself a large, highly intellectualized fugue, in which many concepts and forms are intertwined with one another, and in which playful double meanings and subtle insinuations are everywhere. It's a beautiful, stunning creation of human intelligence that one never tires of hearing.

Han. West. David Bach, The Devotion to Music

Etude

(Etude) A piece of music used to improve instrumental technique. It usually contains one or several specific technical topics. Chopin was its founder. In addition to practicing technique, this instrumental etude is highly artistic and theatrical. Liszt, Debussy and others have composed such exercises.

Romance

(Romance) refers to a kind of short lyrical songs or short instrumental music without fixed form. Characterized by the tune's detailed expression and lyrics, accompaniment is also rich.

Rhapsody

(Rhapsodie) a technically difficult and epic instrumental music. Originally sung by wandering artists in the ancient Greek period of folk narrative poem fragments, the early nineteenth century the formation of instrumental music genre. Its characteristic is rich in national characteristics or direct use of folk music, such as Liszt's 19 "Hungarian Rhapsody" Ravel's "Spanish Rhapsody" and so on.

Fantasia

(Fantasia) a kind of instrumental narrative with romantic colors and no fixed form. Originally refers to a kind of organ or old piano improvisation solo. Since the end of the 18th century, the fantasia has become an independent instrumental piece, such as Glinka's orchestral piece "Kamalinskaya" fantasia written using Russian folk music.

Invention

(Invention) It is the name of the genre of polyphonic music based on imitation, a kind of polyphonic structure of the piano, according to the development of a musical motive improvisation, similar to the fugue and so on.

Toccata

(Toccata), also known as the "Touch", is a keyboard piece rich in free improvisation.

Sarabande

(Sarabande) a kind of dance music. It is said to have originated in Persia and was introduced to Spain in the early 16th century. Because of the passionate and exuberant mood and was banned by the Church. The sixteenth century was not introduced to France, gradually evolved into a slow, solemn tone of the dance music, often used in aristocratic society and dance theater. Its structure is in two-part form, with a rhythm of three beats; the tone on the second beat has a longer and more prominent timing.

Tanantella

(Tanantella) Tanantella was originally a kind of folk dance music in southern Italy. According to legend: by a kind of poisonous spider "Tarantula" (Tarantula) bite, must dance violently to be able to detoxify, Tanantella dance is the origin of this said, another said that this dance is produced in the city of Taranto and named. Its characteristics: extremely fast, 6/8 or 3/4 beat, the main rhythm for the continuous triplets, the mood is warm.

Impromptu

(Impromptu) It was originally the name of the genre of the solo piano piece, and later also used for solo pieces for other instruments. It is an improvised instrumental sketch, often consisting of agitated passages and profoundly lyrical passages, so most of them are in compound triadic form.

Nocturne

(Nocturne) originally referred to the 18th century popular instrumental suites in the Western aristocracy, the style of bright and elegant, often played in the open air at night, similar to the "serenade".

Serenade

(Serenade) originally referred to the genre of love songs sung in the evening or at night under the lover's window, so the tune is often affectionate and lyrical. At the end of the 18th century, the serenade began to appear as a multi-movement repertoire or ensemble piece, but it was for the aristocrats of the time to help with the music during the feast, the tune is more light-hearted and lively, and has nothing to do with love, belonging to the genre of chamber music.

Song without Words

(Song without Words) (Song without Words) Its melody is like a song, accompanied by a tone pattern, but without lyrics, not for singing, it is a lyrical song like instrumental sketches. It was first created by Mendelssohn.

Lullaby

(Lullaby), also known as lullaby, it was originally a mother's song to soothe the child to sleep, usually very brief. The melody is soft and sweet, and the rhythmic pattern of the accompaniment often has the turbulence of a cradle.

Caprice

(Caprice) also known as whimsy, whimsical, its nature is similar to the fantasia, but also the structure of the free, the size of the indeterminate, refers to a fantasy improvisational instrumental music genre, fugue, suite form.

Waltz

(Waltz), also known as the "waltz", originated in northern Austria, a folk dance in three beats. The waltz is divided into two kinds of fast and slow steps, and two people spin in pairs during the dance. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it was popularized in the court of Vienna, the speed gradually faster, and began to be used in the city social ball. Since the nineteenth century, it has been popular in European countries. Now passes the round dance, most of the Vienna-style round dance, speed for the small fast plate, which is characterized by section Qin bright fast, smooth melody; accompaniment of each bar commonly used in a chord, the first beat accent is more prominent, the famous round dance John Strauss's "Blue Dozier", Weber's "Invitation to Dance" and so on.

Mazurka

(Mazurka) a Polish folk dance, the action of the slide, pairs of rotating, women around the man for brisk running. Mazurka's music is characterized by a medium tempo, three beats, more changes in accent to fall on the second and third beats, the mood is lively and warm.

Polonaise

(Polonaise), also known as the "Polish Dance" is a solemn, slow, aristocratic flavor of the three-beat dance, from the Polish folk.

Polka

(Polka) A Czech folk dance, mainly men and women dancing in pairs, the basic movement consists of two steps, usually in two beats.

Concerto

(Concerto) A large-scale instrumental work performed by a solo instrument in concert with an orchestra. It is characterized by a solo part with a distinct personality and a high degree of virtuosity. The soloist and the orchestra often take turns, answering, echoing and competing with each other as the music progresses. The orchestra accompanies the soloist, and during the concerto, the soloist rests and the orchestra plays exclusively. The founder of the classical concerto was Mozart. Concertos are generally divided into three movements: the first movement is a passionate Allegro, mostly sonata style, music full of life; the second movement is a beautiful, lyrical Adagio, music with a narrative style; the third movement is a joyful dance, the music is vigorous and powerful, active and exuberant. Before the end of the second movement, there is often a flamboyant section for solo instruments to demonstrate a high degree of virtuosity.

In modern concerto compositions, there are also vocal concertos in which the soprano sings solo (without words) and the orchestra plays.

Suite

(Suite) means "continuation" or "continuity", and consists of a number of instrumental compositions, each of which has relative independence. Suite has a classical, modern points. Classical Suite, also known as the "Dance Suite", emerged in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it uses the same tune of a variety of dance music connected to become, but in terms of speed and beat to form a contrast with each other, such as Bach's old piano suite. The modern suite, also known as the "plot suite", emerged in the nineteenth century, from the opera, dance drama, theater music or film music in a number of selected pieces of music. Some suites are based on specific titles or national music materials, such as the Norwegian composer Grieg's "Peer Gynt Suite", the Russian composer Rimsky's "Scheherazade", the Czech composer Dvorak's "Czech Suite" and so on.

Symphonic poem

(Symphonic poem) A single-movement orchestral piece with descriptive and narrative, lyrical and dramatic qualities, belonging to the category of title music. The Hungarian composer Franz Liszt pioneered the genre in 1850 and later developed it. Symphonic poems are mostly taken from literature, poetry, drama, painting and historical legends, and their contents are full of poetic meaning; the form of the music is unconventional, often based on the principle of free play of the sonata form, but also written in the form of variations, trilogy or free form.

There are other genres such as tone poems, tone paintings, symphonic fairy tales, symphonic legends, etc., all of which are similar to the nature of symphonic poems.

Sonata

(Sonata) was originally an Italian word, it is from the Latin "Sonare" (sound), and "Cantata" (Cantata, chorus), is one of the genres of large-scale vocal suites. It is one of the large vocal suite genres, originally meaning "sung with the voice", one being "sounded" and the other "sung". At first, sonata refers to a variety of structures of instrumental music, to the late seventeenth century in the Italian composer Corelli's works began to use several contrasting movements to form a suite of sonatas. In the 18th century, the sonata was standardized into three movements. （The piano sonatas of Haydn and Mozart are in three movements.) Later, "Sonata - Symphonic Suite" added a "minuet" movement, inserted between the second and third movements, becoming a four-movement "Sonata - Symphonic Suite". The four-movement "Scherzo" was added to the "Symphonic Suite", which was inserted between the second and third movements. Beethoven used the "Harmonie" to replace the "Minuet", and later composers used the "Waltz" as the third movement. Sonata in structure similar to the suite of a set of music, but it and the symphony is not quite separate, it is a large suite form of one of the genres.

Cantata

(Cantata) A large vocal suite genre. The original meaning is "to sing with the voice". Originally a secular narrative suite for soloists or repetitions, alternating arias and declamatory tunes, it was introduced to Germany in the mid-17th century and developed into a vocal suite of soloists, repetitions, and recitatives, with secular or Biblical stories as its subject matter. Cantatas are similar in form to oratorios, but on a smaller scale; their content is more lyrical and their stories are simpler.

Oratorio

(Oratorio) is translated as "divine drama" and "sacred drama". It is a large vocal suite genre. Including solo (aria, declamation), chorus and orchestral singing, etc., originated in Rome at the end of the sixteenth century, the beginning of the Bible to take as a subject, make-up performances, and then also used secular subjects. The middle of the 17th century began to develop into a concert work without makeup, in which the chorus is in the main position.

Symphony

(Symphony) originated from the Greek word "all together", is a large instrumental music genre, also known as "symphony", is the largest orchestral suite of music. Symphonies are directly related to the overtures of French and Italian operas of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as orchestral suites and large-scale concertos that were popular in various countries at that time.

The structure of a symphony is generally divided into four movements (there are also only two movements or more than five movements), and the characteristics of each movement are as follows:

The first movement: sonata structure, its music is characterized by a fast, lively, dramatic main theme, and the expression of people's struggles and creative activities. It emphasizes the contrast of different images and dramatic development, is the ideological core of the whole piece. A slow prelude summarizing the basic image of the piece is common before the movement.

The second movement: slow, song-like, is the lyrical center of the symphony. The use of the major key of the subordinate key or minor key of the relationship between the major key. Its form is often sonata form (can omit the unfolding part), single, compound three-part form, or variations, etc., with lyrical. The second movement often expresses philosophical ideas, humanitarianism, love life, natural scenery, etc., and its content is connected with deep inner feelings and philosophical thinking. Here people's emotions and inner experiences are highlighted.

The third movement: medium speed, fast, can return to the main key, often based on the minuet or harmonicas, the use of the compound three-part form, variations, etc., with dance.

In this movement of the classical symphony, often depicting, people's leisure, rest, entertainment and playful scenes of daily life, as well as lively and humorous mood.

The fourth movement: very fast, the main apocalyptic more than the use of the cyclorama, cyclorama sonata or sonata structure, which often expresses the light and optimism of the birth of the bracket, but also often show the life, customs and the victory of the struggle, the festive carnival scenes and so on. It is the ending of the whole piece, with the nature of the affirmative.

Therefore, the symphony is the most profound musical work, the most perfect structure, writing technology is the most comprehensive and difficult large-scale instrumental music genre, it is to express the major events of society, historical heroes, the natural world of the ever-changing, philosophical thinking and people struggle for the lofty ideals for the best; it is always brought with a certain degree of theatricality.

The symphony in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has formed a standardized basic pattern, but the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries, the Vienna School of classical music for the formation of the symphony made an important contribution to the formation of the symphony, and thus make the development of instrumental music in Europe to an important stage of the development of instrumental music, into a precursor of the Vienna School of classical music.

Haydn established the canonical form of the four-movement symphony, adopted an orchestral combination ideal for compilation, and demonstrated a variety of approaches to thematic development, giving the minuet a folkloric flavor. He wrote one hundred and four symphonies in his lifetime, and is known as the "Father of the Symphony".

Mozart's symphonies, clear and smooth, neat structure, absorbed the experience of the German and Austrian opera and folk material, with polyphonic elements of the keynote style and melodic unfolding techniques, enriching the symphony's expressive power. He composed forty-nine symphonies in his lifetime, and because of his precociousness, people called him "the genius of geniuses".

Haydn and Mozart's symphonies are regarded as the "treasures" of symphonic music.

Beethoven imbued his symphonies with the advanced ideas of the French Revolution and the enthusiasm for battle. He used a broad development of motives, his own dynamic harmonies, expanding the content of the development of the section, to the end of the section to give full expression, so that the sonata form into a dramatic form. He replaced the minuet movement with a witty (harmonic) piece, made the finale movement the affirmative ending of the whole piece, and even introduced a chorus in the finale, which made him a trailblazer of the Romantic school. Beethoven was a giant, both in ideas and in technique. His nine symphonies are regarded as the "best" of the symphonic creations.

Since the nineteenth century, the symphony has evolved through the hands of the masters of the Romantic, National, and Late Romantic schools.