François-Joseph Gossec, Symphony in Seventeen Movements

By RadSarAl • 4 hours ago
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#Gossec #RevolutionaryMusic #Wind Orchestra #18th-Century Avant-Garde #Monumentalism #rarity #vinyl Liège Symphony Orchestra; Jacques Houtmann François-Joseph Gossec's "Symphony in Seventeen Movements" (or, as it is sometimes called, "Symphony for Wind Instruments") is a unique monument to the musical culture of revolutionary France, radically transcending the traditional symphonic form. Presumably composed for the ceremonies and celebrations of the new republic, this symphony is more like a grandiose instrumental suite or a series of sound canvases. Its unusual structureseventeen brief, contrasting movements, following one another without a breakis entirely devoted to the idea of monumentality and mass impact. This is music for open-air performance, featuring a powerful ensemble of brass and percussion instruments. There is no complex development of themes in the classical sense; instead, Gossec creates a series of vivid imagesfrom stern marching episodes and solemn hymns to heartfelt funeral processions (as in the famous "Funeral March" movement). The effect is built on contrasts of tempo, dynamics, mode (major-minor), and the timbre-rich power of brass and woodwinds. This work is more than music. It is a sonic symbol of the era, an architectonics of brass and drum thunder. Gossec, as the chief musical organizer of the revolution, uses the orchestra as an instrument of collective emotion, anticipating the future works of Berlioz and the large-scale canvases of 20th-century composers. The symphony demonstrates the birth of a new aesthetic, where art serves not the entertainment of the court, but the expression of the spirit of the nation and the ideals of freedom, albeit expressed in the language of military marches and heroic fanfares. Dear listeners, you can support the channel: https://donatepay.ru/don/1448163 or https://t.me/radsiaralbot or https://app.lava.top/1360410176?isNew=true&successPublishProductId=3c87f028-55c1-4ead-9202-1c4a4634f708?donate=open
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