Symphony Evolving into Drama in Historical Retrospect

The symphony genre grew out of the opera overture and, from about 1730, became an independent form of orchestral music. Initially, a symphony orchestra consisted ofstrings and a few wind instruments (copper and woodwinds). The development ofsymphonism was influenced by various factors, primarily opera, with its melodies, figurative mode, and structure of constructions. Such instrumental genres asthe orchestral suite, trio sonata, Concerto grosso, and ensemble music for applied purposes became preparatory stages forthe formation of the symphony. Asit matured, symphonism distinguished itself from other genres, especially from opera, acquiring independent content, means of development, and forms of composition. Gradually, symphonism became one of the most ambitious genres of orchestral music, reflecting the depth and organization of musical thinking, integrating typological and stylistic processes, and capable ofreflecting various manifestations of the human spirit from sentimental lyrics to grandiose drama. In the twentieth century, the symphony was challanged like many other musical genres. The evolution of musical thinking with a tendency to decentralization in the field ofstyle, aswell asthe rejection ofstereotyping ofstructural foundations, led the symphony to an extremely unstable position, on the one hand, and opened up previously unexplored possibilities for a radical rethinking of the semantic accents of the genre, on the other hand. Thus, no matter what changes occurred in the inner and outer life of this genre, the symphony has claimed the role of an artistic picture of the world since its inception. The symphony genre reflected the most acute problems of its time.