The Symphony No. 1 by Arnold Bax was completed in 1922 and dedicated to John Ireland. Its outer movements were based on a Piano Sonata in E-flat that Bax subsequently orchestrated, while the central movement was newly-composed for the symphony.
It is scored for 4 flutes (1 doubling piccolo), 1 alto flute, 2 oboes, 1 english horn, 1 heckelphone or bass oboe, 3 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 1 sarrusophone, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones...
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The Symphony No. 1 by Arnold Bax was completed in 1922 and dedicated to John Ireland. Its outer movements were based on a Piano Sonata in E-flat that Bax subsequently orchestrated, while the central movement was newly-composed for the symphony.
It is scored for 4 flutes (1 doubling piccolo), 1 alto flute, 2 oboes, 1 english horn, 1 heckelphone or bass oboe, 3 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 1 sarrusophone, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, bass drum, tenor drum, snare drum, tambourine, cymbals, gong, triangle, bells, xylophone, glockenspiel, celesta, 2 harps and strings.
It is in three movements:
The opening movement begins with a significant motif in the symphony, one which is eventually turned into a triumphal march in the relatively short finale for Bax. Arnold Bax's Symphony No. 1 is in many ways autobiographical, with music critics at the time saying that they could find references within the work to The Great War (World War I) which occurred around the...
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