The Research On Harmonic Techniques Of Brahms’ Symphony No.1in C Minor, Op.68

Johannes Brahms(1833—1897) is a great German composer of the romantic eraof music.The Symphony No.1in C minor, which was finished in August1876, is oneof his most representative works. Brahms’ Symphoney No.1is a mature work afterlong deliberation in his later period.He spent about fifteen years completing this workfrom writing of the first movement in1862to finishing touches in1876. During theseyears, the composer went through the contradictions in society, changes in classrelations and the struggle on the reunification of Germany, which deeply influencedhis composition.The anxiety, struggling and fight of the first movement,then thesorrow,fantasy and expectation of the second and third movement finally lead to hope,triumph and cheers of the last movement. The composer expressed strong feelings tothat era and emotional experience of his inner world.Brahms loved national traditions and pursued classical spirit. He’s a follower ofmany classical masters such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert,etc. Comparedwith his comtemoraries, Brahms’ music is firmly rooted in classical tradition. In thesecond half of the nineteenth century, as the development of romanticism, manycomposers were searching for new materials and techniques for composition,butBrahms recalled traditions. At that time, the structure of symphony were developingin two directions: symphony expended to more movements and sections andsymphonic poem with one movement. Brahms’ Symphony No.1came back towell-balanced classical four movements ranged exactly by classical tradition. Itreminds people of Beethoven’ symphony, and it do has something connected toBeethoven so that it was referred to as "Beethoven’s Tenth" later by Hans von Bülow.Living in romantic period, Brahms’ works shows his respect of classic rules.Instead of mechanically using those principles, his music appeared some newelements which made him stand out from his contemporaries. This paper studied thehamony of Brahms’Symphony No.1in C minor. The artistic characteristics of theharmony were discussed and interpreted. Inheriting classical traditions, Brahms’specific characteristics embed in his harmony which eventually formed his personalstyle were researched.