Symphony No. 4 by Carl Nielsen

Symphony No. 4 by Carl Nielsen

The symphony that best evokes my feelings on WW1 is Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4. It premiered this year in Copenhagen and was composed in the midst of WW1. The symphony is one of the loudest I’ve heard and even has a battle between two Timpani, which all evoke the devastating power and chaos of war. But Nielsen also intercedes these loud dissonant sections with soft, almost consonant (but not quite) sections. Overall, a feeling of sadness and longing pervade the piece throughout. But in the end, after a section of complete dissonance and loudness where the Timpani are incessantly beating, the strings start playing quickly but quietly, and, after a while of that, the Timpani’s gradually pick back up and the piece ends with a bang of the drums. Nielsen named it “The Inexhaustible,” saying about the title, “that which is inexhaustible is the elemental will to live.” He also goes on to say about the symphony,

“I have an idea for a new composition, which has no programme but will express what we understand by the spirit of life or manifestations of life, that is: everything that moves, that wants to live ... just life and motion, though varied—very varied—yet connected, and as if constantly on the move, in one big movement or stream. I must have a word or a short title to express this; that will be enough. I cannot quite explain what I want, but what I want is good.”