by David Bratman
Since its creation in the 18th century, the symphony has been the pre-eminent genre of orchestral music. Ranging from sweeping grandeur to the closest of intimacy, in pure absolute structures of music without distractions of operatic plot or of soloist virtuosity, the symphony has for many composers been the repository of their greatest musical achievements.
Listening to symphonies by lesser masters as well as those of the greatest composers has provided some of my most rewarding and enriching musical experiences, a pleasure I hope that others may share. One practical advantage in listening to and collecting symphony recordings is that most composers who have shown interest in the form have written them in series. If you like one symphony, try others by the same composer. It makes a good and easy plan for learning about music.
But if you wish to explore beyond the standard masterworks, you will discover that it can be difficult to find clear, definitive lists of composers' symphonies with complete information about opus numbers, keys, and dates, or even to get the simple numbers straight. This site pulls together scattered information from many catalogs, encyclopedias, histories, monographs, and web sites to provide a checklist for the symphony-hunter.
At present this site includes the works of 140 composers of the 19th century, defined as having written symphonies in that century, including those who crossed the line to the 18th or 20th. Work-lists of composers of other centuries will be forthcoming. To view the lists, click on the composers' names below. For details on formatting, definitions, and sources, read The Fine Print.
Comments and corrections are welcome. Contact information is on my home page.