Academic Festival Overture

The Academic Festival Overture in C minor, Op 80 is an Overture by Johannes Brahms. It was created in the summer of 1880 in Bad Ischl, at the same time as the Tragic Overture in D minor op 81 occasion to compose the Festival Overture was the awarding of an honorary doctorate to Brahms by the University of Breslau in 1879. The premiere took place on January 4, 1881 under Brahms ' line in Wroclaw instead. Compared to the Academic Festival Overture Tragic Overture gained more popularity.

About the Music

The cast consists of 1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 1 contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, 3 timpani in G, C and D, percussion ( bass drum, cymbals, triangle ) and strings.

The overture processed contrapuntal quotes the following student songs:

• We had built a stately house (or I 've found ) - ( in the score. Stroke 64ff ) the song of the dissolution of the first student fraternity
• All silent ( Listen, I sing the Song of Songs ) - (. . 129ff in the score clock and clock 314ff ) a phrase from the father of his country song
• Fox ride (What comes there from on high ) - the fox song, also popularly known as A Schneider began ne mouse ( in the score clock 157ff. )
• Gaudeamus Igitur as Maestoso finale ( 379ff in the score clock. )

Brahms himself compared the Academic Festival Overture and the Tragic Overture, as he once said, "the one laughing, the other crying ."