Louis Spohr’s third symphony, Opus 78, dates from 1828, the year after Beethoven’s death, and there are several indications he was thinking of Beethoven when he wrote it, starting with the key of C minor. It’s on a large scale for the early 19th century. In most recordings it runs half an hour. The instrumentation includes a brass section of four horns, two trumpets, and three trombones.

The slow introduction sets an initially tragic tone but quickly opens up into an expression of hope. The main body continues the conflict of emotions. The first theme expresses a struggle, while the second, made from the same material, is dance-like. The development is brief but surprising; it’s based not on the first and second themes, but on the introduction. This approach recalls the opening mood without breaking the tempo. The coda goes into C minor, creating a moment of doubt, but returns to the major for the final measures.

The second movement opens with a quiet mood of longing in a 9/8 melody from the strings. Accented notes bring out the feeling of disquiet, and ominous staccato scales repeatedly add tension. The movement is a long one, and finally the music dies away in a gloomy F major.

The third movement is a scherzo in C minor. The strings present a subdued line in unison, to which the woodwinds reply, as in Beethoven’s 5th. The trio recalls the second theme of the first movement and its dance-like feeling.

In the finale in C major, an exuberant, almost rambunctious feeling takes hold, making up for the darkness to this point. The opening motif is strongly reminiscent of the last movement of Beethoven’s 2nd, with the same rhythm. The development is a stormy fugue on that motif, but the exuberant mood returns with the recapitulation and stays until the end.

I find the orchestration of this symphony rather thick. The choice of recordings is limited, but the North German Radio Philharmonic has a satisfying performance which avoids excessive density. As usual, here’s a recording with the score, performed by the Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, to follow along on YouTube. Thanks to the people who post these videos of music with the score! I find them very helpful.

This article is available under a Creative Commons BY-NC license. That says you can use it however you want — for instance, in program notes — provided you give me credit by name and aren’t making money off it. (If you are making money, that’s fine, but I expect a cut. Talk to me.)