Composing a Symphony: HELP!

I am thinking of writing a symphony right now, but I dont really know how to, or what to do. Can anyone briefly explain to me what should there be in a symphony or how to start? How many pages does it usually have?

Symphonies are relatively difficult to write, and I wouldn't suggest writing one if you are a beginner. (The only reasons I think you are a beginner are because you asked how to write a symphony which is, no offense, very straight-forward and because you are under the delusion that they are measured in pages [while it is much more common to find pieces measured in measures].)

Symphonies (typically) have four movements:

~a movement in Sonata-Allegro form

(see here: Sonata form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

~a slow movement

(self-explanatory; look at what other composers have done for this)

~a minuet or scherzo in Ternary form (in three)

(see here: Ternary form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

~a movement in Sonata-Allegro or (more commonly ) Sonata-Rondo form

(see here: Sonata form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and here: Sonata rondo form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

I would seriously consider looking at symphonies from a variety of composers to see what they did for the given form. Good luck; you're going to need it.

Symphonies are relatively difficult to write, and I wouldn't suggest writing one if you are a beginner. (The only reasons I think you are a beginner are because you asked how to write a symphony which is, no offense, very straight-forward and because you are under the delusion that they are measured in pages [while it is much more common to find pieces measured in measures].)

Symphonies (typically) have four movements:

~a movement in Sonata-Allegro form

(see here: Sonata form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

~a slow movement

(self-explanatory; look at what other composers have done for this)

~a minuet or scherzo in Ternary form (in three)

(see here: Ternary form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

~a movement in Sonata-Allegro or (more commonly ) Sonata-Rondo form

(see here: Sonata form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and here: Sonata rondo form - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

I would seriously consider looking at symphonies from a variety of composers to see what they did for the given form. Good luck; you're going to need it.

As to that, I am a beginner. I didnt know composing a symphony will be very difficult........ And yes, what do u mean by the measuring part? Do we not measure in pages?

Symphonies are generally considered to be the grandest undertaking of a composer, hence the difficulty. Of course, your definition of quality doesn't have to match others' definition of quality, but reaching a level of quality that most believe to be high usually takes years of work on the project. If this symphony is for full orchestra (as most are), then you need expansive knowledge of orchestration. In addition, you will have to not only introduce variety throughout the whole thing, but coherence also.

As for the length of works... For a composer, there is no set page number or measure number with which you should decide to stop writing. Instead, you should write until your idea has been completely expounded upon. If there needs to be more development(resulting in a 25 minute movement) , then do so! If you need to cut parts out, then do that also. It's all up to you.

Um, how about throwing the idea of a symphony out the window. Just write for whatever you want in a basic form. By your question it seems as though you haven't written a lot of music, so just WRITE instead of worrying about the technical aspects of a very expansive and difficult piece of music.

I second Ralph's comment. Start with writing for solo instruments - Try the following -

Viola

Trumpet

Clarinet or Flute

Cello

Bassoon

Trombone

You will need to learn when writing solo works for some of these instruments the idea of "transposition" - that is, a Clarinet in B flat when you ask the player to play the middle C you WRITE on the treble staff the pitch produced will be B flat. If aTrumpet in D plays the WRITTEN note C then it will sound as D. here is a good link offering an overview of this subject (there are several articles being written in YC's wiki which I urge you to investigate too):

Transposing instrument - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Then you must know the C- clefs as well as treble and bass clefs. For example the viola uses the alto clef. The link below offers a good overview and the references are excellent - I suggest getting the Dandelot book, it is in French but with some research you can figure it out (or have someone)

Clef - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, for a TRADITIONAL orchestral work you would need familiarity with the above as well as harmony, counterpoint and the strengths and weaknesses of each instrument. So writing solo works for a variety of instruments is a great way to break this down into more manageable sizes.

Of course there is one loophole - you could compose an orchestral work using Logic, ProTools where you may not have to be too concerned with much beyond basic theory and orchestration - in a way beneficial for the imagination but detrimental for writing for live musicians and for a deeper understanding of orchestration(I mean what would happen if composers had to write music and for one week NO electricity - it'd be an interesting experiment.)

Now I don't want to make this seem impossible - it is not. In fact there are performers who write songs at the piano and work with an orchestrator to have them arranged for an orchestra. But if your focus is composition then you are denying yourself a gigantic world of creative exploration if you choose not to invest in the work to understand this subject well.

I agree with almost everything here.

As to how pieces should be measured, I have never seen a piece measured in pages. I have only seen pieces measured in measures and in time/duration/minutes. Maelstrom is right in that pieces aren't really measured and you aren't required to make pieces a certain length.

Pieces are however long the composer requires them to be. No more; no less.

I agree with almost everything here.

As to how pieces should be measured, I have never seen a piece measured in pages. I have only seen pieces measured in measures and in time/duration/minutes. Maelstrom is right in that pieces aren't really measured and you aren't required to make pieces a certain length.

Pieces are however long the composer requires them to be. No more; no less.

And yet my symphony was accused of being too long.