Symphony No. 1 in F Major, Op. 17, By Zdeněk Fibich: An Amalgamation of Czech and German Musical Styles

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Symphony No. 1 in F major, Op. 17, by Zdeněk Fibich embodies musical style features associated with both Czech and German composers of the nineteenth century. The identification of these style features is accomplished by comparing and contrasting Fibich's Symphony No. 1 in F major with works by other prominent Czech and German composers whose music was performed and well-known at the time. Particular emphasis is placed on the aural similarities between Fibich's first symphony and that of other composers' works in an effort to show Fibich's unique hybrid compositional style. A second area of focus is the rise in European nationalism during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Due to Fibich's mixed Czech and German heritage, nationalism is explored in order to ascertain what effect, if any, nationalistic bias might have had on the overall reception of Fibich's music and the composer's ability to have his music performed during his lifetime.