Cycles of works that span a good chunk of the composer's life

[Maestro267]

I'm interested in cycles of works (whether symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, whatever) that span most of their composer's career and life rather than being written in a short space of time. Where you get a sense of their personal and professional evolution. And you can also think about the history that has passed in that time too. Some of your favourite examples please?

[AnotherSpin]

It took more than twenty years for Brahms to finalize his 1st Symphony.

[Maestro267]

That's not what I mean. I mean the span from the completion of a first work to the completion of a last work in a cycle. In the case of Brahms there was only 8 years between the first and fourth symphonies. Once he figured the first one out the rest of them were spat out pretty quickly. Whereas Vagn Holmboe's cycle of 13 numbered symphonies spanned nearly 60 years of his life, from 1935 to 1994. Just think of the history that happened in that timespan.

[Mandryka]

That's not what I mean. I mean the span from the completion of a first work to the completion of a last work in a cycle. In the case of Brahms there was only 8 years between the first and fourth symphonies. Once he figured the first one out the rest of them were spat out pretty quickly. Whereas Vagn Holmboe's cycle of 13 numbered symphonies spanned nearly 60 years of his life, from 1935 to 1994. Just think of the history that happened in that timespan.

The problem is, these things may not be cycles. I mean you could say Beethoven's Symphonies or Josquin's motets, but they're not cycles. It just happens that the composer was writing these genres all through his working life.

Anyway, I was just about to propose this list of genuine cycles when the system stopped me to say you'd just posted that -- so we're at cross purposes.

Stockhausen's Licht was composed over 25 years
The music of Act 3 of Wagner's Siegfried was composed about 15 years after the previous two acts.
Alvin Curran's Inner Cities is still work in progress as far as I know, it was started in the mid 1990s.

[Jo498]

All these were not really intended as "cycles" but they are called thus and span whole creative lives.

Haydn: Piano sonatas, string quartets, symphonies. Covered late 1750s - 1795, even ca. 1800 for the string quartets, over 40 years. The latter seem the most "systematic", although there are larger gaps and the earliest works (op.1+2) are now often counted as a separate category. They take from the "gallant style" of the 1750s to the brink of romanticism.

Beethoven: Piano sonatas; string quartets and symphonies to a lesser extent, No quartet or symphony is really early whereas if we include the 3 electoral sonatas we get Beethoven from ca. 13 to 51 years old, 5 years before his death.

Mendelssohn: string quartets. There are 7 works, if we include an early work Eb major written when he was 14 (it shows the wunderkind in good form). The first two with opus numbers 12+13 are important  works drawing from middle and late Beethoven; the op.44 show the brilliant classicist style and the last one op.80 is biographically related to the death of his sister and the composer himself was to die not much later.

[AnotherSpin]

That's not what I mean. I mean the span from the completion of a first work to the completion of a last work in a cycle. In the case of Brahms there was only 8 years between the first and fourth symphonies. Once he figured the first one out the rest of them were spat out pretty quickly. Whereas Vagn Holmboe's cycle of 13 numbered symphonies spanned nearly 60 years of his life, from 1935 to 1994. Just think of the history that happened in that timespan.

Oh, I see. Sibelius lived through a lot of history changes, but he finished his symphonies cycle rather early.

[Luke]

Verdi's first opera, Oberto: 1839...
....24 more operas...
Verdi's last opera, Falstaff: 1893

[Luke]

Re string quartets:

Carter's 5 between 1950 and 1995
Tippett's 5 between 1935 and 1992

[Luke]

I reckon songs may provide some good example. I'd imagine that e.g. Brahms first and last lieder span most of his life.


Edit. Yes, for published Brahms songs, it's 1853-1896.

[Jo498]

op.3: 6 Lieder
op.121: 4 Serious songs

[Cato]

I'm interested in cycles of works (whether symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, whatever) that span most of their composer's career and life rather than being written in a short space of time. Where you get a sense of their personal and professional evolution. And you can also think about the history that has passed in that time too. Some of your favourite examples please?

Alexander Nemtin spent c. 30 years conjuring up Scriabin's Mysterium/Prefatory Action: 3 tone poems with almost 3 hours of music.

Unfortunately, he died not too long after finishing his work on the Scriabin sketches.

Notes and Review of 2015 Amsterdam Performance

[Brian]

The first thing I thought of for this is the nocturnes by Gabriel Fauré. They span almost 50 years, an average of 3.5 years between every individual miniature. He also had more than 40 years elapse between the first and last barcarolles, and even the five short impromptus represent 28 years.

[Luke]

So far, I'm delighted to see that Tippett is 'winning' this one 😁 Interesting that his quartets cover the period of Stalin's pre-war terrors (1935) to the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall (1992). Quite a period.

[Roasted Swan]

Shostakovich

[Luke]

His symphonies, you mean? 1923-1971

[DaveF]

Apparently, Mahler's first recorded composition, at the age of 7, was "Polka with Funeral March" - which is also a good characterisation of the symphonies he spent the rest of his life writing.  I'm sure a lot of history happened between 1867 and 1911, although it seems in a way like a blessing that he just missed World War I - not sure how he would have survived that mentally.

[Luke]

His symphonies, you mean? 1923-1971

In fact, that's not dissimilar to Brian's symphonic output, even though he didn't start till middle age.

[Luke]

Work on The Gothic is usually given as starting in 1919, but the initial impetus/inspiration was in 1909. His last symphony (and composition) was 1968.

His first composition was 1892, giving a working life of 76 years. One of the longer ones.

[Luke]

Paul le Flem:
Symphony no 1 - 1908
Symphony no 4 - 1974
 

[Roasted Swan]

His symphonies, you mean? 1923-1971

1st written as a student, last as a premonition of death - seems to fulfill the "spans most of their composer's career and life" I'd say!