The creation of Bohuslav Martinu's first two symphonies is quite reminiscent of the events connected with those of Johannes Brahms. Both composers waited until they were accomplished and well-known composers before issuing a work in the symphony form—Brahms until his forties and Martinu until his fifties. Brahms actually worked on various intended symphony projects at different points of his life, but drew back until 1876, mindful of the footsteps of the titan Beethoven behind him. In turn, Martinu was intimidated by Brahms' example.

In the case of both composers, the successful completion of a large-scale work unlocked the symphonic gates. In fact, Martinu wrote that the elements of the Second Symphony "were building up ... while I was writing the First." Brahms wrote three more symphonies in less than ten years, and Martinu wrote the first five of his eventual six within a four-year span.. In the case of both composers, Symphony No. 2 is a gentle, pastoral work. Martinu's is even Brahmsian in its choices of tempo; in three out of four cases Martinu follows the German composer's frequent habit of adding a qualification to the tempo marking to make sure the music is not too fast or slow.

Martinu's Second Symphony is also a work of Haydnesque proportions. It is not a Neo-Classical work, nor does it use a chamber-sized orchestra, but it is a remarkably calm and relaxed composition, full of charm. Here Martinu de-emphasizes his tendency to write motives rather than melodies and to develop them polyphonically; the Second Symphony is based in true melodies, often with a Czech flavor. It is less than 25 minutes in length.

The first movement (Allegro Moderato) is a gentle and formally correct sonata form. Martinu's own trademark shimmering texture is often in evidence, and the harmonies return to his interest in Impressionism though he uses Impressionist chords functionally. The main theme is tender. The second movement (Andante moderato), the longest of the four, is based on a theme of rustic, outdoorsy flavor. The third movement (Poco allegro) is a march, but a non-martial one (which is remarkable, considering when the work was written and the composer's intense interest in the course of the war), and the finale (Allegro) uses the familiar rondo, the favorite form for a closing symphonic movement.

The work was composed on commission from the Cleveland Orchestra, which premiered it on October 23, 1943. Gentle as the symphony is, Martinu intended it as a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic, which at the time of its composition was occupied by Nazi Germany. He dedicated it to his "countrymen," the Czech workers of the factories of Cleveland who were contributing to the success of the American armed forces in World War II.



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