Weber composed his First Symphony, op. 19 (J. 50) between mid-December 1806 and early January 1807, and followed soon it afterward with his Second Symphony. Both symphonies were composed for the court of Duke Eugen Friedrich Heinrich von Württemberg, for whom Weber started to work in 1806. In fact, the orchestration of the two symphonies reflects the resources that were at his disposal at the time, which did not include clarinet, used so well by Weber in other venues.

Criticism of Weber often holds the symphonies to be competent, but goes no further. The works demonstrate, however, much promise for the way he would later treat orchestral passages in his stage works. In the context of his day, they were written approximately two years after Beethoven completed his Third Symphony ("Eroica") and suffer when compared to that work. At the same time, Beethoven's Third was then more the anomaly than a model for symphonists, and Weber should not be expected to approach the kind of work that Beethoven had written. When compared to the efforts of other composers of his day, Weber produced admirable symphonies that deserve to be played more often. The First Symphony, for example, is remarkable for its concision and effectiveness.

The First Symphony is a work in four movements and generally conforms to traditional four-movement models. Comparison have been made between the style of the first movement and the opera overture as it evolved with Weber. This more general stylistic judgment is borne out in Weber's approach to the context, which is more motivic, rather than sustained; further, short ideas take precedence over more extended themes. In some ways, too, the first movement has some affinities with the gestures Mozart used in the overture to La clemenza di Tito, which reflects a more classical approach to opera, even after the more expressive Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. In essence, the rudiments of sonata form occur in Weber's first movement (Allegro con fuoco). It is relatively short and brilliantly handled. It does not bear the influence of Beethoven as much as it reflects an outgrowth of ideas found earlier in the eighteenth century.

The second movement (Andante) is more unique to Weber as a piece full of atmosphere. In form it conforms to the tripartite structure found with other slow movments. However, Weber spent as much time developing ideas thematically as he did with orchestration. The instrumentation of the movement reflects Weber's manipulation of ideas, as much as the content does. In some ways it looks forward to the way in which Beethoven would present a more sustained slow movement in his later symphonies than the more succinct approach taken by eighteenth-century composers.

The Scherzo (Presto} is also forward-looking, with its driving tempo giving it a more Ländler-like character than would occur if Weber were adhering to more characteristically eighteenth-century models. Here Weber may be seen to follow Beethoven's lead in pursuing more a Scherzo than a Minuet. At the same time, the Finale (Presto) flows from the preceding movement to bring the Symphony to a satisfactory conclusion. While this movement is relatively short, it follows the rondo-structure usually encountered in the Classical symphony. In terms of style, the movement resembles the kind of music Weber would pursue several years later in the clarinet concertos.



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