• Year of composition: Capri and Marstrand 1947-48, finished on 19 December 1948
• Work category: Symphony
• Text author: Ebba Lindqvist (1908-95), 'Det enda' [(approx.) The only thing] from the collection of poems 'Vid Havet' [By the sea], published in the collection Labyrint [Labyrinth] (1949)
• Dedication: Dedicated to all sailors on the Seven Seas
• First performed: 24 March 1949, Gothenburg Concert Hall, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, cond. : Sixten Eckerberg, soprano solo: Ingrid Eksell
• Duration: 37 min

Instrumentation

3*.3*.3*.3* / 4.3.3.1 / timp, 2 perc, hp, cel, pno / str
(picc, cor angl, bass clar, dbn)

Solo voices/choir

Soprano solo (range: c1—g-flat2, so the part suites a mezzo-soprano better)

Examples of printed editions

• Nordiska Musikförlaget, Stockholm, 1950 (N.M.S.4000)
• Study score: Nordiska Musikförlaget, Stockholm, 1951 (N.M.S.4000)
• The song 'Det enda', which constitutes the mid section of the symphony, was published in arrangement for song and piano by Nordiska Musikförlaget Stockholm, 1951 [with translations to French, Italian, English and German at an extra page with just the song part and text, obviously meant to be used as a 'piano vocal score' at performances of the symphony] (N.M.S.3844)

Description of work

Lento (no fixed key signatures) 4/4 (C) 18 bars, Poco più mosso e cresc. 3 bars, 3/4 8 bars, 4/4 (C) 4 bars, A tempo [tempo I] 48 bars, Poco mosso non troppo 6 bars, Allegro 3/4 (with inserted occasional bars in 3/4) 52 bars, 7/4 (with two inserted bars in 3/4) 12 bars, 4/4 (C) 2 bars, 3/4 11 bars, Frenetico, sempre tempo allegro, non ritenuto (3/4 with inserted occasional bars in 2/4) 64 bars, Frenetico 21 bars, 7/4 4 bars, 4/4 (C) 1 bar, 3/4 42 bars, Lento [with soprano solo] (alternating time signatures: 4/4 (C), 6/4 and 2/4) 95 bars [the section between 2 bars before number 66 and number 78 shows a fixed key signature: D-flat major], Allegro (no fixed key signatures) 3/4 2 bars, 7/4 (with two inserted bars in 3/4) 14 bars, 4/4 (C) 2 bars, 3/4 29 bars, Frenetico (3/4 with one inserted bar in 2/4) 19 bars, Leggiero (3/4 with one inserted bar in 2/4) 71 bars, Lento 4/4 (C) 28 bars, Meno 4 bars, A tempo 8 bars, Poco più mosso (4/4 (C) with occasional bars in 3/4 and 2/4) 29 bars, Tempo lento 4/4 (C) (with occasional bars in 2/4 and 3/4) 12 bars, Tempo allegro 3/4 (with occasional bars in 2/4) 43 bars, 7/4 4 bars, 4/4 (C) 1 bar, Meno mosso [e poi accel. e rall.] 8 bars, Lento — Molto espressivo e cantando (4/4 (C)) 4 bars, Molto intensivo e marcato 5 bars, Dim. e molto rall. 12 bars, Tempo I Lento 22 bars, in total 708 bars

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Libretto/text