tossed around between the woodwinds and strings until after a brief cut-time section the strings first state the pitsicato ascending chromatic pattern, which is used throughout the piece in chord suspension and transition. My favorite part in movement one then comes next. Sibelius builds and prolongs resolution by continuing the ascending chromatic pattern underneath the horn repeatedly playing the leading tone to V, which seems to have some sort of resolution even though it isn’t root. He then holds a German V chord and then resolves to root before going on. The rest of section B is a collage of imitation, Coll`e style i, iv, v (minor), chromatic patterns, chords I, IV, V, and prolonging resolution and “resolving” with dominant chords. After a whirlwind of string trills in cut time the horns, trumpets, and trombones make the transition from minor back to major, which results in the return to A material (known as A^1). In this section a variation on the oboe part in A is restated with oboe, clarinet, and flute as well as 4’s being used for transition. After that, the strings go back and forth either re-stating the Coll`e style phrases from the beginning of the piece or playing chromatic patterns. Sibelius also uses the leading tone-to-dominant resolution technique from section B in the brass and woodwinds to build tension until he holds the dominant and resolves to tonic. The first movement then ends the same way it started, with the strings playing I, IV, V, I with Coll`e style. The third movement of Sibelius Symphony #2 is written in A-B form, has an odd-meter, and makes a wonderful transition into Finale (the two are basically connected) all while demonstrating the musical genius of Jean Sibelius. The most interesting trait about Vivacissimo is how greatly the A material differs from the B material. The A material of the third movement is in the key of B Flat Major, uses themes stated in the first movement bu...
