Symphony No. 2 “ The Four Temperaments”

Indeed, the two men composed their respective symphonies in the same periods.

Written in 1901–1902, Nielsen’s Symphony No. 2, “The Four Temperaments,” sprang from an unexpected source of inspiration, as the composer himself recounts: seated in a rural inn on the island of Zealand, enjoying a glass of beer with his spouse and a few friends, he noticed a painting depicting the four temperaments. Derived from the theory of the humors, as described by Hippocrates in On the Nature of Man, the concept of temperaments ran through the history of medicine and psychology before gradually being set aside with scientific advances. Amused by the caricatural, even grotesque, aspect of these images, Nielsen conceived a symphony whose four movements would illustrate these temperaments. Premiered in Copenhagen on December 1, 1902, under the composer’s baton, the work is dedicated to the great pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni, a leading figure of the avant‑garde of the time.

Marked Allegro collerico, the first movement portrays the choleric temperament: strongly driven by rhythm, it is impetuous and headlong, and its conclusion is vehement. Nielsen depicts the phlegmatic through a waltz (Allegro comodo e flemmatico), like an indolent young man lounging in the harbor by the water. In the Andante malincolico, the melancholic is depicted. At times the movement resembles a funeral march or a religious hymn, from which plaintive melodies stand out, notably in the oboe and English horn. A martial Allegro sanguineo closes the symphony. The sanguine, whom Nielsen describes as “a man who storms thoughtlessly forward in the belief that the whole world belongs to him,” is portrayed by bustling orchestral activity that seems to rush in every direction. Dry, repeated chords suggest a momentary fright, but the temperament’s superficial nature quickly reasserts itself, and the movement ends in a joyful, exuberant surge.