Carl Nielsen (1865 - 1931)
Symphony No. 2 in B, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments"
I. Allegro collerico
II. Allegro comodo e flemmatico
III. Andante malincolico
IV. Allegro sanguineo

Carl August Nielsen was born into a poor family, the 7th of 12 children, in 1865 in rural Denmark on the island of Funen. Though most of his adult life was spent in Copenhagen, he never lost his love of the country life, and this is apparent in much of his music. Carl was an intelligent child with a thirst for knowledge and music. Soon he was playing in the band of Odense, the main town on Funen. Fortunately, generous townspeople recognized his talent and sponsored him to attend the Conservatory in Copenhagen, on the next island, Zealand. Although not a prodigious composer, he wrote six symphonies, two operas, several other stage works, three concertos and much chamber music.

The second symphony was written in 1901, when Nielsen earned a living playing second violin in the orchestra of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. As in much of his mature music Nielsen's use of keys is interesting - this symphony starts in B minor, the second movement is in G major, the slow movement starts in A flat minor but ends in B flat, while the finale starts in D major and ends in A major. Quite a journey.

What are the Four Temperaments? Long before the advent of modern medical science Hippocrates introduced the theory that imbalances in four body fluids (known as humours) gave rise to various symptoms, and caused different temperaments in people. The four humours were phlegm, blood, yellow bile and black bile, and an excess of each causes the four temperaments - phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric and melancholic respectively. Even if you don't know what these mean, the character of the music in each movement makes the meaning quite clear. The first movement is choleric - argumentative, often changing its mind, cantankerous. The second movement is phlegmatic - calm, cool, almost disinterested. The 'slow movement is melancholic, though personally I find it deeply serious and thoughtful rather than just melancholic. The finale is sanguine - energetic, confident and optimistic. The work was inspired by a set of comic paintings Nielsen saw in a tavern, each graphically depicting one of the temperaments. The following notes are Nielsen's own, and are unusually good for a composer describing his own music.