• Year of composition: Linnéanum 16 November 1918 — 16 March 1919
• Work category: Symphony
• Dedication: To Margita, my daughter
• First performed: 4 November 1919
• Duration: 45 min

Instrumentation

4*.4*.4**.4* / 8.4.3.1 / timp, 1 perc, 2 hp, cel, pno / str
(picc, cor angl, e-flat clar, bass clar, dbn)

Solo voices/choir

1 Soprano acuto, 1 Tenore assoluto (without words)

Examples of printed editions

• Universal Edition, Wien, 1922 (U.E.7154), score and parts (score printed in facsimile of Alfvén's autograph)
• Edition Reimers, Stockholm, 1994 (ER 101214), study score

Literature

Tillman, Joakim: 'Jag ville dikta en apoteos om kärlekens högsta lycka.' Om tillkomsten av Hugo Alfvéns fjärde symfoni och dess erotiska innehåll (Hugo Alfvén − liv och verk i ny belysning, Gunnar Ternhag & Joakim Tillman (eds), Gidlund förlag, Stockholm 2012, pp. 191−237.

Description of work

• [episode 1, tenor solo:] Moderato C minor 4/4
• [episode 2, sopransolo:] Allegretto, ma non troppo G minor 3/4
• [episode 3, duet:] Lento 4/4
• [episode 4:] C minor