 The score calls for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B flat, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, 3 timpani, 2 harps and strings.The symphony follows the 3-movement form as established by Chausson's teacher and mentor César Franck, it also employs the cyclic form of recurring themes.The first movement follows a personal adaptation of sonata-form, dividing the development section into several sections, with a highly dramatic slow introduction, introducing the solemn main theme of the symphony.