Minimalism

“The central principle is that not the artist’s expression, but the medium and materials of the work were its reality. In other words: a work of art should not refer to anything other than itself” (Understandingminimalism.com, 2014) Minimalism in both art and music are possibly the most complex movements to analyse because they are simply so broad. The idea behind minimalism is that expression is kept to an absolute minimum so that the art can speak for itself, rather than invoke emotions in the audience. Because of the complexity behind the idea of minimalism, I will only touch on the basics of the movement. 

Firstly, minimalist artists believe that the art they create should be able to speak for itself. In contradiction to artists of previous periods that relied on an emotional response from their audience, minimalist artists rely on the simplicity of the piece to speak volumes about the meaning. Some minimalist pieces reject meaning completely, simply becoming art for arts sake. An example of this is a technique called ‘hard edge painting’. Hard edge painting was the idea of simple colours, usually in geometric forms, and bright areas of razor sharp edges and unmodulated colour. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014) 

In terms of music, minimalist musicians began to compose in a simple, literal style. Often using repetition or silence to their advantage. An example of minimalist music is La Monte Young, who generated a few pitches then electronically sustained them for days. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014) Young virtually eliminated variation as a developmental technique. 

Another example is the 4:33. This piece made the audience create the music, as a single pianist sat at his piano for 4 minutes and 33 seconds  of complete silence. Minimalism could often be used as a social experiment, and this piece is an excellent example of this. The composer was questioning what music could be, and the recordings of the piece often include uncomfortable murmurs from audience members, as well as other mundane sounds that when pieced together create the 4:33. 

The idea of minimalism rejecting meaning, emotion, and many other things that was completely necessary to music of the past led to a radical development in what music could be, and without minimalism we would never have experimented or explored half as much as we have today. 

References

Encyclopedia Britannica, (2014). minimalism (art movement). [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/384056/minimalism [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

Understandingminimalism.com, (2014). Introduction to Minimal Art – Understanding Minimalism. [online] Available at: http://understandingminimalism.com/introduction-to-minimal-art/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

Impressionism

Impressionism in both art and music means basically the same thing – to give a fleeting impression of the subject matter without going into a lot of depth so the viewer has freedom of interpretation. In terms of art, this meant blurred lines, blocks of colour, and swirling brushstrokes so that when the viewer first looks at the image they mightn’t even have a clue what the piece is. In contrast, the subject matter may be clear but the techniques used to paint it may seem juvenile or undeveloped. 

 

The characteristics of Impressionist art and music are very similar when closely examined. In art, impressionism often implies a sense of the unfinished on incomplete. In music, unresolved dissonance reflects this incomplete and unfinished nature. Art uses emotional sensation rather than logical perception, and music uses ambiguous sound and form and irregular phrasing in a similar way. (Academic.muohio.edu, 2009) Not to say that impressionism doesn’t have structure, far from it. Impressionism cannot be complete without a structure, it’s just veiled and blurred until closely inspected. 

 

To examine impressionism in art and music, we will look at two pieces – Claude Monet’s “Water Lillies” and Claude Debussy’s “Prélude À L’après-midi d’un faune” (Prelude to the Afternoon Of A Faun). 

 

Disclaimer: All analysis of characterisation and scene is purely guesswork. I might be completely wrong, so might the rest of the internet. I’m just going off what the piece sounds like 😛

The Afternoon Of A Faun begins with the flute presenting the main melody of the piece. This is heavily symbolic considering that fauns were often depicted playing pan flutes. The melody is both tonally and rhythmically ambiguous, meaning that it’s hard to predict what will happen next with the melody. 

A harp glissando then ushers in the French Horn, followed by a bar of silence. This silence invites the audience to contemplate the meaning of the piece so far, and what the silence can mean. Impressionism uses silence in this way frequently, as a tool to allow the audience to think rather than simply silence. (Mhhe.com, 2014)

Another interesting thing to look at in the first few bars of this piece is the key signature. The piece states that it is in E major, but the first full chord in bar 5 is in Bb major. Bb major in relation to E major is a tritone relationship, a common relationship in impressionist music and in Debussy’s works. But even examining this, there is no establishment on E major, which sticks to Debussy’s necessity to avoid using conventions in his music. (Boku-no-ongaku.blogspot.com.au, 2012)

The next section consists of a conversation between the woodwinds and the flutes. This is representative of a conversation between a nymph and a faun. (Klein, 2010)

 

 

The melody of the next section (which will be referred to as the B section) is picked up by the strings. The violins play a slow, languorous motif as a transition before the faun’s theme returns in the flutes, though slightly slower to keep the sensual feeling of the B section going. (Klein, 2010)

a brief return of the faun theme

Violins playing the B motif

The C section picks up with the oboe playing the fauns theme. “This practice serves to mark the phrases, but also serves as a clever transition back into the final restatement of the faun’s theme in the flutes.”(Klein, 2010) When the flutes first played this theme, it had the energy of awakening from a deep sleep, but this reinstatement of the faun’s theme seems to be ‘winding down’ as the faun returns to his slumber. 

 

The piece concludes with a brief Coda, signaled by the violins playing descending quarter notes, as in the first transition. After this, a solo oboe sounds, hinting at the faun’s theme before drifting off into a peaceful ending, presumably asleep again. 

This prelude is an excellent example of impressionist music because of it’s use of undefined melody and key, blurred sounds and use of heavy syncopation and complex rhythms to shroud bar lines, and highly pictorial and emotional content. 

In terms of impressionist art, Monet’s “Water Lilies” is an excellent piece to compare to the prelude. The subject matter of this piece is incredibly simple, just water lilies floating on a pond. What makes this piece impressionist is Monet’s clever use of brush stroke and line. The brush strokes in “Water Lilies” are visible, but not so much as oil paintings usually are. Monet used very light strokes and thin paint to give off a dream like effect, making the whole image slightly blurred. This allows the viewer to take in the image as a whole rather than getting lost in visible paint texture, as is common in oil painting. 

There is no specific organisation or arrangement to the piece, nor is there a defined focal point. Monet did this on purpose to reinforce the dream like effect, and make the piece incredibly easy to get lost in. His use of blurred lines helps the viewer to not analyse the subject matter, but more the idea behind the subject matter. Impressionist art was used like impressionist music, to not tell a set story, but to allow the audience to create their own story using the idea of the piece in question. 

The colours used in Water Lilies are incredibly clever, and when viewing the piece it is hard to discern whether you are looking at water lilies or just patches of colour. What is really amazing is how Monet managed to paint in a light source without putting in a lot of detail. This helps give the piece some structure, and makes it much easier to look at since instead of just looking at patches of colour, your eye is drawn to the centre of the piece, where the colours are lightest. The direction of the brushstrokes are also incredibly interesting. Instead of following the shape of the water, the brush strokes used are almost entirely vertical. This helps to blur the image even more when coupled with the circular dabbing motion used to paint the lilies themselves. 

In conclusion, impressionist art and music are incredibly similar. Both use their medium to blur the piece, and invite the audience to create their own meaning within the piece. “Impressionists wanted the viewer to pay more attention to how they felt about what he or she was seeing rather than focusing on the importance of what they were looking at.” (livinglifepassionately, 2012) And both Monet and Debussy succeeded in invoking emotion in the viewer rather than portraying a set scene or story. 

References

Academic.muohio.edu, (2009). Impressionism. [online] Available at: http://www.academic.muohio.edu/mus189/impressionism/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

Boku-no-ongaku.blogspot.com.au, (2012). Musings of a Composer: Debussy – Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. [online] Available at: http://boku-no-ongaku.blogspot.com.au/2009/09/debussy-prelude-to-afternoon-of-faun.html [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

Klein, J. (2010). Jeff Klein – Ethnomusicologist: Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un Faun – Listening Guide. [online] Jfkmusichistory.blogspot.com.au. Available at: http://jfkmusichistory.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/prelude-lapres-midi-dun-faun-listening.html [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

livinglifepassionately, (2012). Analysis of Monets Water Lilies. [online] Available at: http://livinglifepassionately.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/analysis-of-monets-water-lilies/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

Mhhe.com, (2014). Debussy – Prelude a L’apres-midi d’un faune. [online] Available at: http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/music/kamien/student/olc/30.htm [Accessed 25 Apr. 2014].

Programmatic Symphony – Description because I ran the hell out of time

Programmatic Symphonies consist of literally a ‘program’ and a ‘symphony’ – the program being the story and the symphony being the medium in which the story is conveyed.  (WordPress, 2011) Programmatic symphonies differ from symphonic poems in the fact that they are longer, and consist of multiple movements rather than just one. Keeping this in mind, we’re going to be looking at the most important parts of a many program symphonies rather than analysing an entire work because damn that would take a buttload of time which i don’t have because it’s currently Thursday and I still have two more assignments to do 😛

The ‘first’ programmatic symphony was composed by Beethoven in 1808. Symphony no. 6 is considered a programmatic symphony because it aims to paint a picture of a calm countryside by a brook using instrumentation instead of words or visual cues. Beethoven even went as far as to label the instruments as the character or scenery they were meant to be portraying on the score e.g. the flutes were labelled as nightingale, the oboe quail, and the clarinets were cuckoo birds.  (WordPress, 2011)

Another example of a program symphony is Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique” entitled “‘Episodes in the life of an artist”. “Each movement describes a different scene, for instance the second a scene at a ball, the third a scene in the country and the fourth the ’March to the scaffold’.” (Education Scotland, 2011) In ‘March to the Scaffold’, there are many points where you can clearly hear what is happening in the scene, including the footsteps up to the guillotine, the tender last words to his loving family (played by clarinet, using it’s warm timbre to convey the emotion) then finally the fall of the guillotine and the bounce of his head falling from the scaffold. 

Mahler, a late composer in the Romantic period, used program symphonies not to describe a physical scene but rather to explore human emotions. This concept really brought about the idea of expressionist music and was most developed during the 20th and 21st centuries. In Mahler’s Symphony no. 2, he explores the idea of life and death and uses the program symphony to strengthen these ideas. 

“The first movement illustrate a funeral; the second movement recalls the happy times in the life of the deceased; the third movement presents the meaninglessness of life; and the fourth movement suggests the wish for the release from the meaninglessness of life. In the fifth and final movement, Mahler calls for the fervent hope for transcendental renewal.” (WordPress, 2011)

Mahler made the finale much more expression and hope. For example, in the chorus part Mahler indicated to sing “Mit hochter Kraft” (with highest power); and he even brought his own church bells to the performance, not trusting those provided by the church to have the correct sound. Using Mahler’s symphony as an example, we can see that the programmatic symphonies are more versatile than we think, and can be used to not only tell a story, but also to illustrate philosophies. 

References

Education Scotland, (2011). Programme music – Symphony – Home page of Learn Listening online. [online] Educationscotland.gov.uk. Available at: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learnlisteningonline/higherandadvancedhigher/musicaltopics/symphony/programmemusic.asp [Accessed 23 Apr. 2014].

WordPress, (2011). Discuss the concept of programmatic symphonies.. [online] My Blog. Available at: http://lutheryap.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/discuss-the-concept-of-programmatic-symphonies/ [Accessed 23 Apr. 2014].

 

Symphonic Poem – The Vlatava

“The Vlatava” is a piece of orchestral music composed in 1882 by Bedrich Smetana. It is an ‘orchestral poem’, one of six in his collection of symphonic poems entitled “Ma Vlast” (My Country). The composition follows the Vlatava (or Moldau) river from the beginning of it’s journey as two streams, the hot and cold streams, and continues to follow it’s journey through a royal hunt and a peasant wedding, as well as many other landscapes, castles, and rapids. (W. W. Norton and Co., 2007)

 

The piece begins with a single flute playing ascending scales at piano (meaning softly), representing the cold stream. Because the flute has a cool timbre, this further supports the assumption that this signifies the cold stream. As the piece is written in a minor key, in this case E minor (judging by the tendency towards the E minor triad in what the flute is playing, and by the key signature), this further adds to the ‘cold’ feeling of the flute’s part. The flute part is written in semiquavers, at allegro (fast) tempo, and this increases the feeling of a fast-flowing stream. The violins and harp both then join the flute, playing either single notes or chords pizzicato (plucked). This creates a sudden, sharp sound, which could suggest obstacles or splashes in the water. Because these parts are played at piano underneath the flute, it supplements the single scales being played by the flute and adds harmony without overpowering the delicate sound of the flute. 

 

At bar sixteen, the flute is joined by a single clarinet. The clarinet is also playing semiquavers, at the same rhythm as the flute, but in contrary motion. With the clarinet’s warmer timbre, this contrary motion could suggest that the clarinet represents the hot stream of the Vlatava. 

 

This contrary motion continues for eight bars, with the musical shape flowing up and down, resembling a river. Adding to this aural representation of a river are the dynamics, going from piano, to crescendo (meaning gradually becoming louder) through a scale on the flute part, then decrescendo (meaning gradually becoming softer) through the clarinet part in the next set of notes. This ebb and flow of sound creates a fluid effect, like water running through a stream.

 

At bar 24, a single viola joins the mix of instruments. The viola is holding a B, using the bow at a very soft tempo to create a connection between the hot and cold streams. This note is held for four bars before the viola begins playing semiquavers along with the flute and clarinet. The viola plays almost trilled notes, going from B to C, and creating the first consistent melody in the entire piece. 

 

This ties all of the parts together, symbolising the hot and cold streams coming together as one. Eight bars later, in bar 36, the trumpet takes over the soft, held notes – this time playing an E. Both the B played by the viola and the E played by the trumpet are present in the E minor triad, and this gives the piece a definite minor sound and a consistent chord underneath the complex melody being created by the clarinet and flute, which have joined to similar motion in bar 29 to further add to the imagery of the two streams joining together. The contrabass joins the piece at bar 36, taking over the role of ‘obstacles’ in the stream from the violins along with the triangle. The contrabass has a warm timbre, while the triangle has a cool, metallic sound. It can be assumed that Smetana chose to use these instruments to continue the ‘two streams’ feeling throughout the first movement of the piece. 

 

At bar forty, the theme of the piece is played for the first time. It is a stepwise melody played by the violins, staying in the key of E minor. The melody is played dolce, or sweetly, at a piano dynamic. Some notes are played sforzando, with a sudden and strong accent. This adds to the texture of the piece, as before now we have only had fast, trilling semiquavers played very smoothly slurred. “Smetana’s use of dynamic contour also emphasizes that sensation, especially heightened by his use of sforzandos and accents at the top of the melodic line.” (Klein, 2010) Using sforzando notes to add not only dynamics, but also articulation, is a very effective way of giving the listener something unexpected and interesting to hear. 

 

The theme continues to be repeated for the remainder of the movement, with the strings and woodwind picking up the two streams melody. The simple theme on top of the very complex ‘two streams’ creates harmony and chords, adding to the intricacy of the piece. The piece begins to expand after the melody is introduced, with more instruments being added to the composition to add dimension to the sound. The dynamics of the piece continue to follow the same pattern, crescendoing and decrescendoing to symbolise the flowing river. 

 

Eventually, the river begins to flow through a royal hunt in the forest. The theme changes, moving from the flowing melody of the two streams in the violins, to a regal, trumpet melody. The trumpets carry the melody to symbolise royalty or wealth, as trumpet players were rare and treasured in the time when Smetana was writing the piece. The trumpets start the movement with a hunting call, and then move to the theme of the movement. The sound that the theme creates is very stately, reminiscent of court dances of the era. The entire movement stays around the forte (meaning loud) dynamic, with many accents to add to the regal and confident nature of the piece. The violins are still playing the two streams rhythms, but now louder so as not to be lost underneath the blaring brass instruments. 

More percussion is added to this movement of the composition, with the timpani providing a tuned percussion to complement the complexity of the movement. The timpani plays a deep roll, which sounds like the pounding of many horses hooves on the ground while they run at a gallop. 

 

The viola and cello are playing underneath the two main melodies – the two streams continued by the violins, and the hunting calls by the trumpets. Because of the simplicity of the trumpet melody, it is necessary to add depth and texture to the piece with deeper notes. This adds harmony to the piece, putting chords underneath what would otherwise be an overly simplistic movement. 

 

The piece continues to move through the countryside, to a peasant wedding at bar 118. The melody changes very dramatically, with the two streams melody thinning near the end of the royal hunt and disappearing completely at the beginning of the wedding scene. The clarinet, bassoon, and violins have the main melody – a flowing theme of quavers and semiquavers. 

 

 

These instruments may have been chosen as they were the most accessible to peasantry at the time that the piece was written. Violins would have been the cheapest instrument to make, being made of only wood, string (probably made of intestine of some kind) and horsehair for the bow. By comparison the trumpets, which were one of the most expensive instruments to make and one of the hardest to learn to play, do not appear until very late in the movement. Even then, they are played sparingly, and only as chordal notes being held underneath the main melody – still carried by the violins. 

 

 

While the trumpets are not often used, Smetana takes full advantage of the string and woodwind section, which were not used as much in the royal hunt scene. The sound becomes a rich mix of warm timbres, from violins, bassoons, and clarinets. Harmony is used very obviously in this movement, with similar motion being played a few steps up or down depending on the instrument. For example, in bar 162 there are two violins playing the same melody, however the second violin is starting on a B while the first violin begins on a D. This is a third interval, a commonly used harmonic device. 

 

The articulation in this movement is demonstrably more complex than in other movements. This is because the piece is much more simple, with not as much depth as the royal hunt or two streams scenes. Because of the lower dynamics, mezzo forte (moderately loud) as opposed to forte or fortissimo (very loud) used in the other scenes, as well as the sheer number of instruments being played being lessened, the articulation must be well exhibited. There are many contrasting articulations at the beginning of the movement, with staccato notes leading to nearly two bars of slurs, then back to staccato. This pattern is used throughout the movement. 

 

For the first part of the movement, the melodies and harmonies being played are very similar. The melodies are played with rhythmic mirroring, tying the entire orchestra together. About half way into the section, however, more parts are added with different rhythms and harmonies. For example, in bar 161 the viola is playing a complex melody with fast rhythms. In contrast to this, the cello is playing a very simple harmony to complement the intricacy of the viola’s part. 

 

 

 

This pattern continues until bar 172, where the violin and viola melodies die out completely, and eventually the only instruments left playing are the contrabass and the cello, playing very simply one quaver note, repeated for 8 bars until the movement ends.

 

“The Vlatava”, composed by Bedrich Smetana is a beautiful piece of orchestral poetry. He paints vivid scenes with his music, using many different elements to give the piece depth. He uses articulation and dynamics to his advantage, which along with the complementary rhythms, harmonies, and textures create a complex piece that stays with the listener long after the last note has been silenced. 

 

Bibliography

Cummings, R. (n.d.). Vltava (The Moldau), symphonic poem (Má Vlast No. 2). From All Music: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/vltava-the-moldau-symphonic-poem-m%C3%A1-vlast-no-2-jb-1112-2-mc0002450313

 

Klein, J. (2010, 2 20). Vltava, Bedrich Smetana – A Listening Guide. Retrieved 5 23, 2013 from http://jfkmusichistory.blogspot.com.au/2010/02/vltava-bedrich-smetana-listening-guide.html

 

McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (1998). The Moldau (1874). Retrieved 5 23, 2013 from http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/music/kamien/student/olc/61.htm

W. W. Norton and Co. (2007). Listening Guide: Smetana – The Moldau. Retrieved 5 23, 2013 from http://www.wwnorton.com/college/music/listeninglab/shared/listening_guides/smetana_the_moldau.pdf

 

Concert Overture – Romeo and Juliet

Tchaikovsky began work on the Fantasy-Overture Romeo and Juliet in September 1869. By the end of November he had completed the scoring, and arrangements were made for the work to be premiered in Moscow on March 16, 1870, with Nicholas Rubinstein conducting. During the summer of 1870 Tchaikovsky revised the work, making considerable changes. The score is dedicated to Mily Balakirev (1837-1910), one of the leading figures of “The Mighty Five” (a group of 19th century Russian composers including, in addition to Balakirev, Alexander Borodin, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, all of whom were united in their aim to create a distinctive nationalist school of music.) It was Balakirev who suggested the idea to Tchaikovsky for the Fantasy-Overture as well as its general outline. It is of interest that at a later date Tchaikovsky contemplated writing an opera on the Romeo and Juliet theme; a duet was sketched but left unfinished.

The Fantasy Overture consists of an introduction followed by a single movement in sonata-allegro form. The introduction begins with the stately and structured “Friar Lawrence” theme. Friar Lawrence is the peacekeeper and voice of reason in this play. His theme begins calm and uplifting, but soon becomes more agitated through the use of altering instrumentation and pitch.

The Friar Lawrence Theme is first heard in the clarinet and bassoon. These instruments have a very warm and comforting timbre, reflecting Friar Lawrence’s character. The section is in F# minor, and starts with a homophonic texture and a hymn like choral quality, further intensifying the similarity to Friar Lawrence’s character. Later in the development and recapitulation sections it combines with the “Feud” theme to show how Friar Lawrence attempted to resolve the conflict, but ultimately failed (Lynch, 2011).

The Feud theme is presented next, and is the theme of the conflict at the heart of Shakespeare’s play. Ultimately, this conflict puts an end to Romeo and Juliet’s lives. This startling four bar theme first appears at the start of what is called the exposition in sonata form (bars 112-115). It is in B minor, homophonic in texture, and generally remains unchanged throughout the piece, showing a similarity to the immovable nature of the two families (Lynch, 2011). It is played first by the flutes and violins, which when played in this style have a sharp timbre and can be likened to the clanging of metal on metal, like swords. These two instruments are then joined by the remaining wind, horns, timpani, and strings. The frantic theme is characterised by sharp articulation such as staccato, and using syncopated rhythms to create tension in the listener and not allowing them to become comfortable in the piece(Lynch, 2011). It is repetitious and quite harsh, making it very difficult to listen to.

Finally, the feud theme quiets and fades into the Love theme. This is probably one of the most well known themes in Tchaikovsky’s works, and is the main theme for Romeo and Juliet’s fleeting, passionate relationship. It is a long, expansive theme, filled with emotion, and altered constantly throughout the theme to show how quickly Romeo and Juliet’s relationship grows against all odds.
It is first presented in D flat major, played by the viola and the English horn. These instruments are joined by the strings to quieten their sound and make them less harsh to further intensify the stark contrast with both the Feud and Friar Lawrence themes (Lynch, 2011). The low strings provide a pizzicato accompaniment, creating a full and rounded texture and warm timbre that finally grows to a rising harp arpeggio at the end of the theme. This creates a complete sound in the listener’s mind and sets them at ease, ready to be barraged by the coda and ending.

The reflective love music is suddenly interrupted by a return of the principal theme, which is highly developed and ingeniously combined with the Friar Lawrence motive of the introduction. In the recapitulation section which follows, the second theme (love motive) appears in D major. All the themes of the piece are mixed together in a frantic finale, and to conclude the work, the principal B minor theme is combined in the full orchestra with the Friar Lawrence theme and, as the music subsides, there are motives from the second theme section. The work concludes in the key of B major.

References

Favourite Classical Composers, (2010). Romeo and Juliet Overture – Tchaikovsky’s Dramatic Interpretation. [online] Favorite-classical-composers.com. Available at: http://www.favorite-classical-composers.com/romeo-and-juliet-overture.html [Accessed 23 Apr. 2014].

Lynch, E. (2011). Tchaikovsky’s romeo and juliet fantasy overture. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/emilynch/tchaikovskys-romeo-and-juliet-fantasy-overture [Accessed 23 Apr. 2014].

Magnum, J. (2012). Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. [online] LA Phil. Available at: http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/romeo-and-juliet-fantasy-overture-peter-ilyich-tchaikovsky [Accessed 23 Apr. 2014].

Stevenson, J. (2014). Romeo and Juliet, fantasy-overture for orchestra in B minor (3 versions) – Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky | Details, Parts / Movements and Recordings | AllMusic. [online] AllMusic. Available at: http://www.allmusic.com/composition/romeo-and-juliet-fantasy-overture-for-orchestra-in-b-minor-3-versions-mc0002364083 [Accessed 23 Apr. 2014].

Programmatic Music in the Romantic Era

Programmatic music is music that tells a story, ““The painter turns a poem into a painting; the musician sets a picture to music.” (Robert Schumann) Program music really rose to popularity during the romantic era, and the virtuosity of romantic era composers gave this kind of music a popular edge compared to the tame compositions of the classical era before it. In the nineteenth century, musicians became much more aware of the connection of their work to the world around them, and creating program music rather than absolute (pure) music brought the composer much closer to being something of a poet and gave them more power to influence listeners emotions. (Forney and Machlis, 2011)

There are four main types of program music: concert overtures; incidental music, often used in plays and stage productions; program symphonies, multi movement works; and the symphonic poem, a one movement work. (Forney and Machlis, 2011) Program music also often took on nationalistic elements due to political unrest in Europe at the time when programmatic music reached the height of it’s popularity. The most famous example of this would be The Moldau by Bedrich Smetana. This nationalistic trend was most evident in Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, England, and Bohemia.

A brief introduction to the main varieties of program music, beginning with the concert overture. This kind of program music was used mostly in operas, plays, and other stage productions. The overture was a piece of orchestral music in one movement to introduce the main themes of the score. This piece is often called the en’tracte, and many overtures have now become popular concert pieces in their own right. An example of a concert overture would be Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. (Forney and Machlis, 2011)

Incidental music is built off of the overture and also played during a play or stage production. The music is not played throughout the whole performance, only during important scenes or in between acts. Without incidental music, stage performances run the risk of not being able to properly engage the audience, or toy with emotions. Music is so connected to human emotions that using it to the stage productions advantage could be a huge mistake. An example of incidental music could be the entire score for Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (Forney and Machlis, 2011)\

Program symphony and symphonic poem are the two most influential kinds of program music in the romantic era. Program symphonies were what put absolute music in the corner, and invaded the lives of musicians everywhere. These symphonies are multi movement pieces depicting scenes or stories such as Peer Gynt or Symphonie Fantastique. Symphonic poems are merely shortened versions of program symphonies, telling the story in one movement instead of amny. (Forney and Machlis, 2011)

Bibliography:
Forney, K. and Machlis, J. 2011. The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to Perceptive Listening. 11th ed. W. W. Norton & Company.