Humour, Drama, Narrative, Programme

Symphony?

Stamitz No.2 - -       Pieces didn’t often have a programme, but often commissioned by patrons for a specific occasion. Often attempts at programme were stock-effects (just depicting one specific idea e.g., Manheim sighs, birds, hammers, roller), but overtime whole symphonies used to depict entire narrative.

-       Topic = musical signs developed and employed primarily during the long eighteenth century. Their significance relies on associations that are clearly recognizable to the listener.

-       Manheim stock features sort of topics but are not associated with visual features.

Symphony?

-       Haydn No.31 hornsignal: written to celebrate the return of the horn section at Eistenstadt to full force. Thus, there are 4 horns in the piece and it is characterised by a distinctive horn fanfare which is heard both in m1 and M4.

Piece is rather celebratory in character e.g., use of theme and variations in M4 with solo instruments (flute, cello, bass).

Symphony?

-       Some humour can be found in early symphonies e.g., Haydn No.6 main theme of M4 contains an arpeggio figure. During recap this is at first played by the horn (which can’t actually play the arpeggio) leaving the audience in suspense as the horn gets closer to the unplayable bit. Just before it reaches it, the recap starts over with the full orchestra.

Symphony?

-       Perhaps greater use of humour and drama in symphonies due to catering for wider audience (e.g., in London symphonies especially).

Haydn No.94 ‘surprise’ – famously sudden forte after a gentle legato bit – a joke to make fun of audience members who may have fallen asleep

Symphony?

-       Beethoven introduced real narrative in the symphony e.g., Eroica supposedly originally dedicated to Napoleon… leading to more creative use of movements e.g., M2 is sombre funeral march rather than simply a more laid-back movement in the subdominant. M4 in a minor key, suggesting the hero has died.

Symphony?

No.5 also clear drama through the repeat of the famous motif throughout the symphony, but transformed in various ways (e.g., in M3 it appears march-like in the horns and in M4 it appears as an accompaniment figure in a major key). Use of keys (c minor to C major) creates cyclical unity in the symphony and an overall sense of drama/narrative.

Symphony?

No.6 clearly programmatic e.g. straight semiquavers against quintuplets in strings and high woodwind stabs in storm movement depict storm. In M3 the scherzo clearly and trio are clearly inspired by peasant dances.

Symphony?

-       Mendelssohn Italian: Not programmatic, but still inspired by scenes in Italy e.g., brightness (A major) and jaunty melody (anacrusis) creates sense of bright skies of Italy.

Saltarello

M2 pilgrim procession.

M2: Based on funeral march in Naples, uses dorian mode. Instruments slowly fade out at the end, creating drama/a sense that it is a procession fading away.

M4: Based on saltarello/tarantella dance (use of triplets). Again, not programmatic, but sort of dramatic/depiction of Italy.

Symphony?

-       Berlioz: Whole symphony is a story about unrequited love. Created idee fixe theme to depict the artist’s lover and this theme appears throughout the symphony e.g., at start it is played legato by violins, in M5 transformed by eerie E flat clarinet.

Use of wider variety of instruments to depict the narrative/create a sort of sound world e.g., bells and col legno used in M5.

Symphony?

-       Smetana: Tone poem = programmatic depiction of the Vltava river. Main theme represents the river and the various sections depict different parts of the river e.g., the source, a country wedding. Theme appears throughout the piece at various intervals, both to maintain the integrity of the music and as part of the programme.

Idea of one movement tone poem ultimately pioneered by Liszt (e.g., Les Preludes depicts 5 different moods….). He wanted the structure to be depicted by the poem, not by classical convention.

Symphony?

-       Liszt Faust: only 3 movements, not normal 4 as each movement depicts a different character in story of Faust (Gretchen, Faust, and Mephistopheles). Links to nationalism as uses story from famous German writer.

Symphony?

-       Strauss: Similarly structure altered by use of programme. Lively and virtuosic theme at start is meant to depict the hero Don Juan and his own adventurous spirit. This is contrasted with the love theme which is more legato. The themes reappear, not necessarily in order of the narrative in order to also balance the need for thematic repetition as part of classical convention.

Symphony?

-       Tchaikovsky No.6: Sense of drama in the organisation of the piece… M3 is a scherzo which ends in a triumphant, march-like theme. This then contrasts to M4 which is in a minor key and fades away in anguish (instruments slowly drop out at the end). Way it finishes = death (IMPLIED PROGRAMME!!)