CC BY, Elliot Jones Santa Ana College

1. Symphonic Poem

2. Symphonic Poem
n Born of desire to express a dramatic
narrative using instruments only
n Evolves out of concert overture
n Single movement, contrasting sections
– The contrasts heighten the drama
– The more striking the contrasts, the more
intense the story or depiction

3. Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
n Left career as civil servant to pursue music
n Graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatory
n Became professor at Moscow Conservatory
n Supported by wealthy patrons
– Nadezhda von Meck, widow of railroad baron
– Tsar Alexander III, ruler of Russia
n Troubled personal life, questions surround
his death – cholera or suicide

4. Peter Tchaikovsky
n Best known for large orchestral works
– 1812 Overture – concert overture
– Ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker
n Like Berlioz, Tchaikovsky found inspiration
in Shakespeare
n Very cosmopolitan, European sound
n His nationalism expressed itself in subjects

5. Listening Example
n Title: Romeo and Juliet
n Composer: Peter Tchaikovsky
n Genre: Symphonic Poem

6. Notes on Romeo and Juliet
n Captures spirit, not literal plot, of the play
n Three themes:
– Friar Lawrence (priest trying to unite lovers)
– Feud (the contenious Capulets and Montagues)
– Love (Romeo and Juliet themselves)
n Note the contrast and interplay of themes
n Follows a rough sonata-allegro form

7. Symphonies and Concertos

8. Symphony
n Romantic composers compare all
symphonies against Beethoven’s
n Composers wrote fewer symphonies
– Only Dvorak, Bruckner, and Mahler wrote 9
n Many composers avoided the genre entirely
n Brahms seen as the successor to Beethoven
n Classical form loosely observed

9. Concerto
n Classical form generally observed
n Levels of virtuosity continually rising
n Violin concertos more widely composed in
late Romantic period than piano concertos
n Orchestral accompaniments become more
important and symphonic

10. Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
n Born in Hamburg – father was musician
n Initially taught music by his father
n Earned money for the family playing in bars
n Meets Joseph Joachim while on 1893 concert
tour as accompanist for violinist Remenyi
n Joachim introduces Brahms to the
Schumanns who take him into their home

11. Johannes Brahms
n Robert so impressed with Brahms’ talent, he
writes glowingly of him in the Journal
n After Robert’s death Brahms moves to
Vienna where he spends the bulk of his career
n Lifelong relationship with Clara Schumann
n German Requiem cements his reputation as a
master composer in the vein of Beethoven
n Composes four symphonies between 1876-85
n Buried in Vienna near Beethoven

12. Johannes Brahms
n Conservative composer with Romantic voice
– Absolute music with Classical structures
n Leading figure in the War of the Romantics
– Schumanns, Brahms vs. Liszt, Wagner
n Works include:
– 4 symphonies, 4 concertos
– 200+ lieder
– Extensive chamber music and choral part songs

13. Listening Example
n Title: Violin Concerto, 3rd mvmt.
n Composer: Johannes Brahms
n Genre: Concerto

14. Notes on Violin Concerto, 3rd mvmt.
n Composed in 1878
n Rondo form
n Mostly duple meter, occasional triple meter
n Main theme inspired by Gypsy music
n Extensive use of double stops
– Double stops: violinist plays two strings at once

15. Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem
n Written in 1868
n Not strictly a Requiem Mass
– Brahms uses various scriptural and poetic texts
n Written for 2 soloists, chorus, and orchestra
n 7 movements with arch structure

16. Listening Example
n Title: Ein Deutsches Requiem, 4th mvmt.
n Composer: Johannes Brahms
n Genre: German Requiem

17. Notes on Ein Deutsches Requiem,
4th movement
n Rondo form A-B-A’-C-A’
n Changes in mode and texture
– Major and minor modes
– Homorhythmic and polyphonic textures
n Lyrical melody in A section
n Emotional expression

18. Musical Nationalism

19. Musical Nationalism
n Prompted by social/political conditions
n Nations coming into being (Germany, Italy)
n Struggle of conquered nations/ethnic groups
– Examples: Poles, Hungarians, Czechs
n Different ways of expressing nationalism
– Basing music on folk songs or dances
– Nationalist subjects for operas, symphonic
poems, etc.

20. Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
n Struggled in early career as orchestral
musician (viola) and organist
n Despite struggling to make a living, he
composed extensively
n Won the Austrian State Prize for
composition through Brahm’s influence
n With Brahms’ help his Slavonic Dances
were published to great success

21. Antonin Dvorak
n Commissions and performances followed
n Came to New York in 1892
n Directed the National Conservatory of Music
– Substantial salary promised but not always paid
– Influenced American composers
n Nationalist: made use of folk material
n Internationally famous at his death

22. Listening Example
n Title: Symphony No. 9 “From the New
World,” 2nd mvmt.
n Composer: Antonin Dvorak
n Genre: Symphony

23. Notes on “New World Symphony”
n Slow tempo (largo)
n Quadruple meter (common time)
n Begins with series of chords in woodwinds
n Main melody inspired by American
experiences (landscape, poetry)
n The main melody was newly composed
material, not a Native American tune

24. Transition to Modern Era

25. Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911)
n Born to Jewish, Bohemian family
n Admitted to Vienna Conservatory, age 15
n Career as conductor and composer
– Conducted Vienna Opera,Vienna Philharmonic,
Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic
– Composed 9 symphonies (10th unfinished)
n Felt the symphony should encompass all
genres (oratorio, motet, lied, cantata)

26. Gustav Mahler
n “The symphony is the world”
n His works are grandiose in length and scale
– 2nd symphony is 95 minutes – longest in rep.
– 8th symphony premiered with 1000+ performers
n Obsessive artist, tyrannical conductor
n Legacy still subject of scholarly debate

27. Symphony No. 8
n First entirely choral symphony
– Previous symphonies used them only in certain
movements, often near end
n Called “Symphony of a Thousand” because
of enormous performance forces
n Two movements
– I based on Latin hymn: “Veni creator spiritus”
– II based on closing scene of Goethe’s Faust

28. Listening Example
n Title: Symphony No. 8, Finale
n Composer: Gustav Mahler
n Genre: Orchestral Song

29. Notes on Symphony No. 8, Finale
n Finale is the final portion of the 2nd
movement of the symphony
n Begins with hymn-like passage for choir
n Soprano soloist’s line floats above choral
texture
n Massive triumphant conclusion drives home
the piece’s message of hope and redemption