Romantic Composers' Enthusiasm for Writing Orchestral Program Music - Essay Example

? Your number Your unit Your lecturer's Romantic composers' enthusiasm for writing orchestral program music Romanticcomposers' enthusiasm for writing orchestral program music Being a specific trend in the whole sphere of art of the 19th century, Romanticism played a significant role in program music development. The main issue which was proclaimed by Romantic theorists was the importance of close connection between music and poetry. In fact, appearing as a reaction against the Epoch of Enlightenment with its domination of rationalism and scientific orientation, Romanticism can be characterized as a manifestation of a value of personal spiritual and creative life, the importance to turn back to the true natural identity, high estimation of personal feelings and emotional side of life. Beginning with Romantic trends in the sphere of visual art presented by Caspar, Turner, Constable, Blake, Dahl, and other artists, then embracing literature representatives including Blake, Goethe, Poe, or Hawthorne and philosophers like Fichte and Schelling, Romanticism highlights the problems of human soul, true human nature, individual's perceptions against civilization occupation and overwhelming role of mental abilities. Romantic composers who dealt with program music were not an exclusion from the influence of the indicated new ideas. Being a specific type of professional academic music, program music can be considered as aimed to describe and highlight some particular event or phenomenon of reality. In other words, program music can be named as music which is able to tell a story or paint a picture. Very often a piece of program music can have the whole plot and the scheme of development of an inherent narrative in accordance with a general topic. Closely connected to the Romantic literature, composers of the 19th century tended to concentrate on such specific genres as symphonies, theatrical operas, songs, ballads, instrumental miniatures, and others. Focusing on attempts to express the depth of personal inner world, the 19th century composers including Berlioz, Strauss and Liszt provided a fascinating and sensitive picture of true Romanticism within the great variety of new approaches and methods of expression. Being a representative of Early Romanticism, Hector Berlioz was one of the true founders of Romantic era in music. Writing in the grand romantic tradition, Berlioz is famous for his large operas and symphonies. He brought the true Romantic spirit into program music and can be considered as not less significant and even revolutionary figure than Beethoven with his passion and emotional depth of expressions. Berlioz is mostly famous for his Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts; both appeared as true progress in program music organizing. Written in 1830, Symphonie fantastique is divided in five thematic parts or movements. This Berlioz's composition can be surely referred to as program music, since it is subtitled as An Episode in the Life of an Artist and has its own narration. During the time of writing this symphony, Berlioz has extremely fallen in love with the Irish actress, Harriet Smithson, and this fact is the background of the Symphonie fantastique plot. As for the technical content and using new approaches in the composition, Symphonie fantastique is filled with the intensively dramatic music and unusual timbres and textures. Being a professional conductor and highly talented composer, Hector Berlioz used a large orchestra with prominent role of brass and percussion p to four timpani players. On the other hand, it occurs that Berlioz was also highly impressive and sensitive person, and, therefore, composition was always an extremely creative process for him. As it is said in introduction of Symphonie fantastique text: "In this condition his sensations, feelings and memories find utterance in his sick brain in the form of musical imagery. Even the beloved one takes the form of melody in his mind, like a fixed idea that is ever-returning, that he hears everywhere" (Berlioz 1997, p.5). Because of such conditions, Berlioz is known today for his main feature, used also in Symphonie fantastique, which is called an idee fixe and means the main theme of the whole composition: For current composition the idee fixe can be considered as composer's love for Harriet Smithson. Technically, the idee fixed is a melody which is constantly re-developed and transfromed but still can be noticed throughout all movements of the symphony. Highlighting the love and true passion to a woman, the idee fixe sounds mildly, gently and passionately at the same time. Further analysis of Symphonie fantastique shows that each of the movements has its Romantic title, which confirms the true influence of this epoch. As it appears to be a true issue of this composition and the composer's style, he paid a lot of attention to the programme, which was aimed to assist a listener in his or her understanding of the symphony. Closely connected to the main idea of love, technically the theme of symphony develops intensively. For instance, as for theme expression, investigators of this Berlioz's composition mention, "starting out as if in sonata allegro form, the movement introduces a grim march in C minor as a first theme. Expanded by repetition in E flat major, the theme is intesifies by a brittle bassoon countermelody ... before inverting to more abruptly to the second theme" (Roberts 1988, p.6). On the other hand, being famous as one of the greatest orchestrators of his time, Berlioz wrote a special book aimed to study orchestration as a special subject. Terms and roles of timbres were always in the composer's mind, so Berlioz provides a composition with clear and exact musical markings. For Symphonie fantastique Berlioz used a large orchestra, the widest range of expressions through strings, woodwinds, brasses, and percussion, and each type used a great variety of instruments. For instance, the idee fixe was introduced by violins and flute. Richard Strauss is a great Romantic composer of early modern era, famous for numerous operas and other orchestral works. A professional conductor (as Berlioz), Strauss presents a true harmonic style in the best traditions of German Romanticism (Kennedy 1999, p.13). Strauss was influenced by a Romantic philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, so the title Also Sprach Zarathustra is not surprising among other works of the famous composer. Being a tone poem as a specific type of orchestral music, Also Sprach Zarathustra highlights the Romantic striving to connect music with poetic literary form. In such meaning, this composition is a "tone poem freely after Nietzsche", as Strauss used to say about it. Choosing so complicated a character for his composition, factually "Strauss proposed to remythologize the figure whom Nietzsche had so painstakingly rendered concrete" (Williamson 1993, p.13). A position of Zarathustra as an overman occurs to be provocative, since it was set to replace the values of religion and perception of the herd in individual's life. Being influenced by a philosophy of nigilism and music of Wagner, Strauss provides his own understanding of orchestral music and its rules. The program character of Also Sprach Zarathustra can be noticed in the structure of the composition, which is divided into nine parts or sections (Youmans 2005, p.43). Approximately the most well-known and popular is the Intro, which was used in contemporary cinematography and other kinds of art: As it can be noticed from the example, using simple harmonical order – three notes in the fifth and octave intervals of nature-motif, and the brass fanfare – Strauss achieved a specific perception of gravity and thoughtful reflection. With the Intro, it is possible to mention that "Strauss's tone poem begins with Zarathustra standing on the horizon at dawn. This is the moment at which the sun, and the superhero, arises. As the sounds unfold, the listener senses the dawn of a new age" (Wright 2010, p.10). Other eight parts of the tone poem reflect the main idea of the disclosure of the superhero, covering the major emotional conditions of every episode and coinciding with the literary source in major senses. As for thematic organization, Also Sprach Zarathustra, as it was mentioned by Strauss's creativity investigator, "is heavily dependent on the leitmotif: the way that individual themes stick to specific keys (nature = C major; the mind of man = B major/minor)" (Gilliam 1992, p.147). Therefore, the contrast between the keys of B major with five sharps and C major with no sharp can be considered as the thematical contrast and the struggle between humanity and the universe. Moreover, the so-called World Riddle Theme using intriductory bars on bass and then pipe organ with harmonical scheme as C-G-C in different variations and rhythms can be detected during the whole tone poem till its end. The concluding theme seems to be mystical in its two different keys, since the trombones present the chord in C-E-F scheme, while the violins, flutes, and oboes use B major as in the Theme of Ideal. The very ending was introduced by Theme of the World Riddle. Using a full-fledged symphonic orchestra, Strauss presents in Also Sprach Zarathustra the wide range of instrumental groups, using different types of woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboard (organ) and strings. Being a true follower of Romanticism ideas, Franz Liszt takes a special and significant place in the development of program music at that time. The close contact of music and other genres of art, especially visual art and poetry, was confirmed and proclaimed as the main principle of creativity in the Liszt's theory. Known at first as a pianist-virtuoso, Franz Liszt was a creator of new genre in symphonic music, known as tome poem – a synthetic category of music, connected to the literature. For his love for complicated forms and harmonic departures, Liszt is often considered as a great experimentator in music since "Liszt's music, like his life, is filled with contrast and unfolds across a variety of genres" (Walker 1997, p.16). True Romantic spirit can be noticed in the technique of Liszt’s style of playing the piano since, as it is claimed, a composer was always natural, free, personal and extremely emotional in his playing. Following the concept of program music, Liszt mentioned that this type of music differs from any other by its depiction of a landscape, a poem, or a particular personal characteristic. Inspired by a Johann von Goethe's work, Liszt creates one of the true masterpieces of program music called Faust Symphony. As a group of music reseachers mentions, "With a few exceptions, Lixzt by any large eschewed any attempt at narrative of the Faust plot (a rare approach in his programmatic instrumental music) in favor of musical character-depiction" (Donovan and Elliott 2004, p.90). Therefore, the usual opinion is that Liszt's true approach is not connected with precisely telling the story of the Goethe's drama. Choosing the main three heroes – Faust, Gretchen, and Mephistopheles – to disclose in his comosition, Liszt provides a clear and quite a simple structure divided into three parts in accordance with the protagonists' names. Providing the part of Mephistopheles character description, it is important to show the complexity in harmonic decisions and all the technical approaches which Liszt used in his symphony: In his principles of orchestration, Liszt provides progressive views, depth in contrast and sounding. Timbral effects can be considered as quite simple as regards the idea but rich and fascinating for their brightness and clear contrasts. The groups of orchestra are completely independent from one another in harmonic sense – the functions of strings, woodwinds and brass are sufficiently different. Changes of timbre and the plan of orchestration can be noticed throughout the whole composition, which highlights its brightness, technical confidence and complicated harmony. During the period of Romanticism, program music was characterized by high improvement and qualitative development in its style and the range of technical innovations. Presented by such genius composers as Berlioz, Strauss, and Liszt, program music achieved new heights and depth in the meaning and style of performance. Every composer provided his own style in developing program music as a genre, although the major mood and emphasis on personal life as a true value remained similar in their works. Focusing on the nature of individual's emotions, inner world, importance of feelings, and personal drama, Berlioz, Strauss and Liszt influenced greatly their modern followers through creating their own genres and improving technical approach in order to make program music more vivid, fascinating, deep, bright, and close to an ordinary person. Bibliography Berlioz, H. 1997. Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 (Episode in the Life of an Artist). Courier Dover Publications, New York. Donovan, S., & Elliott, R. 2004. Music and Literature in German Romanticism. Camden House, New York. Gilliam, B. R. 1992. Richard Strauss and His World. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Holomon, D. Kern, 1989. Berlioz. Harvard University press, Harvard. Kennedy, M. 1999. Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma. Cambridge University Press,  Cambridge.  Roberts, L. 1988, 'Romanticism and Program Music', Sacred Heart University review, 8(1), pp. 41-49. Youmans, C. D. 2005. Richard Strauss's Orchestral Music and the German Intellectual Tradition: The Philosophical Roots of Musical Modernism. Indiana University Press, Bloomington. Walker, A. 1997. Franz Liszt: The Final Years, 1861-1886. Cornell University Press, New York. Williamson, J. 1993. Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra. Cambridge University Press,  Cambridge.  Wright, C. 2010. Listening to Music. Cengage Learning, Boston. Read More