The William Tell Overture is the overture to the opera (therefore is an operatic overture) ‘William Tell ‘by Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini The overture is in four parts, each following without pause. Each part, or movement, has a title.
1; Sunrise in the Alps 2; The Storm 3; Shepherd on the mountainside 4; Revolution. This overture was composed in 1829 (19th Century), the Romantic era. William Tell is a Swiss hero who possibly led a revolt against the Austrians in the 14th Century. This is a great example of Programme music,music which tells a story, paints a picture or describes a mood. Sunrise in the Alps features solo cello and a group of celli, before a quiet roll on the timpani, suggesting thunder in the distance prepares the way for the on-coming storm. This is followed by short staccato notes on woodwind, suggesting drops of rain, before an increase tempo, dynamics and instruments brings on the storm. Descending scales on strings, suggesting teeming rain, as loud Trombones and drum rolls are featured at the height of the storm, before it dies away, leaving the listener with drops of rain on woodwind as the storm disappears. Shepherd on the mountainside features Cor Anglais and Flute alternating, almost talking to each other. As this movement continues, notice that these 2 instruments play two separate melodies at the same time, counterpoint. This could also be described as beingpolyhonic. A trumpet fanfare, brings on the last movement featuring the full orchestra (tutti), and the galloping horses rhythm Music of the Romantic Era In general Romantic music is more emotional, colourful and dramatic than the music of previous eras. Romantic doesn’t mean “love”. It is more associated with artist’s state of mind, expression of emotion……all emotions, not just love. This spirit of expression is the kernel of Romanticism. Large Orchestra Very big when compared to Classical music. Each section was larger. (It’s assumed you know the sections of the orchestra!!) Instruments were of superior quality. Brass and percussion sections featured. Programme Music; This is one of the strongest features of the Romantic era, where the composer paints a picture, tells a story, or creates a mood through music. Dynamics; are extreme and serve the purposes of the mood rather than being solely for contrast. Harmony; is more colourful and chromatic. Modulations to un-related keys Structure; Although many composers use similar forms, they are free when compared to the rigid structural procedures of the Classical era. Water music-HandelWater music, a collection of 3 Suites, was composed by George Frideric Handel in 1717 (18th Century) after King George I had requested a concert on the River Thames. The concert was performed by 50 musicians playing on
a barge. This was a very large group of musicians for the 18th Century, necessary as it was for an outdoor performance. Nowadays it would usually be performed by a smaller group including a flute, two oboes, one bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, strings, and continuo. Although a german, Handel took up permanent residence in England in 1712. The period from 1600 to 1750 has become known as the Baroque era. A Suite is a collection of contrasting dances. The 2 dance movements we have to know are the Hornpipe and the Minuet from the 1st Suite. There are 11 movements (sections) in Suite no. 1, one of which is the Hornpipe, another the Minuet. The various dances in a suite were arranged for reasons of contrast. A hornpipe is a lively dance in Triple time (with a metre of 3). The time signature is 3/4. The tempo is lively. The mood is lively The form is ABA (Ternary form) Notice especially how the Trumpets alternate with the Horns and the rest of the orchestra join in and drop out. |
Set
work notes: Carmina Burana – 1st Movement- ‘O fortuna’- Carl Orff
Carmina Burana is a cantata composed by German composer Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana. The best-known movement is O Fortuna that opens and closes the piece. Carmina Burana is scored for a large orchestra, choir (usually called S.A.T.B chorus) and soloists. A cantata is a musical work for solo voices and chorus with instrumental accompaniment. It is based on a text which may be dramatic and poetic. It usually features several movements -Arias: solo songs - Recitatives: solo declamatory songs in a spoken singing style -choruses Several languages are used throughout but the language in O fortuna is Latin. Extreme and sudden changes in dynamics are a strong feature of this work. It is based on a 4 note motif (pattern of notes) which is repeated many times. The mood of excitement is achieved by the prominence of percussion and brass instruments, the extreme and sudden dynamic changes and the staccato singing. The singers sing in unison (at the same pitch), then in 3rds (3 notes apart) see examples below, and then in octaves (8 notes apart. Notice the 3 note ostinato (repeated musical idea), played staccato by the Bassoon under the quiet verse Note some of the main features below. Form: Unitary AA1A2 Tonality: Lah mode Percussion instruments; Timpani, Bass drum, Gong, Cymbals and Xylophone Dynamics ff (very loud) pp (very soft) Legato - smooth or joined Staccato - detached Pizzicato - plucked Arco - Bowed Section A- Introduction: Bars 1-4 Time sig:3/1- Three semibreves in a bar Tonality- lah mode Dynamics: ff Verse 1- Bars 5-28 Chorus: Unison Chorus : 3rds ( bar 21-28) Time sig: 3/2- Three minims in a bar Instrumentation: Woodwind – bassoons, 2 pianos/strings, timpani, gong Features: repeating melodic patterns, syncopation, loud timpani accompaniment, homophonic texture Dynamics: pp Timpani play : minim- minum rest- minim Section A1- Verse 2 : bars 29-60 Chorus: Unison Chorus : 3rds ( bar 45-59) Instrumentation: Same as Verse 1 but with clarinets added. Features: repeating melodic patterns, syncopation, homophonic texture Dynamics: pp Section A2- Verse 3: bars 61-101 Chorus: Octaves (8ve) Instrumentation: Full orchestra (tutti) Features: Vocals are doubled by horns and string family, gong, homophonic texture, D major chord held for final 9 bars, tempo gets faster, dynamics go from ff to fff. |