Unit 7: Prokofiev and Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2 Flashcards
Dates
1891-1935
Family Background and Education
Born in Ukraine
Father was an agricultural engineer, mother was an amateur pianist who gave him his first piano lessons at age four
Began composing at five
Garnered a reputation as an enfant terrible for his wild playing style and percussive, dissonant compositions
First two piano concertos premiered and published while still a student
Musical Style and Contributions
Used Classical forms such as sonata, rondo and Classical genres such as concerto, symphony
Had lyrical elements such as sweeping melodies and lush harmonies
Constant rhythmic drive in his works
Progressive features such as dissonance, abrupt change of key, rhythmic complexities
Harmonic language was grounded in tonality, though often very dissonant
Genres and Titles
The Love for Three Oranges
Romeo and Juliet
Alexander Nevsky
V: Orchestral suite
A group of contrasting orchestral movements, often drawn from a larger dramatic work
Often programmatic
Played in a concert setting
V: Choreography
Art of designing the dance steps and movements in a ballet or musical
V: Ballet
Highly stylized type of dance that often interprets a story
First developed in the 17th century court; flourished in the 19th-century Russian court
Many significant composers including Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Debussy, and Prokofiev
Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2: Genre
Originally composed for the ballet; later reworked into an orchestral suite
Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2: Composition Date
1936
Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2: Source of Program
A play by William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2: Performing Forces
Large orchestra with expanded percussion
Life and Musical Career
Visited London and met Sergei Diaghilev who commissioned a ballet for his company Ballets Russes
Left for the United States in 1918
Travelled around the world
Earned an international reputation as a virtuoso pianist and composer
