Programme Music

Question 1

When was Beethoven’s Eroica written?

Answer 1

1804

Question 2

Who was the Eroica originally written for?

Answer 2

Napoleon (As 1st consult)

Question 3

What was the Eroica written about at its publishing?

Answer 3

a great man
heroism
triumph, tragedy, adversity

Question 4

Name 3 pieces that influenced Programme music (Beethoven, Mendelssohn)

Answer 4

Pastoral symphony no.6
Midsummer night’s dream
Hebrides overture 1830

Question 5

Who are the two main composers credited for the rise of programme music, and what were their specialties?

Answer 5

Liszt: tone poems
Berlioz: programme symphonies

Question 6

name Two of Richard Strauss’ (1864-1949) tone poems, inspired by Liszt’s 1853 tone poems.

Answer 6

Death and Transfiguration
Alpine Symphony

Question 7

When was the Death of Sardanapalus painted and what is the subject matter?

Answer 7

1827
funeral pyre
chaos, orgy, brazenness

Question 8

When was Les Preludes published and who composed them?

Answer 8

Liszt
1849
A collection of verses

Question 9

What is the subject matter for Erlkonig?

Answer 9

Poem by Goethe
a child dying in a father’s arms as they race on horseback to save him in vain

Question 10

When was Dichterliebe written and what is it’s translation?

Answer 10

The poet’s love
1840

Question 11

Name three of Wagner’s Gesamtkunstwerk music dramas.

Answer 11

Die Walkure
Tristan and Isolde
Parsifal

Question 12

Which School in the War of the Romantics thought programmatic forms were the way of progress?

Answer 12

The New German School

Question 13

What type of sub-genre is used in Monet’s Impression 1872 and Debussy’s La Mer?

Answer 13

Impressionism

Question 14

Which Mallarme poem was used by Debussy and the Ballet Russe? (Symbolism)

Answer 14

l’apres-midi d’un faune
Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune

Question 15

What is a leitmotif?

Answer 15

a theme or recurring melody that represents characters

Question 16

What are the characteristics of Romantic programmes?

Answer 16

Comparison
Realism
Nature vs state
Introspection

Question 17

What are the characteristics of Modern programmes?

Answer 17

reality and psyche mixed
hard to grasp reality
disorder mental state
introspection

Question 18

What baroque piece shows programmatic forms?

Answer 18

Vivaldi - the four seasons

Question 19

What modern composer uses programmatic forms?

Answer 19

Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet

Question 20

Who coined the term ‘programme music’

Answer 20

Liszt

Question 21

What are the characteristics of C19 programme forms?

Answer 21

Nationalism, heroism
nature, myth
gothic imagery

Question 22

What differs between enlightenment and romantic structures?

Answer 22

Enlightenment: sonata forms use key relationships
Romantic: forms use motivic relationships (orchestral emphasis)

Question 23

What is a symphonic/tone poem?

Answer 23

usually a single movement
guided by a theme (emotional response)
Accompanied by a text
unconventionally structured

Question 24

What are three of Liszt’s tone poems?

Answer 24

Les Preludes
Orpheus
Prometheus

Question 25

What is the difference between tone poems and symphonic programmes?

Answer 25

Tone poems: shorter, more vague Symphonic programmes: larger, more explicit content, larger ensemble

Question 26

When was the Symphonie Fantastique written?

Answer 26

1830

Question 27

What was the Symphonie Fantastique written about?

Answer 27

English Actress Harriet Smithson

Question 28

What is the recurring theme in the Symphonie Fantastique called?

Answer 28

Idee fixe

Question 29

What are the five movements of the Symphonie Fantastique?

Answer 29

Passions Ball Scene in the country March to the scaffold (thud + silence = guillotine) Dream of a witches sabbath

Question 30

Whose poetry was Les Preludes based on (1849)?

Answer 30

Lamartine 1823 "Love jarring the enchanted form of all existence"

Question 31

What cycle was Die Walkure 1856 part of?

Answer 31

The Ring Cycle (norse mythology)

Question 32

What is the function of opera in Wagner's opinion?

Answer 32

insertion of opinion, education total artwork continuous quasi-recitative style

Question 33

What chord is used to show the absence of resolution in Wagner's operas?

Answer 33

Tristan chord no resolution until the end: an orgy of destruction

Question 34

Who did Wagner oppose and why?

Answer 34

Giacomo Meyerbeer Les Hugenots 1836 separated pieces into arias, choruses

Question 35

Who painted Rain, steam, and speed in the impressionist style (Debussy admired him)

Answer 35

William Turner

Question 36

Which Symbolist play was written by Maeterlinck and composed by_____?

Answer 36

Debussy Pelleas et Melisande

Question 37

What are the programmatic features of Pelleas et Melisande?

Answer 37

5 act plot disjointed time, place, and actions lietmotifs Ariozo in dialogue Orchestra a major protagonist

Question 38

Name two of Stravinsky's programmatic operas

Answer 38

Petrushka Firebird

Question 39

Schumann said: To cast light...

Answer 39

into the depths of the human heart - the artist's mission!

Question 40

Berlioz said: My arteries...

Answer 40

throb violently

Question 41

Wagner said: feel this urge...

Answer 41

to the artwork of the future

Question 42

Mallarme's first line of his poem is: These nymphs...

Answer 42

, I would perpetuate them

Question 43

Debussy wanted a poet who would write: no...

Answer 43

place, nor time

Question 44

Stravinsky said music is: "powerless....

Answer 44

to express anything at all"