Schoenberg- 'Peripetie' (4th of 5 Orchestral Pieces)

Question 1

Date of composition

Answer 1

1909

Question 2

Genre

Answer 2

Expressionist

Question 3

Genre stylistics

Answer 3

Atonal
One intense emotion
Full range of instruments
Timbre is important 
Extreme dynamics

Question 4

Structure

Answer 4

Loosely in rondo form (ABACA)

Question 5

Section A (tempo and rhythm)

Answer 5

‘Sehr rasch’- very quick
Lots of very fast movements
Feels faster than it is

Piece starts with a forte ‘hexagonic fanfare’
Dynamic extremes

Question 6

Section B (texture)

Answer 6

Counterpoint texture (type of polyphonic)
Two melodies playing at the same time

Question 7

Section A2 (tempo and rhythm)

Answer 7

Horns play a sustained hexachord
Calmer section
Develops many motifs from the first section in reverse order

Question 8

Section C (tempo and rhythm)

Answer 8

Tempo alternates between:
‘Ruhiger’- calmer
‘Heftig’- passionate
A calmer section that develops many of the motifs from the first section in revers order.

Question 9

Section A3 (tempo and rhythm)

Answer 9

Some of the original rhythms

Motifs are combined in counterpoint

Question 10

Harmony/ Tonality

Answer 10

Hexachord(6 notes played together) played by horns
Six remaining notes are called the compliment
Lots of dissonance

Question 11

Melody

Answer 11

Klangfarbenmelodie (tone colour melody)
The melody is constantly switched between the instruments
All the timbre’s explored in the melody

Haupstimme- principal voice, main melody line
Nebenstimme- secondary voice, next most important melody line

Question 12

Texture

Answer 12

Regularly changing, very fragmented

Question 13

Section A (texture)

Answer 13

Different combinations of instruments come in for short bursts
Busy texture
Homophonic, hexachord played by the horns
Monophonic, clarinet line

Question 14

Section B (texture)

Answer 14

Short bursts (mainly woodwind and bass)
Loud and strong
Violins and cellos play soft and gentle melodic phrases

Question 15

Section A2 (texture)

Answer 15

Sparse texture
Strings and horn flourishes
Strong homophonic horn hexachord

Question 16

Section C (texture)

Answer 16

Sparse texture
A few instruments overlap
Quiet dynamics
‘Rhutiger’ calmer

Question 17

Section A3 (texture)

Answer 17

More and more instruments layered
More motifs explored
Crescendos to a huge climax
One fff chord before a sparse quite tremolo ending

Question 18

Instrumentation

Answer 18

Enormous orchestra
Strings play tremolo in the last two bars of the piece
Explored instruments: horn players were told to put their hand further up the bell than usual- produces a thin nasal sound
Mutes used when playing fff to create a different sound

Question 19

Dynamics

Answer 19

Extremes- incredibly loud the almost silent