Symphony poem. Two famous symphonic poems by F

Liszt's symphonic poems are one of the brightest pages of European romantic music, an area of ​​tireless creative searches, amazing updates in the field of thematics, form, orchestration, interaction with diverse national origins. In the poems, the composer’s characteristic desire for synthesis with other arts, to create program works. Images ancient myths(“Prometheus” and “Orpheus”), images of masterpieces of world literature (“Tasso” by Goethe, “Mazeppa” and “What is Heard on the Mountain” by Hugo, “Hamlet” by Shakespeare, “Ideals” by Schiller, “Preludes” by Lamartine), images fine arts(“The Battle of the Huns” according to Kaulbach, “From the Cradle to the Grave” according to Zichy), and finally, images of the homeland (“Hungary”, “Lament for Heroes”), all this was translated into Liszt’s symphonic opuses. With all the variety of plots and characters, the main themes that the composer embodies here, the greatness of man and his deeds, the passionate desire for freedom and happiness, the inevitable triumph of goodness and justice, the healing effect of art that contributes to the improvement of humanity, stand out clearly.

Amazes with the beauty of sound early symphonic poem No. 1 "What is heard on the mountain", originally titled "Mountain Symphony". Liszt here was inspired by the poem of the same name by Victor Hugo. The program of the poem is based on the romantic idea of ​​​​contrasting majestic nature with human sorrows and suffering. What do you hear in the mountains on the coast of Brittany? The sound of the wind from frosty heights, the roar of ocean waves crashing against the rocks, shepherd melodies from the green meadows at the foot of the cliffs... and the cry of suffering humanity. And you can hear all this in music.

Hero symphonic poem No. 2 "Tasso"- the great Italian Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso (1544-1595), whose epic poem “Jerusalem Liberated” inspired many over the centuries, including Goethe. At the age of 35, the poet found himself in a mental home and at the same time in prison, having ended up there due to court intrigue. The legend called the reason for the imprisonment love - the daring, destroying all class barriers of the poet's love for Duke Alfonso's sister Eleonora d'Este. Seven years later, emerging from prison thanks to the intercession of the Pope, Tasso - already a completely broken man - was proclaimed the greatest poet of Italy and awarded the laurel a wreath, previously awarded only once to the great Petrarch. However, death came earlier, and on. solemn ceremony in the Roman Capitol, only the poet’s coffin was crowned with laurels. “Complaint and Triumph: these are the two great oppositions in the fate of poets, about whom it is rightly said that although a curse often weighs on their lives, a blessing never leaves their graves,” wrote Liszt in the program to this dramatic poem, depicting all the vicissitudes of the poet’s life - from prison and memories of love to well-deserved fame.

Symphonic poem No. 3 - "Preludes". Its title and program were borrowed by the composer from the poem of the same name French poet Lamartine. However, Liszt significantly departed from the main idea of ​​the poem, which was dedicated to thinking about the frailty of human existence. He created music full of heroic, life-affirming pathos. Pictures of life are embodied by Liszt in a series of bright, colorful episodes, filled with genre and visual details (march, pastoral, storm, battle, trumpet signals, shepherd's tunes). They are compared according to the principle of contrast and at the same time are closely related to each other: throughout the entire poem, Liszt skillfully transforms the leading theme, applying his characteristic principle of monothematism

IN symphonic poem No. 4 "Orpheus", conceived as an overture to Gluck's opera of the same name, the mythical tale of the sweet-voiced singer was embodied in a generalized philosophical sense. Orpheus for Liszt becomes a collective symbol of art. This is one of Liszt’s most lapidary and succinct works. The poem is multi-themed, but all the themes are intonationally interconnected and flow into one another. The long lasting sound of “G” from the horns is replaced by the plucking of the harps - this is obviously the image of the lyre player Orpheus, who listens attentively to the world around us. The magical sound of these sounds from the horns sets you in an elevated mood and introduces you to a poetic atmosphere. Main party for winds and strings of a diatonic type, it gravitates towards epic breadth, although it does not achieve it. This is the image of the universe that the artist seeks to understand, an objectified, extrapersonal reality. The non-extended connecting theme that replaces it symbolizes the artist’s quest. With a descending melodic figure, Liszt depicts the image of the music-Eurydice that Orpheus is looking for. In an effort to give this theme a special timbral warmth and enlightenment, Liszt entrusts the theme to the solo violin, and then to the solo cello. The composer's programmatic intention here is transparent and clear: the ideal is unattainable, Eurydice is just a mirage that is impossible to maintain. Art is doomed to eternal search without accomplishments.

Symphonic poem No. 5 "Prometheus" dedicated to the legendary sufferer and humanist, who for centuries has excited the imagination of the creative elite of mankind. The poem originated as an overture to the drama of the famous German poet Gottfried Herder. “Suffering (misfortune) and glory (bliss)! In this way the main idea of ​​this all too true legend can be expressed in a condensed form, and in this form it becomes like a storm, like flashing lightning. Grief, overcome by the persistence of indestructible energy, is what constitutes the essence of musical content in this case.”

Symphonic poem No. 6 "Mazeppa", dedicated historical figure in fate, which clearly revealed the antithesis of suffering and triumph, beloved by the romantics. Hugo's poem is published in full as a program in the score. Liszt was inspired primarily by the main, first part of the poem, complete colorful paintings, eerie details, a feeling of the horror of death - in comparison with the triumph of an unbroken hero, welcomed by the whole people: “He rushes, he flies, he falls, And rises as a king!”

Software concept symphonic poem No. 7 "Festive sounds" not related to historical events or literary subjects. It is known that the composer sang here his union (i.e. wedding) with Princess Caroline Wittgenstein and could not do without portrait characteristics himself and his girlfriend.

Symphonic poem No. 8 "Lament for Heroes" created on the basis of the “Revolutionary Symphony” (1830), unfinished by the young Liszt, dedicated to french revolution. Bitter complaints and glorification of the revolutionary struggle, world sorrow and social protest are heard in this unusually shaped dramatic poem, where the eerie drum roll and scenes of execution in the middle give way to one of the best lyrical themes in the composer’s work. The general artistic connection of this work with one of the most popular piano pieces Liszt’s “Funeral Procession,” created as a musical monument to the tragically fallen heroes of the revolution that took place in his native Hungary. The appearance of this work bears the stamp of the tragic disappointment of the romantic artist, and it is connected primarily with the defeat of the revolution that swept through the countries of central Europe in 1848-49.

Symphonic poem No. 9 "Hungary" often called orchestral Hungarian Rhapsody`. It arose in response to a poem dedicated to Liszt by the Hungarian poet Veresmarty. With this poem, Vörösmarty welcomed a decade and a half ago, in January 1840, the arrival to his homeland of a young man, not yet 30 years old, but already world-famous famous pianist. Liszt's tour then acquired the character of a national celebration. He was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city of Pest; after a concert at the National Theater, where Liszt performed in the Hungarian national costume, he was presented with a “saber of honor” on behalf of the nation. These impressions were reflected in the composer’s works on national themes that appeared at the same time - “Heroic March in the Hungarian Style” and “Hungarian National Melodies and Rhapsodies.” Many years later, Liszt borrowed from there three themes for the symphonic poem “Hungary”: two heroic, marching ones and one in the spirit of incendiary folk dance Czardasha.

Symphonic poem No. 10 "Hamlet"- the most recent poem of the Weimar period in terms of time of composition, placed, however, when published under number ten. Like many of Liszt's symphonic poems, it was based on an overture intended for the production of a Shakespearean tragedy. All the heroes of Shakespeare's tragedy are captured in the music - Hamlet, Ophelia, etc.

Software prototype of the battle symphonic poem No. 11 - "Battle of the Huns" quite unusual. It's figurative. Painted in 1834-1835 by the fashionable historical painter Wilhelm von Kaulbach, the fresco of the same name adorned the main staircase of the new Berlin Museum. The painting depicts a bloody battle that raged all day and left only a few wounded on the ground. It continues in heaven, where in the center of one group is a mighty Hun in a helmet with a raised sword, and another group is overshadowed by a flying angel with a cross. Liszt was captivated by the deeply humanistic meaning of the artist’s creation: the triumph of Christian love and mercy over pagan savagery and bloodthirstiness
http://s017.radikal.ru/i441/1110/09/f47e38600605.jpg

Symphonic poem No. 12 "Ideals" inspired by Schiller's poem of the same name: “The ideal is nothing more desirable, and nothing more unattainable. Only he will find the way to it who creates slowly and never destroys”...

During the summer of 1881, the composer, overwhelmed by thoughts of impending death, wrote his last symphonic poem No. 13 "From the cradle to the grave", inspired by the Cradle to Grave pen drawings given to him by the famous Hungarian artist Mihaly Zichy. http://s017.radikal.ru/i403/1110/71/363fe132803b.jpg At the request of Princess Wittgenstein, the word “coffin” was replaced by “grave”, and the poem was finally called “From the Cradle to the Grave”. The music of Liszt's last poem is sad and bright...

Two episodes from Lenau's Faust - "Night Procession" and "Dance in the Village Tavern (Mephisto Waltz)". The images of Faust and Mephistopheles excited Liszt throughout his creative life. Lenau is dominated by Mephistopheles, the spirit of negation and destruction, endowed with an unyielding will and unbridled power of passions. The triumph of evil is undeniable: such Mephistopheles easily subjugates Faust - a confused man, sometimes overwhelmed with delight, sometimes plunged into the abyss of despair, unable to control either his feelings or life circumstances. The opening section of “Night Procession” is built on sharp contrast. His first theme, mournful and gloomy, is characterization state of mind Faust. The hero is confronted by a serene spring nature: in the transparent sound of strings, woodwinds, and horns you can hear the trills of a nightingale, the rustling of trees, the babbling of streams. The distant ringing of a bell foreshadows the central episode - the procession itself. Liszt based it on the theme of the Catholic chorale “Pange lingua gloriosi” (“Sing, O tongue”), the text of which is attributed to Thomas Aquinas. More instruments enter, the procession approaches, then fades into the distance. Silence reigns again. And, like an explosion of despair, it sounds opening theme: “sobbing violently,” according to the author’s remark, the motifs of violins, flutes and oboes fall. They fade into deep bass string group, thus framing the entire work with a picture of the hero’s soul, which for Liszt is more important than pictorial sketches. The Mephisto Waltz forms a sharp contrast to the first episode. This is a real waltz poem - swift, exciting, completely devoid of slow tempos. Two images are masterfully juxtaposed: a real everyday dance with comic effects and fantastic dancing. The first embodies the playing of village musicians, and a full symphony orchestra imitates the sound of a peasant ensemble. Musicians take a long time to prepare, tune in, and gather their courage. Finally, the violas and cellos confidently perform the rural, according to the author’s direction, rough, sharply accented theme. The fun is growing, more and more new dancers are rushing by like a whirlwind in a riotous dance. Then, tired, they stop. Cellos in an unusually high register begin new topic(the author’s remark “tenderly, lovingly”) - languid, sensual, chromatic, not fitting into a clear dance grid. It was Mephistopheles who appeared; its theme is completed by the fading sound of a solo violin. An even more rapid-fire fantasy episode begins. And when the village dance returns, the devilish chanting does not allow it to unfold, distorts its motives - they obey the will of Mephistopheles, becoming just as broken, chromatic. Now the devil himself rules the roost. The dance turns into a frantic bacchanalia, the three-part meter is replaced by a two-part one, “the movement of the waltz turns into some kind of wild czardash, full of fire and unbridled passion.” At the climax, the dance breaks off, and the fantastic episode is repeated once again; heavily abbreviated, it ends with the peaceful voices of nature (cadence of solo flute, glissando of harp). But last word remains with Mephistopheles: the frenzied dance explodes again, menacingly triumphant, the devilish motif is repeatedly affirmed in the bass of the orchestra. Suddenly everything becomes quiet, disappears into the distance; all that remains is the fading rustle of the timpani and the pizzicato of the cellos and double basses. After a harp glissando, Liszt inscribed the final line from Lenau: “And, raging, the sea of ​​passion swallows them up.”

Conductor Arpad Joó (Hungarian: Árpád Joó) born in Budapest on June 8, 1948, comes from an ancient Hungarian family, a child prodigy. Even in his childhood, he was noticed by Zoltan Kodaly and came under his patronage; he studied at the Budapest Academy of Music. Franz Liszt by Pal Kadosy and József Gat. In 1962 he won the Liszt and Bartok Piano Competition in Budapest. He then studied conducting at the Juilliard School and Indiana University, and studied with Igor Markevich in Monte Carlo. In 1973-1977 chief conductor Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, 1977-1984. - Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, 1988-1990. - Symphony Orchestra of the Spanish Radio and Television. Performed with the London symphony orchestra. He worked as a guest conductor with the European Community Orchestra. Recording by conductor full cycle the works of Kodály and Bartók became an event not only in Hungary. In 1985, for the 100th anniversary of Liszt's death, he recorded with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra full meeting his symphonic poems, for which he received the coveted "Grand Prix du Disque" in Paris, straight from the hands of the French Minister of Culture Leotard. Why did the French like Liszt performed by the Budapests and Arpad Joo so much? Probably due to the softness and plasticity of the interpretation. There are no usual stunning “special effects” and artificial external pathos here, but there are soulful melodies.

Listen:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfhf7_mUccY

Ferenc Liszt - Symphonic Poems Complete
Budapest Symphony Orchestra / Arpad Joo
Recorded Budapest 1984/5 DDD
1987 "Grand Prix Du Disque", Paris, France

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

CD1
Symphonic poem No. 1. What is heard on the mountain ("Mountain Symphony") (after Hugo, 1847-1857) (30:34)
Symphonic poem No. 2. Tasso. Lamentation and Triumph (after Goethe, 1849-1856) (21:31)
Symphonic poem No. 3. Preludes (after Lamartine, 1850-1856) (15:52)

CD2
Symphonic poem No. 4. Orpheus (as introduction and conclusion to Gluck's Orpheus, 1856)(11:36)
Symphonic poem No. 5. Prometheus (after Herder, 1850-1855) (13:29)
Symphonic poem No. 6. Mazepa (after Hugo, 1851-1856) (15:54)
Symphonic poem No. 7. Festive Sounds (Caroline Wittgenstein, 1853-1861) (19:47)

CD3
Symphonic poem No. 8. Lament for Heroes (based on the first movement of the "Revolutionary Symphony", 1830-1857) (24:12)
Symphonic poem No. 9. Hungary (response to a patriotic poem by Vörösmarty, 1839-1857) (22:22)
Symphonic poem No. 10. Hamlet (after Shakespeare, 1858-1861)(14:35)

CD4
Symphonic poem No. 11. Battle of the Huns (based on a fresco by Kaulbach, 1857-1861) (13:58)
Symphonic poem No. 12. Ideals (according to Schiller, 1857-1858)(26:55)
Symphonic poem No. 13. From cradle to grave (based on a drawing by M. Zichy, 1881-1883)
I. Cradle (6:31) / II. The struggle for existence (3:14) / III. Grave (7:38)

CD5
Two episodes from Faust by Lenau (1857-1866)
I. Night procession (15:15)
II. Dance in a village tavern (Mephisto Waltz No. 1) (11:54)
Mephisto Waltz No. 2 (1880-1881) (11:41)
Proclamation and Hungarian Anthem (1873) (10:13)

Ewa Kwiatkowska () updated the link to the audio recording
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G. Krauklis `Symphonic poems of F. Liszt`
Moscow, 1974, 144 pages.
The book is a popular science essay on Liszt's symphonic poems
CONTENT
Program symphony by F. Liszt and his symphonic poems 5
“What is heard on the mountain” (“Ce qu’on entend sur la montagne”) 30

“Tasso. Complaint and Triumph" (“Tasso. Lamento e trionfo”) 43
“Preludes” (“Les Préludes”) 53

"Orpheus" 62

"Prometheus" 71

"Mazeppa" 77

“Festive Sounds” (“Fest-Klänge”) 85

“Lament for Heroes” (“Héroїde funèbre”) 93

“Hungary” (“Hungaria”) 99

"Hamlet" 107

“Battle of the Huns” (“Hunnenschlacht”) 114

“Ideals” (“Die Ideale”) 122

Notes 135

Applications 140

References 141

Symphonic poem

(German symphonische Dichtung, French poime symphonique, English symphonic poem, Italian poema sinfonica) - one-part program symphony. work. The genre of S. p. was completely formed in the work of F. Liszt. The name itself comes from him. "S. p." Liszt first gave it in 1854 with his overture “Tasso” written back in 1849, after which it became called. S. p. all their one-movement program symphonies. essays. Name "S.p." indicates a connection in this kind of production. music and poetry - both in the sense of implementing the plot of one or another lit. works, and in the sense of the similarity of S. items of the same name. poetic genre lawsuit S. p. is the main genus symphony program music. Works like S. p. are sometimes given other names - symphonic fantasy, symphony. legends, ballads, etc. Close S. items, but with specific features. The features of the variety of program music are the overture and the symphonic picture. Dr. the most important kind of symphony. program music is a program symphony, which is a cycle of 4 (and sometimes 5 or more) movements.
13 pp are written on the leaf. The most famous of them are “Preludes” (after A. Lamartine, ca. 1848, last edition 1854), “Tasso” (after J. V. Goethe), “Orpheus” (1854), “The Battle of the Huns” (based on the painting by W. Kaulbach, 1857), “Ideals” (based on F. Schiller, 1857), “Hamlet” (based on W. Shakespeare, 1858). In Listov's S. items various types are freely combined. structures, features, etc. instr. genres. Particularly characteristic of them is the combination in one movement of the features of sonata allegro and sonata-symphony. cycle. Basic part of the symphony the poem usually consists of a number of different episodes, which, from the point of view of the sonata allegro, correspond to ch. parts, side parts and development, and from the point of view of the cycle - the first (fast), second (lyric) and third (scherzo) movements. Completes production a return in a compressed and figuratively transformed form, similar in its expressiveness to the previous episodes, which from the point of view of the sonata allegro corresponds to the reprise, and from the point of view of the cycle - to the finale. Compared to the usual sonata allegro, the episodes of S. p. are more independent and internally complete. The compressed return at the end of the same material proves to be a powerful form-holding agent. In S. p. the contrast between episodes can be sharper than in sonata allegro, and there can be more than three episodes themselves. This gives the composer greater freedom to implement program ideas, display various. kind of stories. In combination with this kind of "synthetic." structures, Liszt often applied the principle of monothematism - all basic. themes in these cases turn out to be free variations of the same leading theme or thematic. education. The principle of monothematism provides complementary form fastening, however, when consistent. application may lead to intonation. impoverishment of the whole, since the transformation is primarily rhythmic. drawing, harmonization, texture of accompanying voices, but not intonation. outlines of the topic.
The prerequisites for the emergence of the genre of S. p. can be traced over many previous decades. Attempts to structurally combine parts of a sonata-symphony. cycles were undertaken before Liszt, although they often resorted to “external” methods of unification (for example, the introduction of connecting constructions between the individual parts of the cycle or the transition attaca from one part to the next). The very incentive for such a unification is associated with the development of program music, with the disclosure in production. single plot. Long before Liszt, sonata-symphonies also appeared. cycles that had features of monothematism, for example. symphonies, main The themes of all parts of which revealed intonation, rhythm. etc. unity. One of the earliest examples of such a symphony was Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The genre on the basis of which the formation of S. p. took place is the overture. Expansion of its scope, associated with program plans, internal. thematic enrichment gradually turned the overture into a S. p. Important milestones on this path there are many. overtures by F. Mendelssohn. It is significant that Liszt also created his early S. pieces as overtures to K.-L. lit. produced, and initially they even had the name. Overture ("Tasso", "Prometheus").
Following Liszt, other Western Europeans also turned to the genre of literary works. composers, representatives of various national schools Among them are B. Smetana ("Richard III", 1858; "Wallenstein's Camp", 1859; "Jarl the Heckon", 1861; the cycle "My Homeland", consisting of 6 paragraphs, 1874-70), K. Sen -Sane ("The Spinning Wheel of Omphale", 1871; "Phaeton", 1873; "Dance of Death", 1874; "The Youth of Hercules", 1877), S. Frank ("Zolids", 1876; "Djinns", 1885; "Psyche" , 1886, with choir), H. Wolf ("Pentesileia", 1883-85).
The most important stage development of the genre of S. p. in Western Europe. art is associated with the work of R. Strauss, the author of 7 S. p. The most significant of them are “Don Juan” (1888), “Death and Enlightenment” (1889), “Till Eulenspiegel” (1895), “Thus Spoke Zarathustra "(1896), "Don Quixote" (1897). Near the arts. signs of S. and. also have his symphony. fantasies "From Italy" (1886), "Home Symphony" (1903) and "Alpine Symphony" (1915). Created by R. Strauss S. and. distinguished by the brightness, "catchyness" of images, masterful use of the orchestra's capabilities - both expressive and visual. R. Strauss does not always adhere to the typical structural scheme of Liszt's S. plays. Thus, the basis of his “Don Juan” is the scheme of a sonata allegro, the basis of “Till Eulenspiegel” is the rondo-variation form, the basis of “Don Quixote” is variations (in The subtitle of the work is called “symphonic variations on the theme of a knightly character”).
After R. Strauss, representatives of other nationalities successfully worked in the field of agricultural production. schools J. Sibelius created a number of S. p. but based on folk motives. Finnish the epic "Kalevala" ("Saga", 1892; "Kullervo", 1892; the last - "Tapiola" dates back to 1925). 5 S. items were written in 1896 by A. Dvořák ("The Water Man", "Midday", "The Golden Spinning Wheel", "The Dove", "The Heroic Song").
In the 20th century abroad, in addition to J. Sibelius, prod. Few composers created in the genre of sung songs - B. Bartok ("Kossuth", 1903), A. Schoenberg ("Pelleas and Melisande", 1903), E. Elgar ("Falstaff", 1913), M. Reger (4 S. p. based on paintings by Böcklin, 1913), O. Respighi (trilogy: “Fountains of Rome”, 1916; “Pineas of Rome”, 1924; “Feasts of Rome”, 1929). S. p. in Western Europe. music is internally modified; losing the features of plot, it gradually moves closer to symphony. painting. Often, in this regard, composers give their program symphonies. prod. more neutral names (prelude " Afternoon rest Faun", 1895, and 3 symphonic sketches "The Sea", 1903, Debussy; "symphonic movements" "Pacific 231", 1922, and "Rugby", 1928, Honegger, etc.).
Rus. composers have created many works like S. p., although this term was not always used to define their genre. Among them are M. A. Balakirev (S. p. "Rus", 1887, in the 1st edition 1862 called the overture "A Thousand Years"; "Tamara", 1882), P. I. Tchaikovsky (S. p. "Fatum", 1868; overture-fantasy "Romeo and Juliet", 3rd edition 1880; symphony "Francesca da Rimini", 1870; "Hamlet" (“Dreams”, 1898; “Poem of Ecstasy”, 1907; “Poem of Fire”, or “Prometheus”, with ph. and chorus, 1910). Among the owls. composers who turned to the genre of S. p. - A. I. Khachaturyan (symphony-poem, 1947), K. Karaev ("Leili and Majnun", 1947), A. A. Muravlev ("Azov-Mountain", 1949 ), A. G. Svechnikov ("Shchors", 1949), G. G. Galynin ("Epic Poem", 1950), A. D. Gadzhiev ("For Peace", 1951), V. Mukhatov ("My Homeland ", 1951).
Literature: Popova T., Symphonic poem, M.-L., 1952, M., 1963; Wagner R., Ober Fr. Liszt"s Symphonische Dichtungen, Brief an M. Wittgenstein vom 17. Februar 1837, in the book: Wagner R., Gesammelte Schriften und Dichtungen, Bd 5, Lpz., 1898; Raabe P., Entstehungsgeschichte der ersten Orchesterwerke Fr. Liszts, Jena, 1916 (Diss.); Hcinrichs J., Ber den Sinn der Lisztschen Programmusik, Bonn, 1929 (Diss.); of symphonic poem, "MQ", 1932, v. 18, No. 3; Wachten E., Das Formproblem in der sinfonischen Dichtungen von R. Strauss, V., 1933 (Diss.) .. 1950; see also lit. under articles Program music, Liszt F., Strauss G.


Musical encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, Soviet composer. Ed. Yu. V. Keldysh. 1973-1982 .

See what a “Symphonic Poem” is in other dictionaries:

    Genre of symphonic program music. One-part orchestral work, in accordance with romantic idea synthesis of arts allowing various sources programs (literature, painting, less often philosophy or history). Creator of the F genre... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    This concept appeared in musical art in 1854: Hungarian composer Franz Liszt gave the definition of "symphonic poem" to his orchestral work "Tasso", originally intended as an overture. With this definition he wanted... Musical dictionary

    - (German symphonische Dichtung) genre symphonic music, expressing the romantic idea of ​​a synthesis of arts. A symphonic poem is a one-movement orchestral work that allows for various program sources (literature... ... Wikipedia

    Genre of symphonic program music. A one-movement orchestral work, in accordance with the romantic idea of ​​a synthesis of arts, allowing for a variety of program sources (literature, painting, less often philosophy or history). Creator of the genre... Encyclopedic Dictionary

    An orchestral composition in which the components are in close, inextricable connection. S. the poem is written on a program for which some poetic work. The program also influences the form of this kind of S. work, not... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

    Symphonic poem for 100 metronomes by György Ligeti (1962). The piece is “performed” by hundreds of metronomes, pre-programmed to play a given tempo and musical size. All metronomes start playing... ... Wikipedia

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    This term has other meanings, see Thus Spoke Zarathustra (meanings). Thus Spoke Zarathustra (German: Also sprach Zarathustra) is a symphonic poem by the German composer Richard Strauss. Written in 1896 under the influence of ... Wikipedia

    This term has other meanings, see Isle of the Dead ... Wikipedia

Symphonic poem. This concept appeared in musical art in 1854: the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt gave the definition of “symphonic poem” to his orchestral work “Tasso,” originally conceived as an overture. With this definition, he wanted to emphasize that Tasso is not just a programmatic piece of music. It is extremely closely related to poetry in its content. Subsequently, Liszt wrote twelve more symphonic poems. The most famous among them is “Preludes”. It is based on the poem “Preludes” (more precisely “Preludes”) by the French romantic poet Lamartine, in which all human life is viewed as a series of episodes - “preludes” leading to death.

Liszt’s work also developed a form that is most characteristic of a symphonic poem: free, but with obvious features of a sonata-symphonic cycle, if performed without a break between parts - site. The diverse episodes of the symphonic poem have similarities with the main sections of the sonata form: the main and secondary parts of the exposition, development and reprise. At the same time, individual episodes of the poem can be perceived as parts of a symphony.

After Liszt, many composers turned to the genre he created. The classic of Czech music Bedrich Smetana has a cycle of symphonic poems, united by the general title “My Homeland”. The German composer Richard Strauss loved this genre very much. His Don Juan, Don Quixote, and The Merry Tricks of Till Eulenspiegel are widely known. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote a symphonic poem "Kalevala", based on literary source, lies the Finnish folk epic. Russian composers with their orchestral works of this type they preferred to give other definitions: overture-fantasy, symphonic ballad, overture, symphonic picture.

The genre of symphonic painting, common in Russian music, has some differences. Its programming is not related to the plot, but paints a landscape, portrait, genre or battle scene. Everyone is probably familiar with such symphonic films as “Sadko” by Rimsky-Korsakov, “In Central Asia” by Borodin, “Baba Yaga”, “Kikimora” and “The Magic Lake” by Lyadov. Another variety of this genre - symphonic fantasy - also loved by Russian composers, is distinguished by greater freedom of construction, often by the presence of fantastic elements in the program.

Symphony. Among the many musical genres, one of the most honorable places belongs to the symphony. Always, from the moment of its inception to the present day, it has sensitively reflected its time: the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven, Berlioz and Mahler, Prokofiev and Shostakovich are reflections on the era, on man, on the ways of the world and life on earth. Symphony as a standalone musical genre arose relatively recently: some two and a half centuries ago. However, during this historically short period of time, it has come a long way.

The word symphonia translated from Greek means just consonance. In Ancient Greece, this was the name given to a pleasant combination of sounds. Later they began to designate either an orchestra or the introduction to a dance suite. In the early 18th century, the term replaced the current concept of overture. The first symphonies in the current sense appeared in the center of Europe in the second half of the 18th century. And the place and time of her birth are not accidental. Originating simultaneously in different parts of Europe, in the depths of old, previously formed musical forms- dance suite and opera overture, the symphony was finally formed in the countries of the German language - website. In Italy national art there was an opera. In pre-revolutionary France, already saturated with an atmosphere of freethinking and rebellion, other arts came forward. Such as literature, painting and theater - more specific, directly and clearly expressing new ideas that excite the world. When, several decades later, it came to music, the song “Carmagnola” and “Marseillaise” entered the ranks of the revolutionary troops as a full-fledged fighter.

Symphony is still the most complex of all types of music not related to other arts.- demanded different conditions for its formation, for full perception: it demanded thinking, generalization - calm and concentrated work. It is no coincidence that the center of philosophical thought, which reflected social changes in Europe at the end of the 18th century, turned out to be in Germany, far from social storms. At the same time, rich traditions of instrumental music have developed in Germany and Austria. This is where the symphony appeared. It arose in the works of Czech and Austrian composers, and its final form. acquired in the work of Haydn in order to reach its peak in Mozart and Beethoven. This classical symphony (Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven entered the history of music as “Viennese classics”, since most their work is connected with this city) developed as a cycle of four parts, which embodied different aspects of human life.

First movement of the symphony- fast, active, sometimes preceded by a slow introduction. It is written in sonata form.
Second part- slow - usually thoughtful, elegiac or pastoral, that is, dedicated to peaceful pictures of nature, quiet rest or dreams. There are second parts that are mournful, concentrated, and deep.
Third movement of the symphony- a minuet, and later, in Beethoven, a scherzo. This is a game, fun, living pictures of folk life, a fascinating round dance...
Final- this is the result of the entire cycle, the conclusion from everything that was shown, thought out, felt in the previous parts. Often the ending is life-affirming, solemn, victorious or festive.

At general scheme, symphonies different composers are very different. So, if Haydn’s symphonies are mostly serene, joyful, and only very few of the 104 works of this genre he created have serious or sad tones, then Mozart’s symphonies are much more individual, sometimes perceived as the predecessors of romantic art - site. Beethoven's symphonies are filled with images of struggle. They fully reflected the time - the era of the Great French Revolution, the lofty civic ideas inspired by it. Beethoven's symphonies are monumental works, in depth of content, breadth and power of generalization, not inferior to opera, drama, or novel. They are distinguished by deep drama, heroism, and pathos. The last of Beethoven's symphonies, the Ninth, features the chorus singing the rapturous and majestic hymn "Embrace, O Millions," set to the verses of Schiller's ode to Joy. The composer paints here a grandiose picture of a free, joyful humanity that strives for universal brotherhood.

At the same time as Beethoven, in the same Vienna, lived another wonderful Austrian composer, Franz Schubert. His symphonies sound like lyrical poems, like deeply personal, intimate statements. With Schubert in European music, a new movement came to the symphony genre - romanticism. Representatives of musical romanticism in the symphony are Schumann, Mendelssohn, Berlioz. Hector Berlioz, an outstanding French composer, was the first to create program symphony, writing a poetic program for her in the form of a short story about the artist’s life.

Symphony in Russia is primarily Tchaikovsky. His symphonic works are exciting, exciting stories about a person’s struggle for life, for happiness. But this is Borodin: his symphonies are distinguished by their epic breadth, power, and truly Russian scope. These are Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Glazunov, who created eight symphonies - beautiful, bright, balanced. The symphonies of D. Shostakovich embody the 20th century with its storms, tragedies and achievements. They reflect the events of our history and images of people - the composer's contemporaries, building, fighting, searching, suffering and winning. S. Prokofiev's symphonies are distinguished by their epic wisdom, deep drama, pure and bright lyrics, and sharp jokes.

Any symphony is a whole world. The world of the artist who created it. The world of time that gave birth to it. Listening classical symphonies, we become spiritually richer, we become familiar with the treasures of human genius, equal in significance to the tragedies of Shakespeare, the novels of Tolstoy, the poems of Pushkin, the paintings of Raphael.
Among the domestic authors of symphonies are N. Myaskovsky, A. Khachaturyan, T. Khrennikov, V. Salmanov, R. Shchedrin, B. Tishchenko, B. Tchaikovsky, A. Terteryan, G. Kancheli, A. Schnittke.

Scherzo. Italian word scherzo translated is a joke. It has long been adopted in music to denote its character - lively, cheerful, playful. Beethoven introduced the name scherzo for one of the middle movements of the symphony instead of the previously traditional minuet - site. And in the middle of the 19th century, composers began to call independent plays this way, not only humorous ones, but sometimes also dramatic ones or having an ominous connotation. Thus, Chopin's scherzos are widely known - piano pieces distinguished by their richness of images and variety of content.

Symphonic poem(German symphonische Dichtung, French poeme symphonique, English symphonic poem, Italian poema sinfonica) - one-part program symphony. work. The genre of S. p. was completely formed in the work of F. Liszt. The name itself comes from him. "S. p." Liszt first gave it in 1854 with his overture “Tasso” written back in 1849, after which it became called. S. p. all their one-movement program symphonies. essays. Name "S.p." indicates a connection in this kind of production. music and poetry - both in the sense of implementing the plot of one or another lit. works, and in the sense of the similarity of S. items of the same name. poetic genre lawsuit S. p. is the main genus symphony program music. Works like S. p. are sometimes given other names - symphonic fantasy, symphony. legends, ballads, etc. Close S. items, but with specific features. The features of the variety of program music are the overture and the symphonic picture. Dr. the most important kind of symphony. program music is a program symphony, which is a cycle of 4 (and sometimes 5 or more) movements.

13 pp are written on the leaf. The most famous of them are “Preludes” (after A. Lamartine, ca. 1848, last edition 1854), “Tasso” (after J. V. Goethe), “Orpheus” (1854), “The Battle of the Huns” (based on the painting by W. Kaulbach, 1857), “Ideals” (based on F. Schiller, 1857), “Hamlet” (based on W. Shakespeare, 1858). In Listov's S. items various types are freely combined. structures, features, etc. instr. genres. Particularly characteristic of them is the combination in one movement of the features of sonata allegro and sonata-symphony. cycle. Basic part of the symphony the poem usually consists of a number of different episodes, which, from the point of view of the sonata allegro, correspond to ch. parts, side parts and development, and from the point of view of the cycle - the first (fast), second (lyric) and third (scherzo) movements. Completes production a return in a compressed and figuratively transformed form, similar in its expressiveness to the previous episodes, which from the point of view of the sonata allegro corresponds to the reprise, and from the point of view of the cycle - to the finale. Compared to the usual sonata allegro, the episodes of S. p. are more independent and internally complete. The compressed return at the end of the same material proves to be a powerful form-holding agent. In S. p. the contrast between episodes can be sharper than in sonata allegro, and there can be more than three episodes themselves. This gives the composer greater freedom to implement program ideas, display various. kind of stories. In combination with this kind of "synthetic." structures, Liszt often applied the principle of monothematism - all basic. themes in these cases turn out to be free variations of the same leading theme or thematic. education. The principle of monothematism provides complementary form fastening, however, when consistent. application may lead to intonation. impoverishment of the whole, since the transformation is primarily rhythmic. drawing, harmonization, texture of accompanying voices, but not intonation. outlines of the topic.

The prerequisites for the emergence of the genre of S. p. can be traced over many previous decades. Attempts to structurally combine parts of a sonata-symphony. cycles were undertaken before Liszt, although they often resorted to “external” methods of unification (for example, the introduction of connecting constructions between the individual parts of the cycle or the transition attaca from one part to the next). The very incentive for such a unification is associated with the development of program music, with the disclosure in production. single plot. Long before Liszt, sonata-symphonies also appeared. cycles that had features of monothematism, for example. symphonies, main The themes of all parts of which revealed intonation, rhythm. etc. unity. One of the earliest examples of such a symphony was Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The genre on the basis of which the formation of S. p. took place is the overture. Expansion of its scope, associated with program plans, internal. thematic enrichment gradually turned the overture into a S. p. Important milestones along this path are plural. overtures by F. Mendelssohn. It is significant that Liszt also created his early S. pieces as overtures to K.-L. lit. produced, and initially they even had the name. Overture ("Tasso", "Prometheus").

Following Liszt, other Western Europeans also turned to the genre of literary works. composers, representatives of various national schools Among them are B. Smetana ("Richard III", 1858; "Wallenstein's Camp", 1859; "Jarl the Heckon", 1861; the cycle "My Homeland", consisting of 6 paragraphs, 1874-70), K. Sen -Sans ("The Spinning Wheel of Omphale", 1871; "Phaeton", 1873; "Dance of Death", 1874; "The Youth of Hercules", 1877), S. Frank ("Zolids", 1876; "Djinns", 1885; "Psyche" , 1886, with choir), H. Wolf ("Pentesileia", 1883-85).

The most important stage in the development of the genre of S. p. in Western Europe. art is associated with the work of R. Strauss, the author of 7 S. p. The most significant of them are “Don Juan” (1888), “Death and Enlightenment” (1889), “Till Eulenspiegel” (1895), “Thus Spoke Zarathustra "(1896), "Don Quixote" (1897). Near the arts. signs of S. and. also have his symphony. fantasies "From Italy" (1886), "Home Symphony" (1903) and "Alpine Symphony" (1915). Created by R. Strauss S. and. distinguished by the brightness, "catchyness" of images, masterful use of the orchestra's capabilities - both expressive and visual. R. Strauss does not always adhere to the typical structural scheme of Liszt's S. plays. Thus, the basis of his “Don Juan” is the scheme of a sonata allegro, the basis of “Till Eulenspiegel” is the rondo-variation form, the basis of “Don Quixote” is variations (in The subtitle of the work is called “symphonic variations on the theme of a knightly character”).

After R. Strauss, representatives of other nationalities successfully worked in the field of agricultural production. schools J. Sibelius created a number of S. p. but based on folk motives. Finnish the epic "Kalevala" ("Saga", 1892; "Kullervo", 1892; the last - "Tapiola" dates back to 1925). 5 S. items were written in 1896 by A. Dvořák ("The Water Man", "Midday", "The Golden Spinning Wheel", "The Dove", "The Heroic Song").

In the 20th century abroad, in addition to J. Sibelius, prod. Few composers created in the genre of sung songs - B. Bartok ("Kossuth", 1903), A. Schoenberg ("Pelleas and Melisande", 1903), E. Elgar ("Falstaff", 1913), M. Reger (4 S. p. based on paintings by Böcklin, 1913), O. Respighi (trilogy: “Fountains of Rome”, 1916; “Pineas of Rome”, 1924; “Feasts of Rome”, 1929). S. p. in Western Europe. music is internally modified; losing the features of plot, it gradually moves closer to symphony. painting. Often, in this regard, composers give their program symphonies. prod. more neutral titles (prelude "Afternoon of a Faun", 1895, and 3 symphonic sketches "The Sea", 1903, Debussy; "symphonic movements" "Pacific 231", 1922, and "Rugby", 1928, Honegger, etc.) .

Rus. composers have created many works like S. p., although this term was not always used to define their genre. Among them are M. A. Balakirev (S. p. "Rus", 1887, in the 1st edition 1862 called the overture "A Thousand Years"; "Tamara", 1882), P. I. Tchaikovsky (S. p. "Fatum", 1868; overture-fantasy "Romeo and Juliet", 3rd edition 1880; symphony "Francesca da Rimini", 1870; "Hamlet" (“Dreams”, 1898; “Poem of Ecstasy”, 1907; “Poem of Fire”, or “Prometheus”, with ph. and chorus, 1910). Among the owls. composers who turned to the genre of S. p. - A. I. Khachaturyan (symphony-poem, 1947), K. Karaev ("Leili and Majnun", 1947), A. A. Muravlev ("Azov-Mountain", 1949 ), A. G. Svechnikov ("Shchors", 1949), G. G. Galynin ("Epic Poem", 1950), A. D. Gadzhiev ("For Peace", 1951), V. Mukhatov ("My Homeland ", 1951).