Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Themes:
- Friar Lawrence
- Strife
- Love
Structures: Sonata Form
Overture = a piece of instrumental music composed as an introduction is an open oratoria ballet or other dramatic work, or as in the case of this overture intended for independent concert performance
Program Music: Music which express an extra-musical idea, whether of mood, narrative or pictorial image
Melodic/Rhythmic Devices
- Sequences
- Pedal Note
- Dialogue
- Canon
- Dactyl figure
- Ascending and Descending Scales
- Chromaticism
- Syncopation
- Dotted Rhythms
- Triplets etc.
Instrumental Techniques
- Pizzicato - e.g. bar 38
- Con sordino e.g. bar 184
- Arpeggiated chords on harp e.g. bar 28
- Divisi e.g. bar 61
- Tremelo e.g. bar 88
Instruments featured and performing medium
Students must be able to identify the instruments playing the main themes and accompaniment
Two examples are:
- Friar Lawrence on clarinets, accompanied by bassoons only
- Love Theme on Viola and Cor Anglais accompanied by French Horn. Cello + Double Bass
Styles and Historical Periods
- Musical Features of the Romantic era
- Programme Features
- Features of Tchaikovsky’s Style
Features of the Romantic Era 1800 - 1900
- Greater emphasis on individual expressional of emotion
- Music becomes more descriptive - programme music
- Expansion in the size and range of instruments in the orchestra - creates greater orchestral colour
- Modulations to unrelated keys: Db major Love Theme bar 184
- New harmonies
- Long sensuous melodies
Features of Tchaikovsky’s Individual Style
- Juxtaposition of different sections of the orchestra e.g. (bar 105-111) (bar 122-125)
- Descending chromatic figure against sequences (bar 206-210) - heightens tensions and leads to climax
- Sequential writing - Friar Lawrence theme heard in F# minor, F minor and E minor
Compare and Contrast
- While this does not appear as a separate area of study, it appears frequently on the exam paper
- Compare and contrast all appearances of the themes
- Describe/Compare/Contrast the music that appears immediately before or after the excerpt given
Glossary
Instrumental Techniques
- Con Sordino - With Mute
- Divisi - Divided
- Pizzicato - Plucked
- Tremolo
Compositional Rhythmic Devices
- Dactyl Rhythm - 1 long note and 2 short notes
- Syncopation - Stress on a weaker note to liven up the rhythm
- Triplet - 3 notes
Compositional Melodic Devices
- Albertt-type Accompaniment
- Augmentation
- Canon
- Canonic Imitation
- Chromatic Figure
- Counterpoint
- Dactyl Motif
- Descending 3rds
- Descending Scle
- Dailogue
- Dominant Pedal
- Imitation
- Pedal Note
- Sequence
Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accelerando | Gradually getting quicker |
| Andante | At a walking pace |
| Allegro | Fast & Lively |
| Arco | Resume use of bow |
| Assai | Extremely |
| Bassi | Basses only |
| Dolce | Sweetly |
| Espressivo | With expression |
| Glusto | Strict |
| Gran Cassa | Bass Drum |
| Marcato | Marked |
| Molto | More |
| Meno | Less |
| Mosso | Movement |
| Ma | But |
| Moderato | Moderately |
| Non tanto | Not too much |
| Pialli | Cymbals |
| Piu | More |
| Poco a poco | Little by little |
| Quasi | Almost |
| Sensible | Sensitively |
| Stringendo | Hurrying |
Sonata Form
- A type of composition in three sections (exposition, development and recapitulation) in which two themes or subjects are explored according to set key relationships
Exposition
- Sets forth the themes. There are 2 distinct groupings: Subject 1, Subject 2
- Subject 2 will be in contrast to Subject 1. Subject 2 often more detailed
- Other material, including other themes, may appear between and after Subject 1 + Subject 2
- A closing section is called a codetta
Development
- Composer can experiment with 1 or 2 more themes from exposition
- Themes can be played on different instruments, tempo changes, dynamic changes, different keys, repitions of motifs, etc.
- The development is usually tense + dramatic
Recapitulation
- This is essentially a repeat of a exposition but can be very different, with themes omitted and new ones added
- More confident in style than the expositon
- A coda or ending piece is used
Structure
- Introduction
- Romeo & Juliet - Friar Lawrence Theme
- Exposition
- Subject 1 = Strife Theme
- Subject 2 = Love Theme
- Development
- Recapitulation
- Coda
Introduction
- Bars 1 - 111
- Main theme is Friar Lawrence Theme
Romeo and Juliet - Friar Lawrence Theme
- Long + slow introduction with many melodic + rhythmic motifs
- Played in two parts A chorale progression of woodwind to represent Friar Lawrence and a following ascending + descending pattern in the strings + horns with winds later
- Theme is repeated down a semitone but two octaves higher in flutes + oboes in F minor over pizzicato strings
- Key = F sharp minor (the tonic of the overall overture is B minor)
- Common Time (4/4)
- Instruments = 2 clarinets + 2 bassoons introduce theme but all instruments involved at some stage
- Dominant feature is Arpeggi on the harp
- Mood = Tension and anticipation increasing and decreasing throughout through the use of shifting block instrumentation, pedal notes + timpani rolls
Exposition
- Bars 112 - 272
- Be able to identify the themes in this section and its musical characterisitcs
Subject 1 = Strife Theme
- Key -> G minor
- Full or chestra
- Ascending string scale passage in semiquavers “motif e”
- Texture - homophonic (Be able to explain)
- Mood - formidable + powerful
- Use of a chain of dominant sevenths
- Main instruments = Tutti`qzc
Subject 2 = Love Theme
- D Flat Major
- Texture = polyphonic
- Use of a dominant pedal in the lower strings and bassoons helps the harmonic suspensions and resolutions throughout this section
- Ascending semiquaver scales on flute + oboe
- Rubato -> slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo. This is used to give the theme a lush, Romantic feel
- Harp uses descending alternating chord inversions
- A viola F natrual brings the exposition to a close
Development
- Bars 273 - 352
- Based on Friar Lawrence Theme and fragments of Strife Theme
- Mood becomes tense + violent
- Love Theme is not used in this section
- Key signature of B minor vanished. There is a sense of only a vague tonal centre
- Friar Lawrence theme played on Horns
- Brass + Woodwind question each other in antiphonal manner over syncopated string accompaniment
- The music reaches the first real fortissimo climax with a symbol crash, and the Friar Lawrence theme is blasted by trumpets over a rhythmic ostinato taken from the opening of Strife Theme
- Key of B minor returns in rushing semi-quaver string scales that lead directly to the recapitulation
Recapitulation
- Bars 353 - 484
- Key B minor
- Themes are not in same order as before, classical-like development of Strife + Love themes occur in this elongated section
- Strife theme played in Tutti + ff
- Second section of Love Theme is played by Woodwind instead of violins
- Lush + Romantic mood
- Mood turns tense as music turns to minor mode
- Strife theme begins to emerge as the music leads into a development section in the recapitulation
- Tutti orchestra unites to increase the tension as the climax to the entire overture is reached. Climax is marked fff (bar 473) and consists of fragments of the Strife and Love themes. It ends in dominant F Sharp, timpani roll with bassoons + lower strings also
Coda (Ending)
- Bars 485 - 522
- Key = B Major
- Tempo-Moderato assai (moderate speed)
- The “funeral” scene has a calm mood
- Triplet timpani ostinato rhythms open the quiet coda section
- Love theme played in minor mode by bassoon, viola and Cello giving a sense of final tradegy. This is followed by the full woodwind section playing Friar Lawrence’s chorale
- A final renditon of the Love theme is heard high in the strings before the overture finishes with loud tutti syncopated tonic major chords over a timpani rolls