Symphony

Berlioz was exposed to a good amount of the Romantic ideals of the time (Kelley, 2013). Berlioz attended the Paris Conservatory for school, which was one of the world's first public schools (Kelley, 2013). Berlioz would go on to write the Fantastic Symphony, a quintessential example of romanticism. With a focus on a creative artist, inferiority, the supernatural, and romantic love, it had all the makings of a Romantic masterpiece (Kelley, 2013). Unique for the time, Fantastic Symphony’s plot…

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often written by composers for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning common today: a work usually consisting of multiple distinct sections or movements, often four, with the first movement in sonata form. Symphonies are scored for string (violin, viola, cello and double bass), brass, woodwind, and…

On Sunday, June 21st, I went to see the Dallas Symphony Orchestra perform “The Music of John Williams and Hollywood’s Great Composers” at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco. The concert was held in the church’s worship room at 6:30pm. This was a great place for the DSO to perform because the audience and the orchestra were very close and, in a way, felt more personal. The show included fourteen pieces: “Overture to Captain Blood by Korngold, ‘Tara’ – A Short Poem for Orchestra from Gone with…

In this film, the Vienna Philharmonic played Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World.” This piece displays the serenity of the new world, with violins and violas playing pizzicato to resemble trickling streams, the basses and cellos playing fortissimo in order to represent roaring rivers, and the brass playing in unison to signify the enormous, yet beautiful mountain ranges. Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 contains four movements. The first movement is in sonata allegro form.…

Haydn, Joseph (1732 - 1809) Symphony No. 40 in F major, 3rd movement - ‘Menuet e Trio’ Haydn was a master at composing symphonies with about 107 symphonies under his name ; all of which have some value to the musical landscape during the 18th century. Haydn was the forerunner which laid the foundations of the symphonic form for composers who came after him. For example, according to Wenborn, N (1997: 31) the four note theme used by Haydn in his 13th symphony was the same theme which Mozart used…

the story of symphony and manipulates the emotion of their listener. Like Brahms said in Henschel’s diary entry: “ There is no real creating without hard work.” The success of Amy Beach’s Gaelic symphony was not only because she was a women composer or how she using the idea of nationalism and exoticism in her music. It was because of her hard work in creating her music that helps the listener to understand the story and meaning of her symphony. In the last movement of Gaelic symphony, Mrs.Beach…

5 in C Minor was not created to be pretty or to entertain. This is made clear from the very beginning of the symphony with the tag “fate knocking at the door” where the full attention of the listener is demanded (Kerman, 1980: 293). However, through thorough analysis of the symphony it is clear to see how the listener may experience a complete demolition, as opposed to the conquest of fate (Kerman, 1980: 293). The restless momentum of the first…

As listening to one of the best music composers to live, Ludwig Van Beethoven, I realize the music he produced is more powerful than I have ever thought. Listening to Symphony Number Five has changed the passion I have for music. Beethoven is my favorite composer to live. On the first movement called Allegro con brio on symphony Five in C Minor is one of my beloved favorite track. I loved when the violins came in and built suspense towards the trumpets. Let’s be honest, where would the song be…

The first performance was at the Paris Conservatoire in 1830. This symphony is the perfect example of a piece of program music (music that tells a story). Each movement has its own programme note from the composer which relates to the story of the music. The main story itself tells a gifted artist who has poisoned himself with opium because of love. There are also records of Berlioz himself being on opium as he composed this symphony,…

period. A symphony typically refers to a large work for an orchestra that was usually in four movements. During the 18th century, the symphony had been developing and by this point most composers had established a pattern of four sections that became known as movements. Generally the movements contrasted in terms of mood and tempo but were usually linked by the same or related keys. The first movement was categorized as being lengthy and weight, often led by a slow introduction. Symphony…