Metropolis Symphony Essay -- Music Musical Musician Papers

The Development of the Programmatic Symphony from the 19th hundred into the 21st Century Since the early symphonies of Sammartini and Stamitz the orchestral symphony has underwent constant development. In the early nineteenth century Beethoven started a new dramatis personae of the symphony when he composed a symphony based on programmatic medication. The programmatic symphony is a composition that is written with no.-musical influences. Program music is subservient music which recounts a story illustrates literary ideas, or evokes pictorial scenes. though the term originated with Listz, illustrative music has existed for as long as music itself.(Kennedy p. 579) The form is more comparable a multi-movement t wizard poem that tells a story though music. The symphonies of Haydn, and Mozart were pieces written with music that was non influenced by non-musical ideas. some other symphonies that have been written that are programmatic are Symphonie Fantastique by Be rlioz, Symphony no. 3 Pastoral by Vaughan Williams, and Metropolis Symphony by Michael Daugherty. This newspaper will show the similarities and differences between the programmatic symphonies of Beethoven, Berlioz, and Daugherty. Ludwig Van Beethoven 1770-1827 The world-class major(ip) programmatic symphony was written by Ludwig Van Beethoven in 1807-08. Although it was not assoild until 1808 there are sketches for the symphony that go as further back as 1803. This was his sixth symphony and it was in F major. The first performance of the symphony was on December 22, 1808 which was the same premier of his one-fifth symphony. This symphony has five movements. The instrumentation for the symphony includes devil flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two ... ...also has expanded the size of the wind constituent of the orchestra with several more instruments. While Beethoven and Berlioz composed their symphonies as complete works Daugherty allows conductors to perform movements separately if they desire. This makes each movement more equal a tone poem than a full symphony. It is easy to get together though by the Dies Irae in the fifth movement and the storm like atmosphere of the fourth movement how Daugherty was influenced by these two composers who came over one hundred years before him. In conclusion, the programmatic symphony has been used to acquire some of the greatest works of musical literature in the recent two hundred years. In the next century composers will in all likelihood follow in these composers footsteps and expand the size of the orchestra to create new timbres and tell stories through tone painting in symphonies.