Question No.

6 (Symphonic Tone Poem)

Name: He Linlin (F14MU0406)

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, performer and conductor who was born
in 1811. He is a contemporary of Chopin, Schumann and Berlioz. In his childhood,
he was influenced and inspired by his father and studied music from his father
when he was six years old. He was very famous in the Romantic period, because
he displayed strong ability of piano technique and invented performers to
perform without score in concert. He transcribed all of Beethoven’s nine
symphonies and Paganini’s violin caprices etude for piano. He has also
transcribed many other works for the piano. He moved to Vienna in 1821 and
had piano lessons with Carl Czerny who was a pupil of Beethoven and musical
composition from Antonio Salieri who was a contemporary of Mozart. Liszt
would like to study in Paris Conservatory, but he was rejected because he was a
foreigner at the twelve years old. After that, he composed Don Sanche, which is
his first and only opera in 1824-1825. He went to Paris again after his father
died. He settled at Weimar in 1847. He composed a piano sonata in B minor in
1853 but he has also written another instrumental work for the piano, which is
fantasia quasi sonata also known as Dante Sonata in 1849. Some people do not
regard the Dante Sonata as a true form of sonata as the title suggest quasi sonata,
which means as if like a sonata and it is in one movement. He died in 1886 in
Bayreuth, Germany.

Liszt quoted that, “If instrumental and symphonic music of the first half of the
nineteenth century was totally dominated by Beethoven, music in the second half
belonged to a French-speaking Hungarian born in what is now Austria: Franz
Liszt.”1

In 1848, when Liszt ended his career as a concert pianist, he turned his attention
towards orchestral works. He started on one-movement programmatic music
which he later calls it Symphonic Poem. Symphonic poem usually has four main
sections like a symphony of four movements. Liszt was the inventor of the
Symphonic Poem and has written a total of thirteen. Later composers who have
written the Symphonic poem were Tchaikovsky, Strauss and Wagner. In
addition, Liszt also composed Hamlet in 1858, which is one of his thirteen
symphonic poems. Hamlet is a literary hero and he got the inspiration from
Shakespeare’s play.

1
Goodall, Howard. The Story of Music: From Babylon to the Beatles: How Music
Has Shaped Civilization. New York and London: Pegasus, 2015. 169.
One of his great compositions and the most successful of the Symphonic Poem
was Les préludes S97, which was premiered in 1854 and conducted by Liszt
himself. Liszt combines a few movements into a single movement for his tone
poems, which can be found in Les préludes as well. Liszt had a few symbols of an
idea to give story into a programmatic music. It was his third composition of that
genre which derived from his earlier choral cycle, Les quatre élémens (The Four
Elements) refers to a poem, which was written by the France poet, Joseph
Autran. The four elements refers to earth, air, water and fire. Liszt dedicated his
first twelve Symphonic Poems including Les préludes, to Princess Carolyne zu
Sayn-Wittgenstein who was his girlfriend. The title of the his last symphonic
poem is Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe, which was dedicated to Count Mihá ly
Zichy. Liszt’s Les préludes, is best known to people as it contains his creative
ideology and it also expresses the typical musical language of Romantic period as
well, especially on the use of harmony. The Les préludes, which is related to
Lamartine’s poem, Liszt uses a modified sonata form into the piece.

The Les préludes contains many technical innovations such as storm and wind
effects, unusual key and time signature. It also has advanced harmonies. One of
the new musical ideas that Liszt has presented was called the germinal motif. It is
a three-note motif, which leads to several themes. Liszt has also developed a
technique known as thematic transformation. He produced a longer theme from
the motif and transformed it into all of the other themes.

The size of the orchestra during the Romantic period was increased to create
more richness and it also gives an extension of dynamics, which we can find in
Les préludes. The orchestra consists of Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, Harp and a
variety of Percussion. It is scored for 3 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 4
Horns, 2 Trumpets, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone & Tuba, Timpani,
Military Drum, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Violin 1 & 2, Violas, Cellos and Double
Basses. The harp is not a commonly used instrument in orchestras but Liszt
wrote a part for Harp except section three’s ‘Storm’ and section five’s ‘War’. Harp
is a kind of gentle instrument, which creates lyrical and angelic sound effect
more. Obviously, the Storm and War section demands another kind of sound,
which is not very slow.

This symphonic poem of single movement consists of six sections (four main
sections).
 I. Introduction (Bars 1-46)
II. Love (Bars 47-108)
III. Storm (Bars 109-181)
IV. Country life (Bars 182-344)
V. War (Bars 345-404)
VI. Conclusion (Bars 405-420)

In this work, it changes tempo frequently, which is one of the important of

musical features of the Romantic Period. It alternatively changes time signature
back and forth between simple time and compound time as well. There are a lot
of dynamic and expression markings written as well. They are clearly notated on
the score unlike early Classical and Baroque period. A wider range of dynamics
changes and more specific musical direction are notated on the s core. Chromatic
musical ideas occur in many instrumental parts. According these essential
features, the sound effect makes music much more interesting, producing
different colors bringing into music another level, capturing the listeners.

The introduction is in Andante, the music brings up a question like to explore the
philosophical essence of life. It gradually moves to Andante Maestoso, which
expresses life that is full of youthful vitality.

The second section is a lyrical theme that expresses the love of warmth of joy
and happiness. The color of the sound gradually changes by shifting of tonality,
from C major to E major.

There are five essential musical features of Liszt’s orchestral works:

1) Liszt studied and developed Beethoven’s symphonies, which had inspired

Liszt and many others

2) Short motivic idea can also be found in Liszt’s works, rather than composing
long melodies. His main theme is usually based on small, simple and similar
pattern or motif, which later it becomes modified into an interesting theme. The
most typical example is the Liszt’s symphonic poem “Les Préludes”. It with a basic
motive and adapt to change the content of the poem

He appreciated and got inspired by Mendelssohn’s preludes that were in single

movements.
3) A richer sound is produced by gathering more musicians into the orchestra,
which adds a larger variety of musical colors. Liszt also relates the characteristics
of Classical symphony styles such as the third section of Les Préludes, “Storm”.
The melody in the cello part goes up and down chromatically, woodwinds and
strings playing dissonant chords, which gives a nervous effect and with brass
instruments roaring. The timpani expresses the thunder and lightning of this
movement. At the climax in the development, downwards chromatic patterns in
the woodwinds and strings causes the storm. The episode in the end of
development, it is a pastoral song in the countryside about life.
After the storm comes calm on the earth and the oboe brings out a clear and
quiet tunes, like a shepherd’s pipe in the play. This tune is presented in the
deformation of the connecting theme. In the love theme, it becomes a pastoral
song and becomes excited then becoming a march. Trumpet brings out the fight
in this piece, it calls the heroine to greet the new life and struggle in flight, the
trumpet is connected to the theme and deforming again.

4) The expressions are very musical and lyrical by using a lyrical expression
using what he called “the tone of the mysterious language” to express the mental
state. He creatively composed in the form of symphonic poem making a free form
to create lyrical melody.

5) Distinctive national character. Franz Liszt brings his distinct personality into
his music, which is the essence of Romantic character. As we know, Liszt was one
of the creators of modern piano technology. He composed a total of nineteen
Hungarian Rhapsody, like an elegant Hungarian people’s life and it has its
distinctive national colors. His works occupies a special place in his symphonic
poem works. The title of the symphonic poem becomes the main characteristic of
Liszt creation, but also reflects in his another aspect of innovation. Although
before him, the title of music was used by Beethoven and other initial
germination. However, the development and use to practical of the title music
should be attributed to Liszt. He thinks it is a good way because it can make the
audience at the right track to understand music what composers want to bring.
Liszt has a great influence in his contemporary, special involving in the second
half of the 19th Century and even in the 20th Century. His symphonic poem is an
achievement and form structure by batch composer of inheritance. Therefore, he
is a famous composer in the European music from early romanticism to the late
romanticism, and even like a bridge in the 20th Century.

Conclusion

After doing this assignment, I feel that I have understood Liszt himself and the
meaning of his Symphonic Poems more. It inspires me to find out and
understand other composers and their works like how I did for this assignment.
 Bibliography

Goodall, Howard. The Story of Music: From Babylon to the Beatles: How Music Has
Shaped Civilization. New York and London: Pegasus, 2015.

Gibbs, Christopher H., and Gooley, Dana. Franz Liszt and His World. New Jersey:
Princeton University Press, 2006.

Walker, Alan. Franz Liszt, Vol. 2: The Weimar Years, 1848-1861. New York: Cornell
University Press, 1993.

Williams, Adrian. Portrait of Liszt: By Himself and His Contemporaries. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1990.

Wright, Craig., and Simms, Bryan R. Music in Western Civilization. Boston: Clark
Baxter, 2009.

Johns, Keith T., and Saffle Michael. The Symphonic Poems of Franz Liszt (book3).
New York: Pendragon Press, 1997.
Bonner, Andrew. 19th-Century Music. Liszt’s “Les Préludes” and “Les Quarter
Élémens: “A Reinvestigation. Vol. 10, No. 2/Autumn1986. 95-107. JSTOR.
Accessed 23 Oct. 2015<http://www.jstor.org/stable/746638>