Program music –
music that has an extra-musical idea to go along with it
. It might be a story, an idea, a picture, or a text. Absolute music – music that has NO extra-musical idea to go along with it. It is music for its own sake, with the composer giving you NO hint as to what it might be depicting.
What is absolute music?
:
instrumental music independent of the objective suggestion of title, text
, or program and dependent on structure alone for its subjective comprehension.
What is an example of absolute music?
There are countless examples of absolute music in the Western traditions alone, but we’re going to focus on the three B’s:
Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms
. Not only did these three men contribute more to Western music than nearly anyone else, but they also helped solidify the Romantic concept of absolute music.
What program music means?
Program music, instrumental music that carries some extramusical meaning,
some “program” of literary idea, legend, scenic description, or personal drama
. It is contrasted with so-called absolute, or abstract, music, in which artistic interest is supposedly confined to abstract constructions in sound.
What is program music similar to?
Program music contains an extra-musical subject, be it a story, a painting, or a landscape. The other category is
absolute music
, or music for music’s sake. It is non-representational, purely abstract, and without any reference to subjects outside of the music itself.
What are the 4 types of program music?
- the tone poem (or symphonic poem)
- the concert overture.
- the programme symphony.
Is a concerto absolute music?
instrumental music, as a
concerto or string quartet
, that draws no inspiration from or makes no reference to a text, program, visual image, or title and that exists solely in terms of its musical form, structure, and elements. Also called abstract music .
What is pure or absolute music?
, abstract music, pure music – Absolute music (abstract music, pure music) is music for its own sake—concerned only with structure, melody, harmony, and rhythm.
What is music with no tonal center called?
Atonality
in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. … “The repertory of atonal music is characterized by the occurrence of pitches in novel combinations, as well as by the occurrence of familiar pitch combinations in unfamiliar environments”.
Is Symphonie Fantastique absolute music?
Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique is an example of
absolute music
. Berlioz’s orchestra for Symphonie fantastique was larger than previous symphonies.
What are examples of program music?
Musical forms such as
the symphonic poem, ballade, suite, overture and some compositions in freer forms
are named as program music since they intended to bring out extra-musical elements like sights and incidents.
What is written music called?
Music notation or musical notation
is a way of writing down music so that anyone can play it. Many systems have been used in the past to write music. Today most musicians in the Western world write musical notes on a stave: five parallel lines with four spaces in between them.
What piano music means?
Piano is defined as
the sound level when music is played softly
. An example of a piece that would be described as being played “piano” is a musical piece that is played very quietly. adverb.
Does absolute music have words?
History and Instrumental vs.
By definition,
virtually all absolute music is instrumental, rather than vocal
. Vocal music almost always has words that of course are about something, whether that be in the case of a religious hymn or a song about romantic love.
What are the benefits of writing program music as opposed to absolute music?
Classic composers are more interested in writing a good piece of music that stands on its own, follows form very well, balances itself, and does not ask the listener to get emotionally involved in the work. Program music – music that
has an extra-musical idea to go along with it
.
What music is often used in program music to represent death?
Program music often requires some knowledge of previous music history to fully appreciate a work. For example, if you know that the
“Dies irae” melody
is from a medieval chant that has always been used to represent death, you will understand it’s significance when used in a piece.
