What Is The Difference Between Program And Absolute Music?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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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 an example of program music?


Opera, ballet, and Lieder

could also trivially be considered program music since they are intended to accompany vocal or stage performances. … The orchestral program music tradition is also continued in some pieces for jazz orchestra.

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 is a kind of program music?

Programme music or program music is

a type of instrumental art music that attempts to render an extra-musical narrative musically

. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience through the piece’s title, or in the form of program notes, inviting imaginative correlations with the music.

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 are the 4 types of program music?

  • the tone poem (or symphonic poem)
  • the concert overture.
  • the programme symphony.

Why is it called the Romantic period in music?

The Romantic period started around 1830 and ended around 1900, as compositions became increasingly expressive and inventive. … The Romantic era is

known for its intense energy and passion

. The rigid forms of classical music gave way to greater expression, and music grew closer to art, literature and theatre.

What does it mean if a work is considered program music?

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 does pure mean in music?

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. See also related terms for melody. Farlex Trivia Dictionary.

What is the most important element in absolute music?


Form

is the most important organizing element in absolute music, which has no specific pictorial or literary program. Many masterworks of instrumental music are in a standard multimovement cycle of three or four movements; these include the Classic-era symphony, sonata, string quartet, and concerto.

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 instruments were used in the Romantic period?

  • strings – larger string section.
  • woodwind – flutes and piccolo, oboes and clarinets, bassoon and double bassoons.
  • brass – trumpets, trombones and French horns (tuba added later in the period)

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.

Is Moonlight Sonata program music?

The point being that

Moonlight Sonata isn’t program music

. If we are aware that the moonlight part is the reaction and subsequent naming by music critic Ludwig Rellstab then it allows us to feel something besides the idea of moonlight reflecting off the waters of Lake Lucerne.

Emily Lee
Author
Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.