TchaikovskyRomeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

Key Words

Overture – music usually heard in one movement before an opera.

Programme Music – descriptive music which tells a story.

Sonata form – Music divided into 3 sections

Exposition

Development

Recapitulation

Tchaikovskys Style

Very creative and used lots of different combinations of instruments

He used lots of contrasting keys, tempi and textures in the music

He likes to write scale passages

He used sonata form

Themes

Friar LawrenceThe Strife ThemeThe Love Theme

Themes Introduction: Friar Lawrence theme  Exposition: Strife theme LOVE THEME Codetta Development: Friar Lawrence Strife theme  Recapitulation: Strife theme LOVE THEME Altered LOVE THEME Strife theme Final conflict Coda: Funeral March

 

Friar Lawrence Theme

Friar Lawrence Theme heard 3 times:

Frair 1st Time - Introduction

FRIAR LAWRENCE THEME FOR 1ST TIME

F# minor

Heard in the Bassoons and Clarinets

Hymn-like

Homophonic

Low register

Friar 2nd Time - Introduction

TRANSITION WITH THE FRIAR LAWRENCE THEME FOR 2ND TIME (bar 41)

F minor

Theme in flutes and oboes

Contrapuntal

Higher register

Pizzicato strings

Scale passages

Friar Third Time - Introduction

LINK PASSAGE WITH A VARIED FRIAR LAWRENCE THEME FOR 3RD TIME

(bar 83)

E minor

Theme is in the woodwinds

Dynamics getting louder

Tempo getting faster

Tremolo strings

Timpani roll

Much more lively

Strife Theme and Love Theme Exposition

1ST TIME WE HEAR THE STRIFE THEME:

flutes and violins playing in octaves (bars 112-115)

Homophonic texture (melody with accompaniment)

Loud volume

Repetition

Syncopation

Dotted rhythms

Fast tempo

Bminor

2ND TIME WE HEAR THE STRIFE THEME:

D minor – G minor – B minor

Played as canon by cello and double bass and followed by piccolo/flute/oboe

Imitation at the octave and double octave

Distance of a minim

Canon is repeated a 4th higher

Because it is played as a canon…the texture is Polyphonic

Strife Theme and Love Theme Exposition

Strife Theme and Love Theme Exposition

3rd TIME WE HEAR THE STRIFE THEME: flute violin and trumpet

B minor – D major

Louder dynamics ff

Brass join in

Timpani more involved

 Let’s listen to part one of THE LOVE THEME

It is in D flat major (im missing a G flat on stave!.....sorry)

LOVE THEME PART 1: Cor anglais(English horn) and muted viola (con sordini) in unison b184

• Key of D flat Major• Homophonic texture: melody on Cor anglais and

viola with• Syncopated horns in background• Wide leaps 1st time

• Pizz cello and double basses• Rising harp arpeggio

Strife Theme and Love Theme Exposition

Lets look at LOVE THEME PART 2 now

LOVE THEME PART 2: 1st violins…………

Continuous crotchets

Homophonic texture

Strings are divided into 4 parts(div) and muted (con sordini)

Wide leaps 2nd time

Repeated notes

Strife Theme and Love Theme Exposition

Strife Theme and Love Theme Exposition

Gradually more instruments are added to thicken the texture

LOVE THEME PART 1 AGAIN semi quaver scale introduction passage

Strife Theme and Love Theme Exposition

Love theme in higher register in flute + oboe

LOVE THEME PART 1: flutes and oboes in a higher register…………

Love theme introduced by rising semiquavers in flute and oboe

Pizz cello and double bass

Rocking/Broken chords on violin and viola

No percussion

THE LOVE THEME PART 1 IS REPEATED exactly as the above but this time the Clarinets join in with the flutes and oboes

Bass trombone joins in

A short Codetta brings the section to an end with the harp playing crotchet chords

FRIAR LAWRENCE THEME Bminor to F sharp minor STRIFE THEME

Horn (later flute/clarinet) 7 BAR BUILD UP 2nd violin =strife rhythms

No key signature

Dialogue between strings/wood

Lots of semi-quavers

Pizzicato IN CELLO/D.BASS

Polyphonic texture

Sequences

Staccato violins

DEVELOPMENT SECTIONFriar Lawrence Theme and The Strife Theme

DEVELOPMENT SECTIONFriar Lawrence Theme and The Strife Theme

2ND TIME

FRIAR LAWRENCE THEME G minor STRIFE THEME

Horns strings

Exact repetition

3 note Semi-quavers idea across orchestra

Sequences 326-330

Crescendo 

3rd time

FRIAR LAWRENCE THEME B Minor strife theme (rhythms)

Trumpets with orchestra accompanying

Syncopation in strife theme

Descending line in cello/tuba and bassoon

DEVELOPMENT SECTIONFriar Lawrence Theme and The Strife Theme

Recapitulation section (bars 353-462) SECTION KEY BARSTRIFE B MINOR 353LOVE THEME PART 2 D MAJOR 368

LOVE THEME PART 1 D MAJOR 389

ALTERED LOVE THEME

D MAJOR 419

STRIFE + FRIAR LAW.

THEME

B MINOR

C MINOR

C# MINOR

441

TRANSITION C#MINOR

B MINOR

462

Transition to Coda

TRANSITION (BARS 462-484)

C# minor to B minor

Strife rhythm

Loud drum roll brings recap to a close

Coda

CODA = BARS 485 - 510

FUNERAL MARCH LINK PASSAGE LOVE MOTIF