Arnold Schoenberg 'Peripetie' from Five Orchestral Pieces

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Answers:

A SECTION:

1) The piece is atonal. [1 mark]

2) It is called a hexachord [1 mark] and contains 6 notes. [1 mark]

3)

4)

5)

6) 2/4 [1 mark] 3/4 [1 mark] or 4/4 [1 mark] (only two required)

7) see slide 3 - any 2 valid points accepted [2 marks]

B SECTION:

a) 1909/1922 [1 mark]

b) Second Viennese School [1 mark]

c) See appropriate slides [10 marks]

Structure

Texture and Dynamics

Questions:

A SECTION:

B SECTION:

1) What is the tonality of the piece? [1 mark]

• Atonal
• Dissonant
• Chromatic
• Diatonic

2) What is the name of the group of notes Schoenberg bases this piece on and how many notes are in the group? [2 marks]

3) Name the instrument that plays the Haupstimme in bar [1 mark]

4) Describe the use of dynamics in the extract [2 marks]

5) Which part of the piece is the extract from? [1 mark]

6) Name two time signatures used within the piece [1 mark]

7) Name two characteristics of expressionistic music [2 marks]

• Free rondo form (i.e. less obvious changes of section than in classical rondo)
• A B A1 C A2(no need to memorise bar nos)

– A 1-18

– B 18-34

– A1 35-43

– C 44-58

– A2 59-66

• Texture: varied, many changes
• Contrapuntal common, e.g. B section b.18-34
• Homophonic, e.g. chords bar 8
• Monophonic and frequent unison and octave doublings (see opening bar)
• Some complex textures involve imitation and inversion e.g. three canons simultaneously at final climax
• Dynamics: frequent and sudden changes resulting in ppp – fff contrasts.

a. In wich year was 'Peripetie' composed? [1 mark]

b. To which school of music did Schoenberg belong? [1 mark]

c. Comment on how the following musical elements are used in 'Peripetie'. [10 marks]

• Metre and Rhythm
• Instrumentation
• Melody
• Tonality and Harmony
• Texture and Dynamics

LISTENING EXTRACT...

Arnold Shoenberg 'Peripetie' (from Five Orchestral Pieces)

EXAM QUESTIONS...

Background Info

Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, born on 13th September 1874 and died on 13th July 1951. He grew up in a lower-class Jewish family, living in the Leopoldstadt district in Vienna. Despite the fact that his mother was a piano teacher, Schoenberg was also mainly self-taught.

• No.4 of Five Orchestral Pieces
• Composed in 1909 (revised 1922 – our version)
• Schoenberg found it difficult to find performances of his work –for stylistic (expressionism) and logistical (huge orchestra) reasons
• First performed at the Proms, London, 1912
• ‘Peripetie’ means ‘a sudden reversal’ – which could refer to reappearance of ideas in reverse order later in movement.

Shoenberg was a member of the 'Second Viennese School', a group of innovative expressionist composers who were based in Vienna in the early 20th century.

• Initially composed using tonality in late romantic style, including increasing dissonance and chromaticism
• From 1908, he composed atonally – which was seen by Shoenberg (and his two students Berg and Webern) as an inevitable step.
• From early 1920s, Schoenberg became part of the serialist movement (material derived from 12 different pitches appearing in specific (organised) order).

Expressionism

- High level of tension; a vivid, highly charged, unsettling atmosphere; extreme emotion (often turbulent, troubled)

- Very dissonant harmony –increasing chromaticism had led to atonality from c.1908

- Extremes of pitch exploited (very high and low)

- High level of rhythmic and textural complexity

- Constantly changing textures

- Angular (disjunct) melodies

- Extreme and detailed dynamics

- Kaleidoscopic use of instrumental timbres (Klangfarbenmelodie – melody of tone colours)

- Centred around Vienna (Second Viennese School) and others e.g. Richard Strauss

- Serialism from c.1921 (technique devised by Schoenberg)

Performance Markings

• H - Hauptstimme – main voice
• N - Nebenstimme – secondary voice
• a 2, a 3 etc – both, all 3 players play
• Divisi – players divide into groups (strings)
• Pizz(icato) – pluck strings
• Arco – bow strings
• Bell up – loud, assertive sound from brass
• 1. solo – one player only on that part
• Tutti – everyone plays
• Hand-stopped (horns)
• Tremolo – rapidly repeated note (e.g. strings)
• Performance markings written very specifically, e.g in bar 35 trombones are asked to play 'as loud as possible'.

Tonality and Harmony

Arnold Schoenberg

'Peripetie' from Five Orchestral Pieces

• Atonal!
• Harmony very dissonant, non-functional.
• Many chords built from hexachords (and melodies too) - six notes played at the same time.

Structure

Instrumentation

• Very large orchestra: 90+ players

– Woodwind: about 4 each of fl, ob, cl, bssn (including picc, cor anglais, bass clar, contrabssn)

– Brass: 6 hn, 3 tpt, 4 trom, tuba

– Perc: xylo, cym, tam-tam (large gong), bass drum

– Strings

• Rapid changes in instrumentation (combinations of instruments)

– huge contrasts

• Players often at extremes of range (e.g. double basses)
• Unusual effects e.g. bowed cym, double bass high trem at bridge (sul ponticello) which produces a characteristic glassy sound, emphasising the higher harmonics.

Metre, Tempo and Rhythm

Melody

• Metre: changes 3/4, 2/4, 4/4 (in the A2 section, but the last bar is 3/4)
• Tempo: Sehr rasch (very fast), with some bars marked ‘ruhiger’ (calmer). The C section has the most changes.
• Rhythms: complex, varied, unpredictable, sudden changes
• Rhythmic layering of different patterns produces complex polyphonic or contrapuntal texture

• Short, fragmented motifs used and combined in many ways
• Opening bars contain 7 different motifs:

- bar 1 woodwind fanfare

- bar 2 brass contrary motion semquavers

- bar 3 angular horns

- bar 5 rapidly repeating hexachords –str, tpt, wind

- bar 7 homophonic horns

- bar 8 ostinato using small intervals, low wind

- bar 10 long disjunct melody (in the clarinet)

• Melodies tend to be disjunct/angular, with large leaps, sometimes using octave displacement.
• Melodies seldom developed or extended, but may be subject to inversion or rhythmic augmentation
• Melodies mainly built from hexachords