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Examples Of Programmatic Music In Romeo And Juliet

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Programmatic music amongst all other genres is one of the most intriguing as it creates imagery in one’s mind and positions the listener to imagine the unknown. The purpose behind a piece of programmatic music is to tell a story, whether it be a tale of love and loss or one of childhood fantasy. These musical stories are told through a variety of compositional devices along with the manipulation of the musical elements. The classic Shakespearean story of Romeo and Juliet has been effectively retold through the eyes of well-known composer Tchaikovsky in his piece Romeo and Juliet Overture, written in 1880. Paul Dukas, French composer, has also achieved success in portraying narrative through his composition The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, written in 1897. These works, although composed in the same period of time, hold unrelated meanings and incredibly differing stories behind them. This being said, both compositions are similar in the way that they convey meaning through the manipulation of musical elements and compositional devices. Tchaikovsky, composer of Romeo and Juliet Overture has effectively portrayed the tragedy behind the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet through the manipulation of musical elements. The piece begins with a hymn like theme that is played by woodwind instruments at a moderate tempo with little movement in dynamics. This use of timbre, expressive devices and duration depicts the church setting for the character Friar Lawrence. At 0:52 the …show more content…

This being that they are both programmatic meaning that were written with the purpose of telling a story. Through the manipulation of the musical elements and compositional devices both Tchaikovsky and Paul Dukas have effectively depicted imagery and portrayed meaning through their works across a series of themes throughout their stories that progress with the

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