The Symphonic Poem In Britain 1850 1950
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About this topic
The symphonic poem is a significant form of orchestral music that emerged in the 19th century, blending narrative elements with musical expression. In Britain, between 1850 and 1950, this genre saw a unique evolution influenced by cultural shifts, national identity, and the works of various composers. This period was marked by experimentation and a growing interest in programmatic music, which sought to tell stories or convey imagery through sound. Readers interested in this topic will find a rich exploration of how British composers contributed to the symphonic poem tradition, reflecting the social and artistic changes of their time.
Key Topics to Explore
- Historical context of British music
- Influence of nationalism on composition
- Key composers and their contributions
- The evolution of musical forms
- Interplay between literature and music
What You Will Find
Books on the symphonic poem in Britain from 1850 to 1950 typically delve into the historical and cultural contexts that shaped this musical form. Readers can expect to find a variety of styles, including analytical texts, biographical studies, and critical essays. The range of writing may appeal to both music scholars and general readers interested in the intersections of music, culture, and history, providing insights into the works and lives of prominent composers of the era.
Common Questions
What defines a symphonic poem?
A symphonic poem is an orchestral composition that tells a story or conveys a specific theme, often inspired by literature or visual art, and is typically structured as a single movement.
Who are some prominent British composers of symphonic poems during this period?
Key figures include composers who were active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, contributing to the development of the genre in Britain, often influenced by Romantic and early modernist movements.
What impact did nationalism have on British symphonic poetry?
Nationalism played a significant role in shaping British symphonic poetry, as composers sought to express national identity and cultural heritage through their works, often incorporating folk themes and local stories.
Here are similar books you might find helpful:
The Symphonic Poem in Britain, 1850-1950
The Symphonic Poem in Britain 1850-1950 aims to raise the status of the genre generally and in Britain specifically. The volume reaffirms British composers' confidence in dealing with literary texts and takes advantage of the contributors' interdisciplinary expertise by situating discussions of the tone poem in Britain in a variety of historical, analytical and cultural contexts. This book highlights some of the continental models that influenced British composers, and identifies a range of issues related to perceptions of the genre. Richard Strauss became an important figure in Britain during this time, not only in terms of the clear impact of his tone poems, but the debates over their value and even their ethics. A focus on French orchestral music in Britain represents a welcome addition to scholarly debate, and links to issues in several other chapters. The historical development of the genre, the impact of compositional models, issues highlighted in critical reception as well as programming strategies all contribute to a richer understanding of the symphonic poem in Britain. Works by British composers discussed in more detail include William Wallace's Villon (1909), Gustav Holst's Beni Mora (1909-10), Hubert Parry's From Death to Life (1914), John Ireland's Mai-Dun (1921), and Frank Bridge's orchestral 'poems' (1903-15).
The Reminiscences and Selected Criticism of Herbert Thompson
Author: Michael Allis
language: en
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
Release Date: 2024-05-28
This book is a critical edition of the autobiography and selected musical criticism of Herbert Thompson (1856–1945) who was chief music critic at The Yorkshire Post from 1886 until 1936, and Yorkshire correspondent for the Musical Times.
Granville Bantock and the Orchestral Refiguring of Literature
Illuminates Bantock's experimentation with musical structure to create effective representations of literature, while offering new notions of the modern in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century music. Granville Bantock (1868-1946) remains one of the most significant British composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This book provides an in-depth exploration of a series of orchestral compositions by Bantock based on different forms of literature (the poem, the drama, the novel) penned by a wide range of authors including Robert Browning, Samuel Butler, Dante, Ernest Dowson, Thomas Moore, Percy Shelley, Sophocles and Robert Southey. The majority of the musical works discussed date from Bantock's most successful period as a composer (c.1899-1911), when his music was perceived to be 'modern'. Although critics were struck by his skills in orchestration, central to his modernist credentials is his distinctive approach to musical structure. The book's in-depth analyses, drawing on a wide range of literary scholarship, demonstrate a more meaningful way to appreciate these designs as individual responses to the literary texts on which they are based. As well as tackling the vexed issue of programme music, the book also highlights Bantock's association with orientalism. As the first major study of Bantock's orchestral music, this book not only demonstrates the composer's experimentation with musical structure to create effective representations of literature, but its findings also have a wider significance in terms of notions of the modern and the interdisciplinary potential of music-literature studies in general.