Romeo and Juliet - Brief Synopsis of score
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Romeo and Juliet Tchaikovsky 1881 ➢ The music is tonal but uses chromaticism and enharmonic changes. ➢ The opening section is modal (evoking Russian Orthodox church music) ➢ There is a lot of use of pedal points (low repeated note) especially in the Love Theme ➢ The development of the themes involves sequential repetitions and much use of syncopation ➢ There is some imitation and inversion but not much of these contrapuntal techniques. The Sections Introduction : bars 1-111 (modal) A musical description of the character of Friar Laurence. Choral theme : bars 1-10 (this returns b.41, b.86) Exposition : bars 112-272 : main key B minor First subject : bars 112-161 : a musical description of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, and the street fighting between the 2 families. Transition (bridge) : bars 161-183 Second subject : bars 184-243 : main key : D flat major (relative major) Known as the Love Theme, a musical description of the love between Romeo and Juliet. The love theme is bar 184 Codetta : bars 243-272 Development : bars 273-352 mainly based on material from the First Subject with some appearances of the choral theme. Climax at bar 335 where the choral theme appears Recapitulation : bars 353-484 The recapitulation doesn't follow the norm and includes more development of the musical ideas. Bar 483 is suggested to represent the death of the lovers. Coda : bars 485-522 : main key B major This begins as a kind of funeral march with suggestions of the love theme and then a mournful chorale (494-509) and a final appearance of the love theme at bars 510-518.
description
This document will help in analyzing the score and it will be very helpful to revise through this before you go to any exam because it summarizes the whole score.
Transcript of Romeo and Juliet - Brief Synopsis of score
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Romeo and Juliet
Tchaikovsky 1881
The music is tonal but uses chromaticism and enharmonic changes. The opening section is modal (evoking Russian Orthodox church
music) There is a lot of use of pedal points (low repeated note) especially in
the Love Theme The development of the themes involves sequential repetitions and
much use of syncopation There is some imitation and inversion but not much of these
contrapuntal techniques.
The Sections
Introduction : bars 1-111 (modal)A musical description of the character of Friar Laurence.
Choral theme : bars 1-10 (this returns b.41, b.86)
Exposition : bars 112-272 : main key B minorFirst subject : bars 112-161 : a musical description of the feud between the
Montagues and Capulets, and the street fighting between the 2 families.Transition (bridge) : bars 161-183
Second subject : bars 184-243 : main key : D flat major (relative major)Known as the Love Theme, a musical description of the love between
Romeo and Juliet. The love theme is bar 184Codetta : bars 243-272
Development : bars 273-352mainly based on material from the First Subject with some appearances of
the choral theme. Climax at bar 335 where the choral theme appears
Recapitulation : bars 353-484The recapitulation doesn't follow the norm and includes more development of the musical ideas. Bar 483 is suggested to represent the death of the lovers.
Coda : bars 485-522 : main key B majorThis begins as a kind of funeral march with suggestions of the love theme and then a mournful chorale (494-509) and a final appearance of the love
theme at bars 510-518.
