Symbolism in The Music

Symbolism in the music
Lecture 9
Symbolism originated in France in the 1880s as a reaction against burgherism

and positivism, in particular against the poetry of the "Parnassus", a
naturalistic novel and realistic theatre.
The main feature of symbolism is that a particular artistic image turns into a
multi-valued symbol. Under the influence of European (and to a large extent
Russian) symbolism, as a reaction against the literature of populist realism,
modern Ukrainian poetry developed at 20 century
Music is considered one of the most important categories in the aesthetics of

symbolism not only from the point of view of the interpretation of the world, but
also from the point of view of poetry. It is considered to be almost the only art
that involves maximum freedom of expression for the composer and unlimited
freedom of interpretation for the listener. However, despite this freedom, many
of the listeners do not want to limit themselves only to their own feelings, but
want to "dig" to the essence of what the composer "encrypted" in a particular
work. It's good that Beethoven personally admitted that the four opening notes
of his Fifth Symphony mean "the knock of fate on the door", but what about all
the rest of the huge musical heritage?
Symbolism in music defines the relationship between musical and

extra-musical elements, such as other arts, objects, a person or emotional
state. This connection was already present in the madrigals and motets of the
Renaissance, in which thesistura and harmony were in close relation to the
poetic text. In these works, the ascending musical figures symbolised joy and
elevation of spirit, and the descending ones - sadness and suffering, and the
use of singing with three voices was identified with the Holy Trinity. In the time
of the Baroque, numerology acquired special importance, that is, the inclusion
in the score of musical turns with the play of "sacred" numbers 3, 7, 9 and 12,
as well as associations with tones and their colouring. For example, the French
composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote in one of his works on music that
sharp tones convey positive mood and joy, and bemolen on the contrary -
experiences and excitement. According to the interpretation of that time, the
keys with three bemols denoted the Trinity, and with three shavers - the Cross
and the Crucifixion.
The simplest and most understandable symbolic load is carried by musical

instruments. The sound of an instrument has received the same strong
association with the world around us as the usual symbolic characteristics of
animals: the fox is cunning, the ram is stubborn, the hare is cowardly, etc. Thus,
the sound of the oboe is often associated with village scenes, the sounds of
the flute and violin in the upper register - with the singing of birds, the trumpet -
with military events, French horns - with hunting, harps - with overflows of
water.
Another common symbolist method was the transmission of a coded message

introduced into a musical work by means of a specific motif. For example, the
four notes of si bemol-la-do-si are known as "Bach's motif", in which each of
the notes denotes the letters of the composer's surname. Bach himself used it
at the end of the fourth canonical variation "Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich
her", BWV 769, as well as in "Matthew's Passion". This motif was often
included by other composers as a dedication to a brilliant musician. Examples:
R. Schuman "Six Fugues for Organ or F-no", F. Sheet "Fantasy and Fugue for
Organ on the Theme of B-A-C-H", N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov "Variations of BACH
for piano", M. Reger "Fantasy and Fugue for Organ on the Theme of BACH".
Another famous musical monogram is the initials of Dmitry Shostakovich, in

the German transcription BACH: re-mi bemol-do-si, first used by the composer
in the 10th Symphony. Another famous Russian composer, Alexander Scriabin,
in his symphonic poem "Prometheus" addresses the symbol born as a result of
the combination of music and light. At first, the essence of "light music" was
conceived by him elementary, as a kind of colour "visualisation" of tones and
chords, but later he came to the idea of a more complex, counterpoint
relationship between music and light, and images and figures of symbolic
content appeared, such as "lightning", "clouds", "waves".
If we talk about symbolism in the music of the XIX century, it is impossible not
to remember the appearance of the leitmotif - a musical fragment that
characterises a particular character in the opera or a specific subject theme in
a symphonic work. The leitmotif was widely used in the compositions of R.
Wagner and R. Strauss. No less important contribution to the aesthetics of
symbolism was made by French composers K. Debussy and M. Ravel. A vivid
confirmation of this is the symphonic Prelude "The Afternoon Rest of the Faun"
by Debussy, inspired by the poem of his compatriot Stefan Mallarme, one of
the founders of symbolism in literature.
The work of the two largest composers K. Debussy and M. Ravel is the most
significant phenomenon in French music at the turn of the 19th and 20th
centuries. The artistic life of France in the last quarter of the 19th century was
characterised by amazing mottled and contrasts. On the one hand, the
appearance of the brilliant "Carmen" - the pinnacle of realism in the French
opera, a number of deep in design, artistically significant symphonic and
chamber works of Frank, Saint-Saëns, Faure, Debussy, on the other hand -
the established dominance in the musical life of the French capital of such
institutions as the Paris Conservatory, the Academy of Fine Arts with their cult
of dead "academic" traditions.
In such a difficult situation, one of the most interesting, bright trends in French
art of the second half of the 19th century was born - impressionism, which
arose first in painting, then in poetry and music. In the visual arts, this new
direction has united artists of a very peculiar and individual talent - E. Mane, K.
Monet, Oh. Renoir, E. Degas, K. Pissaro et al. The artists began to leave the
workshops in the open air and began to write directly from nature. The most
characteristic feature of their creative method was the transmission of the most
immediate impressions of a particular phenomenon.
Musical impressionism (as well as picturesque) has grown on the basis of

national traditions of French art. This was manifested in Debussy and Ravel in
strong, although not always outwardly noticeable ties with French folk art, in
close communication with contemporary literature and painting.
Children's Corner, L. 113, is a six-movement suite for solo piano by Claude
Debussy. It was published by Durand in 1908, and was first performed by
Harold Bauer in Paris on 18 December that year. In 1911, an orchestration by
André Caplet was premiered and subsequently published.
The suite is in six movements, each with an English-language title. This choice
of language is most likely Debussy's nod towards Chou-Chou's English
governess.[1] The pieces are:[3]
1. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
2. Jimbo's Lullaby
3. Serenade for the Doll
4. The Snow Is Dancing
5. The Little Shepherd
6. Golliwogg's Cakewalk
A typical performance of the suite lasts roughly 15 minutes.
Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
The title of the first movement alludes to sets of piano exercises of that name
(Gradus ad Parnassum translates as "Steps to Parnassus"), several of which
had been published in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including one
by the prolific publisher of piano exercises Carl Czerny. This piece is a rather
ingenious study in finger independence with a twentieth-century vocabulary. In
the middle, the pianist slows down and tries the material in other keys for
exercise. Debussy's "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" is of intermediate
difficulty and requires the ability to play more quickly and wildly. The pianist
gets more frantic toward the end and finishes the piece with a bang. Debussy
told his publisher that the movement should be played "very early in the
morning".[3]
2. Jimbo's Lullaby
This work describes an elephant, Jumbo, who came from the French Sudan
and lived briefly in the Jardin des plantes in Paris around the time of Debussy's
birth. The misspelling "Jimbo" betrays the Parisian accent which often
confuses the pronunciation of "um" and "un" with "im" and "in". It is a beautiful
lullaby with some dark moments and whole-tone passages in the middle.
3. Serenade for the Doll
This piece, in triple meter, is marked Allegretto ma non troppo (moderately fast,
but not too fast). It is a description of a porcelain doll and features the Chinese
pentatonic scale throughout. Debussy notes that the entire piece should be
played with the soft pedal.
4. The Snow Is Dancing
This piece can be considered quite difficult as it requires precise

semi-detached playing in both hands with the melody between them. Again,
there are darker moments in the bass near the middle. It portrays snow and
muted objects seen through it.
5. The Little Shepherd
"The Little Shepherd" depicts a shepherd with his flute. There are three solos
and three commentaries following them. The first solo has a breath mark at the
end. This piece has different modes in it and uses dissonances, which resolve
into tonality.
6. Golliwogg's Cakewalk
At the time of its composition, Golliwoggs were in fashion, due partly to the
popularity at that time of the novels of Florence Kate Upton ("golliwog" is a
later usage). They were stuffed black dolls with red pants, red bow ties and
wild hair, reminiscent of the blackface minstrel shows of the time. The
cakewalk was a dance or a strut, and the dancer with the most elaborate steps
won a cake ("took the cake"). The piece is a ragtime with its syncopations and
banjo-like effects. The dynamic range is quite large and very effective[citation
needed].
During the piece, Debussy alludes satirically to Richard Wagner's opera
Tristan und Isolde. The opening bars turn the famous half-diminished Tristan
chord into a jaunty, syncopated arpeggio,[4] while the middle 'B' section of this
dance is interrupted on several occasions by the love-death leitmotif, marked
avec une grande émotion (with great feeling). Each quotation is followed by
banjo imitations.

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Symbolism in the music

Symbolism originated in France in the 1880s as a reaction against burgherism

Music is considered one of the most important categories in the aesthetics of

Symbolism in music defines the relationship between musical and

The simplest and most understandable symbolic load is carried by musical

Another common symbolist method was the transmission of a coded message

Another famous musical monogram is the initials of Dmitry Shostakovich, in

Musical impressionism (as well as picturesque) has grown on the basis of

A typical performance of the suite lasts roughly 15 minutes.

Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum

This piece can be considered quite difficult as it requires precise

5. The Little Shepherd

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