What program music is

1. Understanding
Programme Music
Musical examples from different historical periods

2. Learning Objectives
• To understand the difference between
narrative and descriptive programme
music
• To learn what a theme is
• To understand how themes are used in
programme music

3. Programme Music can be:
What does
narrative mean?
What does
descriptive mean?

4. In short, Programme Music
is…

5. This in an early example of Descriptive Programme music composed in the
Baroque period (1600 – 1750).
1. This music was written to make you think of Spring. Can you hear
anything in the music that makes you think of something you might see
on a bright Spring morning…
What can you hear?
What does it make you think of?
2. What is the name of the group of instruments playing this piece?
a. Brass Band b. Wind Ensemble c. Guitar Trio d. String Orchestra
3. Which word best describes the TEMPO of the music?
a. Allegro b. Largo c. Grave d. Andante

6. 1. Are there any recurring tunes or melodies?
2. Do you notice if the tunes or melodies are
linked to any particular action/character, how?
3. Choose one way the composer has used one of
the following to support the story…
Tempo Dynamics Instrumentation
________________________________________
________________________________________

7. Targets
• Focus on the basics like what you can hear and
what it reminds you of.
• Concentrate on listening for different
instruments.
• Concentrate on how the instruments are being
played, think about tempo and dynamics.

8. These melodies are known as
THEMES
• A Theme is the music that always accompanies
a character in the story.
• This is to let the listener know what that
character is doing.
• In the piece The Water Goblin the Goblin’s
theme is heard when he is doing something evil
in the story. The theme gets faster and more
dissonant (or dis-chord-ant, sounds nasty and
wrong) when he does really wicked things!!
Consonance – In harmony
Dissonance – Not harmonious

9. • This is narrative, as it tells
the story of The Water
Goblin, a Czech fairytale.
The music is by Antonín
Dvorák.
• The Water Goblin is an
evil being who drowns
humans in tea cups and
keeps their souls. He
temps a young girl
towards the lake, takes
her away and makes her
his wife. She eventually
runs away, which leads to
dramatic consequences!

10. • Here is the theme which represents the Water
Goblin which is heard throughout the piece.
When you hear this tune you know the Water Goblin is present in the story
and up to something. The tune is played differently depending on what he is
doing in the story…
• Sitting happily by the lake
• Drowning the girl so she can become his wife
• Looking for his missing wife
• Murdering her and their child!!!
Choose one of these moments and play the theme in a way that suits that
moment…

11. Task Part 1
• Make up a short story on the theme of
‘Supernatural’
• Fold your paper into 4 (see below)
• In each box draw a scene from you own
made up short story.
1 2
3 4

12. Task Part 2
• On the keyboards compose a short piece
of music for each picture
• Compose a theme or motif that will link all
of the pictures together. This motif might
be the theme for the evil alien/ghost or the
hero of your story.
• Remember you can use the Virtual
Keyboard

13. Other examples of Programme Music
Aims
• Practice listening with programme music
• Concentrate on the elements
Instrumentation
Dynamics
Texture

14. ‘Carnival of the Animals’- The Swan
Camille Saint Saens
• What instruments are being played?
– Cello (vibrato)
– 2 accompaniment pianos

15. ‘Mars’ From Holst’s Planets Suit
• Listen out for the changes in dynamics
– Slow crescendo at the start
– Louder and quieter quickly in places
– Ends quietly

16. Understanding Dynamics
• What is meant by dynamics?
p = quiet (piano)
f = loud (forte)
= get louder (crescendo)
= get quieter (diminuendo).

17. ‘Spring’ From Vivaldi’s Four
Seasons
• Listen out for the texture
– Homophonic = 2 or more sounds together
– Polyphonic = many sounds all playing
differently
– Monophonic = One sound