Listening Chart 16 Tchaikovsky, Overture-
Tchaikovsky, Overture-
20 min., 25 sec.
| INTRODUCTION (Andante) | |||
| 0:00 | Hymn theme | Low woodwinds, pp |
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| 0:35 | String motives | Anguished quality; contrapuntal | |
| 1:28 | Strumming harp | With “announcements” in the high woodwinds | |
| 2:09 | Hymn theme | High woodwinds with pizzicato strings. Followed by the string motives and harp; the “announcements” are now in the strings. | |
| 4:08 | Buildup | Ends with drumroll, f | |
| 4:45 | Preparation | Prepares for the main section; p, then crescendo | |
| MAIN SECTION (Allegro) | |||
| 5:26 | Vendetta theme | Full orchestra, f |
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| 5:51 | Development of the Vendetta theme; contrapuntal | ||
| 6:20 | Reaches a climax: cymbals | ||
| 6:33 | Vendetta theme | Full orchestra, ff | |
| 6:56 | Relaxes, in a long slowdown | ||
| 7:44 | Prefatory statement of Love theme (English horn): phrase a |
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| 8:07 | “Sighing” theme; muted strings, pp | ||
| 8:57 | Love theme | Form is a b a, in the woodwinds, with the sighing motive played by the French horn. |
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| 10:05 | Harp. Cadences; the music dies down and nearly stops. | ||
| DEVELOPMENT | |||
| 11:13 | Developmental combination | Vendetta theme fragments are combined with the Hymn theme, which now sounds more like a march than a hymn. | |
| 12:34 | This works up to a climax, marked by a cymbal crash. |
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| 13:00 | Hymn theme | Played by trumpets; syncopated rhythm in the cymbals | |
| FREE RECAPITULATION (abbreviated) | |||
| 13:30 | Vendetta theme | Full orchestra, ff | |
| 13:56 | Sighing theme | ||
| 14:38 | Love theme | Form is a b a; ecstatically in the strings, with the sighing motive again in the French horn; the last a is ff. | |
| 15:47 | Fragments of the Love theme | ||
| 16:18 | (Love theme) | Sounds like another ecstatic statement, but is interrupted | |
| 16:28 | Interruption by the Vendetta theme: conflict! Cymbals. | ||
| 16:39 | Developmental combination | Vendetta theme fragments combined with the Hymn theme; buildup to fff | |
| 17:21 | Then dies down, rather unwillingly; ends on drumroll, f | ||
| CODA (Moderato) | |||
| 17:55 | Love theme | A broken version of the Love theme, with muffled funeral drums. The music seems to be ending. |
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| 18:32 | New theme | Woodwinds; ends with a transformation of the sighing motive | |
| 19:31 | Love theme | Section a in a slow cadential “transcendent” version. The strumming harp of the slow introduction has returned. | |
| 20:03 | Final cadences; a drumroll and solemn ending gestures | ||