Elgar 1st Symphony - Movement 4 (Intro + Exposition) Flashcards
Describe 5 features of the main introductory passage.
Dm tonality. Direct link to the thematic material of the 1st movement. Two important new themes. Reminder of the motto theme. A brief glimpse of Ab major, which is the tonal goal that he works towards through this movement.
How do the String parts create mystery and darkness in the 3rd bar?
They play tremolando on a low D note with PPP dynamics, also with only the last desks playing.
What theme is reused from earlier in the piece in the 2nd bar by the Bass Clarinet and Bassoon?
The crotchet theme from figure 24. The Bassoon enters canonically with the Bass Clarinet.
Discuss the new theme that enters in bar 6.
Played in the Basoons and Cellos, it features mostly staccato crotchets. It is reused later in the development section.
What theme enters 2 bars into figure 108?
The Clarinet plays a new theme that gets used later in the transition.
What theme do the strings reintroduce 3 bars into figure 108?
The motto theme.
What does the tonal centre appear to be at figure 109?
F minor (from D minor). This is so it can change to Ab major at figure 110.
What theme is brought back 3 bars into figure 110 and how is it treated?
The motto theme, played by the string section. It has pianissimo dynamics and played by a muted string section.
What theme leads figure 111 into the first subject?
The theme that was introduced on the Clarinet at 108, but it is now chromatically warped.
Describe the 1st subject theme and it’s accompaniment.
The dotted rhythm in the Violins is the first subject melody. The accompaniment is in Bass Clarinets, Bassoons and Horns. They play in between the notes of the 1st subject melody, creating polyphony.
What compositional techniques are used to make the 1st subject so powerful?
The dynamics are marked as forte. Elgar has marked the score in detail with upstrokes and downstrokes. The higher notes in the melody are accented. As the music progresses, the texture expands and the dynamics increase, culminating in a fortissimo polyphony at figure 112.
What theme is reused in the transition section at figure 113 and where does it come from?
The theme from the Clarinet, 6 bars into the movement. It’s now played by Clarinet, Cor Anglais, both Violins, Oboe and Flute.
Give a broad description of the transition section.
The transition theme is played and then inverted as Elgar experiments with extreme dynamics.
What instruments introduce the 2nd subject melody?
Clarinets, Violas and Cellos.
From what 3 previous themes is the 2nd subject constructed?
Dotted rhythms of first subject, triplet crotchets of the transition and marching staccato bassline from the accompaniment to the motto theme.
