Schoenberg-Peripetie

Question 1

Which movement of ‘Five Orchestral Pieces’ is Peripetie?

Answer 1

The fourth

Question 2

Why did Schoenberg write ‘Five Orchestral Pieces’ for a big orchestra?

Answer 2

Because it allowed him to make lots of contrasts in texture, timbre and dynamics.

Question 3

What is the instrumentation of the woodwind section in Peripetie?

Answer 3

three flutes, a piccolo, three oboes, a cor anglais, three clarinets, a bass clarinet, three bassoons and a contrabassoon.

Question 4

What is the instrumentation of the brass section in Peripetie?

Answer 4

Six horns, three trumpets, four trombones and a tuba

Question 5

What is the instrumentation of the percussion section in Peripetie?

Answer 5

Timpani, cymbals, a xylophone and more.

Question 6

What happened to the instrumentation in Schoenberg’s revision of ‘Five Orchestral Pieces in 1949?

Answer 6

There were fewer clarinets, oboes, bassoons, horns and trombones. This made it more easily accessible for smaller orchestras.

Question 7

What does the fact that Schoenberg didn’t use a conventional structure for Peripetie mean?

Answer 7

That there isn’t an obvious melody

Question 8

What did Schoenberg use instead of an obvious melody in Peripetie?

Answer 8

Melodic fragments and comlicated, fragmented rhythms

Question 9

What is each melodic fragment in Peripetie based on?

Answer 9

A hexachord, which is a group of six notes from the twelve different semitones

Question 10

What is a hexachord?

Answer 10

A group of six notes from the twelve different semitones

Question 11

Peripetie is atonal, what does this mean?

Answer 11

That it isn’t written in a key

Question 12

Is Peripetie tonal or atonal, and why?

Answer 12

Atonal because it isn’t written in a key

Question 13

What does Schoenberg use hexachords for in Peripetie?

Answer 13

He uses them to create dissonances

Question 14

What are the six semitones not used in the hexachord called?

Answer 14

The complement

Question 15

What is Peripetie marked as?

Answer 15

Sehr rasch (very fast)

Question 16

Peripetie is an example of Klangfarbenmelodie, what does this mean?

Answer 16

tone-colour-melody

Question 17

By breaking up the melody of Peripetie by passing it round different parts, what does Schoenberg give the tune?

Answer 17

Variations in the timbre (tone colour)

Question 18

In Section A of Peripetie, how do the instruments play?

Answer 18

In groups, but only for a bar or two at a time; the little bits of tune are passed around the orchestra

Question 19

In Section A of Peripetie, what are the dynamics?

Answer 19

It starts off ery loud, but drops to pianissimo (pp) in bar 6.

Question 20

In Section A of Peripetie, does every instrument in the orchestra get to play?

Answer 20

Yes

Question 21

In Section B of Peripetie, does every instrument in the orchestra get to play?

Answer 21

Yes

Question 22

In Section B of Peripetie, how do the instruments play?

Answer 22

Mostly alone; they are all playing different rhythms and the parts overlap

Question 23

Towards the end of Section B in Peripetie, how do the instruments play?

Answer 23

Almost every instrument plays at the same time, but not the same rhythms.

Question 24

Towards the end of Section B in Peripetie, how is the music texturally?

Answer 24

It has a very thick texture due to many different rhythms being played at the same time

Question 25

The ‘free rondo’ structure of Peripetie is made up of five sections, how do these sections go?

Answer 25

ABA’CA”

Question 26

The structure of Peripetie is ABA’CA”, explain what A’ and A” are.

Answer 26

Variations on section A

Question 27

What happens in Section A’?

Answer 27

The hexachord from Bar 8 is played again by the horns

Question 28

What happens dynamically in Section B of Peripetie?

Answer 28

It starts off very quietly but the dynamics build up quickly.

Question 29

Describe the texture of Section C of Peripetie.

Answer 29

It has a thin texture due to solo lines for the cello and double bass. There are a few loud semiquaver triplets, but as a whole, the section is calm and quiet.

Question 30

How does Peripetie finish?

Answer 30

With a ‘pp’ chord in the horns and double bass

Question 31

What happens to the instrumentation in section A” of Peripetie?

Answer 31

It builds up from just the clarinets and strings playing until the wholr orcgestra plays a ‘fff’ chord in bar 64.

Question 32

What about Peripetie makes it a very dramatic piece?

Answer 32

Schoenberg’s use pf sudden changes in texture, dynamics and timbre to make it sound exciting

Question 33

Do the dynamics in Peripetie normally change gradually or very quickly?

Answer 33

Very quickly

Question 34

Describe the texture of Peripetie.

Answer 34

In some places, there is polyphony due to many different parts weaving in and out of each other, but at other points the texture is much thinner and a solo instrument can be heard clearly.

Question 35

How and why does Schoenberg change the timbre in Peripetie a lot?

Answer 35

There are quick changes bewteen families of instruments. This changes the sound of the piece.