What is a symphonic poem?
Q: What is a symphonic poem?
A: A symphonic poem is a piece of orchestral music which has a story attached to it or describes something such as poem or a painting or any idea which is not music. It is a kind of programme music, normally in one movement lasting between 10 and 20 minutes.
Q: When were symphonic poems popular?
A: Symphonic poems were mostly written in the 19th century during the Romantic period.
Q: Who was the composer who made the symphonic poem an important musical form?
A: Franz Liszt was the composer who made the symphonic poem an important musical form. He wrote twelve works which he called Symphonische Dichtung (Symphonic Poem).
Q: What are some examples of famous symphonic poems?
A: Examples of famous symphonic poems include Fingal's Cave by Felix Mendelssohn, Mazeppa by Franz Liszt, Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, and works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Modest Mussorgsky, Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy, Jean Sibelius, Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and César Franck.
Q: How long do most symphonic poems last?
A: Most symphonic poems last between 10 and 20 minutes although some can be much longer like Ein Heldenleben by Richard Strauss which has four movements that run into one another.
Q: What inspired Beethoven's overtures?
A: Beethoven's overtures were inspired by stories from operas or plays that were about to be performed.
Q: What does Fingal's Cave describe?
A:Fingal's Cave (1832) describes the sea lapping against the rocks of a cave in the Scottish Hebrides.
