Dante Symphony

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A Symphony to Dante's Divine Commedia (S.109), or simply the "Dante Symphony", is a program symphony composed by Franz Liszt. Written in the high romantic style, it depicts Dante's journey through Hell and Purgatory. It was premiered in Dresden in November, 1857, with Liszt himself conducting, and was unofficially dedicated to the composer's friend and future son-in-law Richard Wagner. The entire symphony takes approximately 50 minutes to perform.

The principal themes for the work had been sketched as far back as 1847; however, serious work on the symphony did not begin until mid-1855. Most of it was completed within the next year. Thus, work on the Dante Symphony roughly coincided with work on Liszt's other symphonic masterpiece, the Faust Symphony, which was inspired by Goethe's drama by the same name. For this reason, and because they are the only full-scale symphonies Liszt ever composed (though certainly not his only symphonic works), the Dante and Faust symphonies are often recorded together.

Contents 1 Movements 1.1 First Movement: Inferno 1.2 Second Movement: Purgatorio - Magnificat 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Movements

The Dante Symphony consists of two movements:

1. Inferno
2. Purgatorio - Magnificat

Crucially, the symphony lacks a Paradiso movement; this is because Wagner had persuaded Liszt that any attempt to describe such a place was beyond the ability of any human composer. The symphony concludes instead with a magnificat which, although brilliantly composed, fails to provide a proper sense of completion: with no effective musical counterweight to the darkness and turbulence encountered in the first movement, the work as a whole creates the impression of being unfinished. It is perhaps for this reason that the symphony is not often performed in concert halls today.

[edit] First Movement: Inferno

The first movement is in ternary (ABA) form, and opens with a single unaccompanied melodic line in the brass. A drum-roll is quietly introduced and gradually builds to fortissimo and, after a brief silence, the full orchestra joins in. According to the score, which Liszt littered with passages from Dante, this is a musical rendition of the words inscribed over the gates of Hell: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here; the music is accordingly bleak, dark, and turbulent. After passing through the gates, the first theme -- a descending chromatic scale -- is promptly introduced by the strings:

The "Descent" Theme (listen (help·info))

This extended chromatic line, because of its atonal nature, conveys a sense of urgency and tension. The theme is played twice before being passed around the orchestra and is meant to represent Dante's descent into the lower realms of Hell. It returns periodically throughout the Inferno movement (in various forms) and provides an important driving force behind the music, pushing the symphony closer and closer to its literary climax, the frozen floor of hell.

The tempo gradually increases from Lento to Allegro frenetico, whereupon a second theme is introduced by the violins:

Theme "B" (listen (help·info))

This theme is then shortly echoed by the brass as the strings again take up the first theme. Both feature prominently in the music and are thrown around the orchestra piece by piece as though in a whirlwind, as the tempo continues to quicken until finally reaching Presto molto.

At the height of the storm, the third and final theme of Part A appears:

Theme "C" (listen (help·info))

It is viciously answered by the two previous themes and the climax occurs with a final flourish from the full orchestra. The music begins to dissipate and the original Lento tempo, accompanied by drum beats, reasserts itself. The movement then proceeds to Part B.

[edit] Second Movement: Purgatorio - Magnificat

[edit] See also

• The Divine Comedy
• Program music
• Romanticism and music

[edit] References

• Calvocoressi, M. D. (1925). "Liszt's 'Dante' Symphony and Tone Poems." The Musical Times 66 (988): 505-507.
• Searle, Humphrey. "Franz Liszt" in The Symphony, Volume One: Haydn to Dvorak. Ed. Robert Simpson. 3 Vols. London, UK: Redwood Press Limited, 1972. 262-274. ISBN 0-7153-5523-6

[edit] External links

• Franz Liszt's Dante Symphony Analysis and description of Franz Liszt's Dante Symphony
• A Symphony to Dante Description of the symphony