Overture (from the Latin “aperture” - “opening”, “beginning”) - an instrumental introduction to a theatrical performance with music - opera, ballet, operetta, drama, as well as to a cantata, oratorio, suite, in the 20th century. - to movies.

The tradition of announcing the beginning of a performance with a short musical signal existed long before the term “overture” took hold in the works of first French and then other European composers of the 17th century. Until the middle of the 18th century. Overtures were composed according to strictly defined rules: their sublime, generalized music usually had no connection with the subsequent action. However, gradually the requirements for the overture changed: it became more and more subject to the general artistic design works.

Having retained the function of the overture as a solemn “invitation to a spectacle,” composers, starting with K. V. Gluck and W. A. ​​Mozart, significantly expanded its content. By means of music alone, even before he rises theater curtain, it turned out to be possible to set the viewer in a certain mood and talk about upcoming events. It is no coincidence that the sonata became the traditional form of the overture: capacious and effective, it made it possible to imagine the various active forces in their confrontation. Such, for example, is the overture to K. M. Weber’s opera “Free Shooter” - one of the first to contain an “introductory overview of the content” of the entire work. All diverse themes - pastoral and darkly ominous, restless and full of jubilation - are connected either with the characteristics of one of characters, or with a certain stage situation and subsequently appear repeatedly throughout the opera. The overture to “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by M. I. Glinka is also solved: in a whirlwind, rapid movement, as if, in the composer’s own words, “in full sail,” a dazzlingly cheerful main topic(in the opera it will become the theme of the chorus praising the liberation of Lyudmila), and the chanting melody of love between Ruslan and Lyudmila (it will sound in Ruslan’s heroic aria), and the whimsical theme of the evil wizard Chernomor.

The more fully and perfectly the overture embodies the plot and philosophical collision of the composition, the faster it acquires the right to a separate existence on the concert stage. Therefore, already in L. Beethoven, the overture is emerging as an independent genre of symphonic program music. Beethoven's overtures, especially the overture to J. W. Goethe's drama "Egmont", are complete, extremely rich in development musical dramas, the intensity and activity of thought are not inferior to his large symphonic canvases. In the 19th century The genre of the concert overture is firmly established in Western European practice (the “Dream in the summer night"F. Mendelssohn based on the comedy of the same name by W. Shakespeare) and Russian composers ("Spanish Overtures" by Glinka, "Overture on Themes of Three Russian Songs" by M. A. Balakirev, fantasy overture "Romeo and Juliet" by P. I. Tchaikovsky). At the same time in the opera 2nd half of the 19th century V. The overture is increasingly transformed into a short orchestral introduction that directly introduces the action. The meaning of such an introduction (also called an introduction or prelude) may lie in the proclamation of the most significant idea - a symbol (the motive of the inevitability of tragedy in “Rigoletto” by G. Verdi) or in the characterization of the main character and at the same time in the creation of a special atmosphere, which largely predetermines the figurative structure of the work ( introduction to “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky, “Lohengrin” by R. Wagner). Sometimes the introduction is both symbolic and pictorial in nature. This is the opening of M. P. Mussorgsky’s opera “Khovanshchina” symphonic picture"Dawn on the Moscow River." In the 20th century composers successfully use Various types introductions, including the traditional overture (overture to the opera “Cola Brugnon” by D. B. Kabalevsky). In the genre of concert overture folk themes“Russian Overture” by S. S. Prokofiev, “Overture on Russian and Kyrgyz Folk Themes” by D. D. Shostakovich, “Overture” by O. V. Taktakishvili were written; for Russian orchestra folk instruments- “Russian Overture” by N. P. Budashkin and others.

Already in L. Beethoven, the overture developed as an independent genre of instrumental program music, preceding the symphonic poem. Beethoven's overtures, especially the overture to J. V. Goethe's drama "Egmont" (1810), are complete, extremely rich musical dramas, with intensity and activity of thought not inferior to his symphonies.

Overture by L. Beethoven "Egmond"

Carl Maria von Weber wrote two concert overtures: "The Lord of the Spirits" (Der Beherrscher der Geister, 1811, a reworking of his overture to the unfinished opera "Rübezahl") and "Anniversary Overture" (1818).
However, as a rule, the first concert overture is considered to be “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1826) by Felix Mendelssohn; his other works in this genre are “The Silence of the Sea and a Happy Voyage” (Meeresstille und gluckliche Fahrt, 1828), “The Hebrides, or Fingal’s cave" (1830), "Beautiful Melusine" (1834) and "Ruy Blas" (1839).
Other notable early concert overtures are The Secret Judges (1826) and Le Corsaire (1828) by Hector Berlioz; Robert Schumann created his overtures based on the works of Shakespeare, Schiller and Goethe - “The Bride of Messina”, “Julius Caesar” and “Herman and Dorothea”; Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka's overtures "The Aragonese Hunt" (1845) and "Night in Madrid" (1848), which were the creative result of a trip to Spain and written on Spanish folk themes.

In the second half of the 19th century, concert overtures began to be replaced by symphonic poems, the form of which was developed by Franz Liszt. The difference between these two genres was the freedom to shape the musical form depending on external program requirements. The symphonic poem became the preferred form for more "progressive" composers such as Richard Strauss, Cesar Franck, Alexander Scriabin and Arnold Schoenberg, while more conservative composers like A. Rubinstein, P. I. Tchaikovsky, M. A. Balakirev , I. Brahms remained faithful to the overture. During the period when symphonic poem had already become popular, Balakirev wrote the "Overture on the Themes of Three Russian Songs" (1858), Brahms created the "Academic Festival" and "Tragic" Overtures (1880), Tchaikovsky created the fantasy-overture "Romeo and Juliet" (1869) and the solemn overture "1812 year" (1882).

In the 20th century, overture became one of the names of one-movements, average duration orchestral works, without a specific form (more precisely, not in sonata form), often written for festive events. Notable works in this genre in the 20th century are “Welcome Overture” (1958) by A. I. Khachaturian, “Festive Overture” (1954) by D. I. Shostakovich, which continues the traditional form of the overture and consists of two interconnected parts.

"Festive Overture" by D.I. Shostakovich

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What is an overture

Overture(from fr. ouverture, introduction) in music - an instrumental (usually orchestral) piece performed before the start of any performance - a theatrical performance, opera, ballet, film, etc., or a one-part orchestral work, often belonging to program music.

The overture prepares the listener for the upcoming action.

The tradition of announcing the beginning of a performance with a short musical signal existed long before the term “overture” took hold in the works of first French and then other European composers of the 17th century. Until the middle of the 18th century. Overtures were composed according to strictly defined rules: their sublime, generalized music usually had no connection with the subsequent action. However, gradually the requirements for the overture changed: it became more and more subordinate to the general artistic concept of the work.

Having retained the function of the overture as a solemn “invitation to a spectacle,” composers, starting with K. V. Gluck and W. A. ​​Mozart, significantly expanded its content. By means of music alone, even before the theater curtain rose, it turned out to be possible to set the viewer in a certain mood and talk about upcoming events. It is no coincidence that the sonata became the traditional form of the overture: capacious and effective, it made it possible to imagine the various active forces in their confrontation. Such, for example, is the overture to K. M. Weber’s opera “Free Shooter” - one of the first to contain an “introductory overview of the content” of the entire work. All diverse themes - pastoral and darkly ominous, restless and full of jubilation - are associated either with the characteristics of one of the characters, or with a certain stage situation, and subsequently appear repeatedly throughout the opera. The overture to “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by M. I. Glinka is also resolved: in a whirlwind, rapid movement, as if, in the composer’s own words, “in full sail,” the dazzlingly cheerful main theme sweeps here (in the opera it will become the theme of the chorus, glorifying the liberation of Lyudmila), and the chanting melody of love between Ruslan and Lyudmila (it will sound in Ruslan’s heroic aria), and the whimsical theme of the evil wizard Chernomor.

The more fully and perfectly the overture embodies the plot and philosophical collision of the composition, the faster it acquires the right to a separate existence on the concert stage. Therefore, already in L. Beethoven, the overture is emerging as an independent genre of symphonic program music. Beethoven's overtures, especially the overture to J. W. Goethe's drama "Egmont", are complete, extremely rich in development musical dramas, the intensity and activity of thought are not inferior to his large symphonic canvases. In the 19th century The genre of concert overture is firmly established in the practice of Western European (overture “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by F. Mendelssohn based on the comedy of the same name by W. Shakespeare) and Russian composers (“Spanish Overtures” by Glinka, “Overture on Themes of Three Russian Songs” by M. A. Balakirev, overture-fantasy “Romeo and Juliet” by P. I. Tchaikovsky). At the same time, in the opera of the 2nd half of the 19th century. The overture is increasingly transformed into a short orchestral introduction that directly introduces the action.

The meaning of such an introduction (also called an introduction or prelude) may lie in the proclamation of the most significant idea - a symbol (the motive of the inevitability of tragedy in “Rigoletto” by G. Verdi) or in the characterization of the main character and at the same time in the creation of a special atmosphere, which largely predetermines the figurative structure of the work ( introduction to “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky, “Lohengrin” by R. Wagner). Sometimes the introduction is both symbolic and pictorial in nature. This is the opening symphonic painting of M. P. Mussorgsky’s opera “Khovanshchina” “Dawn on the Moscow River”.

In the 20th century composers successfully use various types of introductions, including the traditional overture (overture to the opera “Cola Brugnon” by D. B. Kabalevsky). In the genre of concert overture on folk themes, “Russian Overture” by S. S. Prokofiev, “Overture on Russian and Kyrgyz Folk Themes” by D. D. Shostakovich, “Overture” by O. V. Takt a-kishvili were written; for an orchestra of Russian folk instruments - “Russian Overture” by N. P. Budashkin and others.

Tchaikovsky Overture

The 1812 Overture is an orchestral work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in memory of Patriotic War 1812.

The overture begins with the somber sounds of a Russian church choir, recalling the declaration of war that was carried out in Russia at church services. Then, immediately, a festive song sounds about the victory of Russian weapons in the war. The declaration of war and the people's reaction to it were described in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace.

This is followed by a melody representing marching armies, played with trumpets. The French anthem "Marseillaise" reflects the victories of France and the capture of Moscow in September 1812. Sounds of Russian folk dance symbolize the Battle of Borodino. The flight from Moscow at the end of October 1812 is indicated by a descending motive. The thunder of cannons reflects military successes as they approach the borders of France. At the end of the war, the sounds of the choir return, this time performed by a full orchestra with echoes of bells ringing in honor of the victory and liberation of Russia from French occupation. Behind the cannons and sounds of the march, the melody of the Russian national anthem “God Save the Tsar” can be heard. The Russian anthem is opposed to the French anthem, which was played earlier.

In the USSR, this work by Tchaikovsky was edited: the sounds of the hymn “God Save the Tsar” were replaced by the chorus “Glory!” from Glinka's opera Ivan Susanin.

The real cannon fire envisioned by Tchaikovsky is usually replaced by a bass drum. Sometimes, however, cannon fire is used. This is the first time I've recorded this version. Symphony Orchestra Minneapolis in the 1950s. Subsequently, similar recordings were made by other groups using advances in sound technology. Cannon fire and fireworks are used in Boston Pops performances. dedicated to the Day American independence, and held annually on the 4th of July on the banks of the Charles River. It is also used at the annual graduation parade of the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra. Although this piece has no connection to US history (including the Anglo-American War, which also began in 1812), it is often performed in the US along with other patriotic music, especially on Independence Day.

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In music, a quartet is an ensemble consisting of four musicians or singers. The most widespread among them is the string quartet, consisting of two violins, viola and cello. It arose back in the 18th century, when amateur musicians, getting together in the evenings, spent their leisure...

Overture(from fr. ouverture, introduction) in music - an instrumental (usually orchestral) piece performed before the start of any performance - a theatrical performance, opera, ballet, film, etc., or a one-part orchestral work, often belonging to program music.

The overture prepares the listener for the upcoming action.

The tradition of announcing the beginning of a performance with a short musical signal existed long before the term “overture” took hold in the works of first French and then other European composers of the 17th century. Until the middle of the 18th century. Overtures were composed according to strictly defined rules: their sublime, generalized music usually had no connection with the subsequent action. However, gradually the requirements for the overture changed: it became more and more subordinate to the general artistic concept of the work.

Having retained the function of the overture as a solemn “invitation to a spectacle,” composers, starting with K. V. Gluck and W. A. ​​Mozart, significantly expanded its content. By means of music alone, even before the theater curtain rose, it turned out to be possible to set the viewer in a certain mood and talk about upcoming events. It is no coincidence that the sonata became the traditional form of the overture: capacious and effective, it made it possible to imagine the various active forces in their confrontation. Such, for example, is the overture to K. M. Weber’s opera “Free Shooter” - one of the first to contain an “introductory overview of the content” of the entire work. All diverse themes - pastoral and darkly ominous, restless and full of jubilation - are associated either with the characteristics of one of the characters, or with a certain stage situation, and subsequently appear repeatedly throughout the opera. The overture to “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by M. I. Glinka is also resolved: in a whirlwind, rapid movement, as if, in the composer’s own words, “in full sail,” the dazzlingly cheerful main theme sweeps here (in the opera it will become the theme of the chorus, glorifying the liberation of Lyudmila), and the chanting melody of love between Ruslan and Lyudmila (it will sound in Ruslan’s heroic aria), and the whimsical theme of the evil wizard Chernomor.

The more fully and perfectly the overture embodies the plot and philosophical collision of the composition, the faster it acquires the right to a separate existence on the concert stage. Therefore, already in L. Beethoven, the overture is emerging as an independent genre of symphonic program music. Beethoven's overtures, especially the overture to J. W. Goethe's drama "Egmont", are complete, extremely rich in development musical dramas, the intensity and activity of thought are not inferior to his large symphonic canvases. In the 19th century The genre of concert overture is firmly established in the practice of Western European (overture “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by F. Mendelssohn based on the comedy of the same name by W. Shakespeare) and Russian composers (“Spanish Overtures” by Glinka, “Overture on Themes of Three Russian Songs” by M. A. Balakirev, overture-fantasy “Romeo and Juliet” by P. I. Tchaikovsky). At the same time, in the opera of the 2nd half of the 19th century. The overture is increasingly transformed into a short orchestral introduction that directly introduces the action.

The meaning of such an introduction (also called an introduction or prelude) may lie in the proclamation of the most significant idea - a symbol (the motive of the inevitability of tragedy in “Rigoletto” by G. Verdi) or in the characterization of the main character and at the same time in the creation of a special atmosphere, which largely predetermines the figurative structure of the work ( introduction to “Eugene Onegin” by Tchaikovsky, “Lohengrin” by R. Wagner). Sometimes the introduction is both symbolic and pictorial in nature. This is the opening symphonic painting of M. P. Mussorgsky’s opera “Khovanshchina” “Dawn on the Moscow River”.

In the 20th century composers successfully use various types of introductions, including the traditional overture (overture to the opera “Cola Brugnon” by D. B. Kabalevsky). In the genre of concert overture on folk themes, “Russian Overture” by S. S. Prokofiev, “Overture on Russian and Kyrgyz Folk Themes” by D. D. Shostakovich, “Overture” by O. V. Takt a-kishvili were written; for an orchestra of Russian folk instruments - “Russian Overture” by N. P. Budashkin and others.

Tchaikovsky Overture

The 1812 Overture is an orchestral work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in memory of the Patriotic War of 1812.

The overture begins with the somber sounds of a Russian church choir, recalling the declaration of war that was carried out in Russian church services. Then, immediately, a festive song sounds about the victory of Russian weapons in the war. The declaration of war and the people's reaction to it were described in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace.

This is followed by a melody representing marching armies, played with trumpets. The French anthem "Marseillaise" reflects the victories of France and the capture of Moscow in September 1812. The sounds of Russian folk dance symbolize the Battle of Borodino. The flight from Moscow at the end of October 1812 is indicated by a descending motive. The thunder of cannons reflects military successes as they approach the borders of France. At the end of the war, the sounds of the choir return, this time performed by a full orchestra with echoes of bells ringing in honor of the victory and liberation of Russia from French occupation. Behind the cannons and sounds of the march, the melody of the Russian national anthem “God Save the Tsar” can be heard. The Russian anthem is opposed to the French anthem, which was played earlier.

In the USSR, this work by Tchaikovsky was edited: the sounds of the hymn “God Save the Tsar” were replaced by the chorus “Glory!” from Glinka's opera Ivan Susanin.

The real cannon fire envisioned by Tchaikovsky is usually replaced by a bass drum. Sometimes, however, cannon fire is used. This version was first recorded by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in the 1950s. Subsequently, similar recordings were made by other groups using advances in sound technology. Cannon fire and fireworks are used in the Boston Pops' Fourth of July performances on the banks of the Charles River each year. It is also used at the annual graduation parade of the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra. Although this piece has no connection to US history (including the Anglo-American War, which also began in 1812), it is often performed in the US along with other patriotic music, especially on Independence Day.

OVERT'YURA, overtures, female. (French ouverture, lit. discovery) (music). 1. Musical introduction to opera, operetta, ballet. 2. Small musical composition for orchestra. Concert overture. Dictionary Ushakova