,
Tomb of the Triclinium,
Tarquinia Program Orpheus is one of four symphonic poems Liszt composed as
character sketches of men of creative genius, heroism or legend. (The other three poems are
Tasso,
Prometheus and
Mazeppa.) In his preface Liszt describes an
Etruscan vase depicting
Orpheus, then extols civilizing effect on humanity. This reference to the ennobling effect of Orpheus and his art may have been derived from the Orpheus depicted by the French philosopher
Pierre-Simon Ballanche in
Orphée in 1829. By introducing civilised laws, the Orpheus of this nine-volume work leads humanity into the modern age; this was intended by Ballanche to provide a new philosophy for all of Europe. Liszt was an acquaintance and supporter of Ballanche, and Liszt's enthusiasm was shared by members of the French salons during the 1830s, especially by
George Sand.
Instrumentation The work is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 2 harps and strings. Especially noteworthy is ''Orpheus's'' instrumentation, which includes two
harps; their representation of Orpheus's lyre in the opening 14 bars immediately focuses the listener's attention on this instrument. Harpist Jeanne Pohl, one of the new
virtuoso players brought to Weimar by Liszt to augment the court orchestra, inspired the composer to pen these effects.
Structure Orpheus is not a long work and takes the form of a gradual
crescendo followed by a quiet ending which returns to the mood of the opening. Unlike many of Liszt's other symphonic poems, the music here remains largely contemplative. For this reason, it became a favorite piece of Liszt's son-in-law, the composer
Richard Wagner. Formally,
Orpheus is a modified
sonata form with a secondary key area containing two themes. The second theme lacks the energy of the first, remaining a static
motif hovering over oscillating major and minor harmonies. Nevertheless, it contains an especially poignant quality. This theme is presented by various solo instruments to a primarily harp accompaniment. The orchestration, together with the style, suggests an interpretation of this theme as Orpheus' voice. The ethereal,
chromatic ascent in the final bars attenuates any decisive closure that could be expected from a more conventional
harmonic resolution. Combined with the closing theme of the second group, this ends the work as a cryptic vision which recalls the final moments of Ballanche's story. There the story's narrator, Thamyris, witnesses Orpheus disappearing into the clouds, leaving mankind the task of developing his teachings of civilisation. ==Bibliography==