The formal characteristics of symphonic poetry are title, sound and picture, freedom, drama, etc.
1. Title: Symphonic poems usually have distinctive titles, which often reveal the theme or source of inspiration of the work. Titles can provide listeners with clues to the music and help them better understand and feel the emotions and artistic conception expressed by the music.
2. Sound and painting: Symphonic poetry is often descriptive and visual, showing various vivid pictures and images through musical means. This audio-visual quality enables symphonic poetry to express richer and more diverse musical elements, providing listeners with a more vivid and three-dimensional musical experience.
3. Freedom: Symphonic poetry is relatively free in form and is not restricted by the strict structure and form of traditional symphony. This freedom enables symphonic poetry to express the composer's creativity and emotions more flexibly, with greater artistic expression and appeal.
4. Drama: Symphonic poetry often contains dramatic elements, showing various emotions and plot developments through music. This drama makes symphonic poetry more vivid and engaging, allowing listeners to experience a more profound and touching musical experience.
The founder of symphonic poetry:
The founder of symphonic poetry is the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. Liszt combined symphony with poetry, drama and other art forms in the mid-19th century and created the musical form of symphonic poetry.
Liszt believed that music should have the ability to express and convey emotions like literary works. He believes that music can transcend language barriers and express various human emotions and thoughts through music. Therefore, he tries to blend different musical elements and themes together to present a complete musical story or emotional experience.
Liszt's symphonic poems usually consist of a dominant theme and several related movements, each movement has its own emotions and artistic conception. These movements are often inspired by literary works, historical events or natural landscapes. For example, Liszt's "Prelude" is inspired by ancient Greek tragedy and depicts the rise, fall and changes of human history.
Liszt's symphonic poems are relatively free in form and are not subject to the structural constraints of traditional symphonies. He emphasized the emotional expression and poetry of music rather than pursuing perfection in technique and form. This innovative spirit and emotional expression made Liszt's symphonic poetry one of the representatives of romantic music in the 19th century.
Although Liszt's symphonic poems received some controversy and criticism at the time, they had a profound impact on later music. Many composers further developed the form of symphonic poetry based on Liszt, making it one of the important branches of modern music in the 20th century.