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Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture (Timbre (Freshman's Song (Bassoons…
Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture
Melody
:male-student::skin-tone-2:: Student Songs
Freshman's Song
Father Of His Country
We Have Built A Stately House
Gaudeamus Igitur
Original Ideas
Most were renditions
of the Opening Theme
Dynamics
Original Idea (Opening)
Very soft beginning (pp)
Creates a suspenseful or mysterious beginning. Supported by the staccato playing in the accompanying instruments.
We Have Built A Stately House
Soft (p) Dolce (sweetly)
Flowing, calm supported by the longer notations (minims etc) and slurs
Father Of His Country
A little loud (poco f)
Bolder, brighter feeling, supported by change of key. Warmth through flowing instruments, floating violin
Freshman's Song
Always soft (p sempre)
Bouncy and fun - building excitement, supported by fast, 2/4 time signature, quaver based tune
Sudden surprises with loud whole orchestra responses
Gaudeamus Igitur
Really loud (ff)
Literally building up to the big finish
Timbre
Orchestra featured throughout
Original Idea (Opening Bar)
:violin: String section featured
Violins on tune - staccato with accented notes
Accompaniment in other strings and Bassoons
We Have Built A Stately House
:trumpet: Trumpets feature on melody in a Chorale style, supported by other brass and a dominant pedal note in the Double Bass/Timpani
Father Of His Country
:violin: Violins take over the melody - 2nds on the tune, and 1sts double octave higher, but alternate onto pedal note
Freshman's Song
Bassoons playing the melody. Violas and Cellos playing staccato offbeats
Counterpoint version
Oboe countermelody flowing over top of Cellos playing pizzicato
Gaudeamus Igitur
Whole Orchestra playing
Violins playing scalewise flourishes
Texture
Homophonic
"Same Sound"
Instruments form chords
Texture throughout most of the piece
Monophonic
"One Sound"
All playing one specific note
No notable examples
Polyphonic
"Many Sounds"
Interweaving melodies
When there is a counter-melody
b. 192 - Cellos on Freshman's Song and Oboe playing a flowing melody over the top
Form
:musical_score: Sonata Form
Exposition
Establishing ideas
Original Idea
We Have Built A Stately House
Father Of His Country
Freshman's Song
Longest section
b. 1 - 240
Development
Developing the ideas
Combining different melodies
eg We Have Built A Stately House and Freshman's Song
Reasonably short
b. 241 - 269
Recapitulation
Re-establish the ideas
Plays all the ideas again,
but as shortened versions
Not a long section
b. 270 - 378
Coda
Finish it off
b. 379 - end
Gaudeamus Igitur is introduced
Rhythm
Original Idea (Opening)
Cut Time (2/2), Allegro
Melody mostly made up of quavers - feeling of forward momentum, excitement. Use of acciaccatura at the start to create a flurry of excitement. Crotchets in accompaniment are unrelenting
We Have Built A Stately House
Still in Cut Time (2/2), still Allegro,
BUT now melody is written using minims and semibreves, so a more relaxed feeling to what's happening. Supported by sustained pedal note on Timpani - takes away the drive of a regular pulse
Father Of His Country
Now in Common Time (4/4), still Allegro
Crotchet based melody (some dotted rhythms)
Cellos have quaver-based arpeggiated accompaniment - creates flow, adds to sense of warmth
Freshman's Song
Now in 2/4, Animato (animated)
Quaver-based melody with off-beat accompaniment - creates up-tempo feel. This is jaunty
Gaudeamus Igitur
Now in 3/4, Maestoso (Majestically)
Slowest section of piece. Unison rhythm 9except for violins playing demisemiquaver scales. Creates a grand and uplifting feeling
Harmony
Original Idea
Key - C Minor
Tonic
Fits with expected conventions of Sonata Form
We Have Built A Stately House
Key - C Major
Tonic Major
A little unusual - would generally expect the Relative Major in Sonata Form, but at least still closely related
Father Of His Country
Key - E Major
Not related at all
Based on a major chord of the Tonic Major
Outlier - Very unusual key to go to. Working in thirds (from C to E) is the closest that this gets to Sonata Form conventions
Freshman's Song
Key - G Major
Dominant
Typical of Sonata Form when based in a Major Key
Gaudeamus Igitur
Key - C Major
Tonic Major
Fits perfectly with the conventions of Sonata Form (finishing in the Tonic Major when we've been based in a minor key)
