Peripetie from Five Orchestral Pieces by Schoenberg

Peripetie was written by Schoenberg in 1909. It's name means 'a sudden reversal' which may refer to the fact that the ideas used at the start of the piece are played again at the end but in reverse.

Instrumentation

• A large orchestra is required; at least 90 players.
• Instrumentation changes rapidl, creating contrasts of timbre-  the sound an instrument makes
• Perforemrs are asked to play at their instruments extremes: very low or high
• Lots of unusual effects are used, for instance the cymbal is played with a mallet and an obeo bow.

Melody

• Made up of short fragmented motifs
• Melodies are disjunct and sound angular.
• Octave displacement is used- unexpectedly moving individual notes of the main melody into a different octave.
• The motifs…