Peripetie by Schoenberg

Background

• The era was the early 20th century
  
• The aim of expressionism is to expree feelings as intensely and possible
• 'Klangfarbenmelodie', meaning tone colour melody, encompasses the aim to express using distortion and unnatural colours through the range of timbres

Instrumentation

• There was a large orchestra with 90 players, including a string, woodwind, percussion and large brass section
  
• There were a variety of rapid changes in contrasting timbres (klandfarbenmelodie)
• Extremes of ranges are used
• Various playing techniques are used to create different effects, for instance a mallet and cello bow are used to play the cymbals

Perfomance markings

• Haupstimme marks the most important instrument in a section (primary voice)
• Nebenstimme marks the second most important voice (secondary voice)
• a2 or a3 signal two or three bassoons playing
• Bell up signals the brass players to point the bell upwards
• Tutti means everyone joins again
• + means the horn player put their hands into the bell (hand-stopped for a different timbre)
• Con…