If we did a survey to find out what is the most important love story of all times, surely the most well-known would be 'Romeo and Juliet'; The tale of a senseless, impulsive teen love sentenced to fail from the start. The play was written by William Shakespeare in 1597.
Definitely, such an intensitive story has served as a script for many musical works, from operas to symphonies, from film music to ballet. Berlioz, D'Ivri, Bellini, Gounod, Rumling, Dalayrac and Gerhard are just a few of the many composers who have put this drama in music.
However, we will just focus now on three of the most celebrated musical compositions. We refer to the Overture by Tchaikovsky, the ballet by Prokofiev and the film soundtrack by Nino Rota. Three quite different works not only referring to their structure but also their style and the way they approach Shakespeare's play. Yet, three works from different historic periods.
Tchaikovsky's Romeo
We start our musical promenade with the most ancient of the three works, created in 1869. In fact, it's a symphonic poem, namely an instrumental work in which the author uses all the instruments of the orchestra to narrate the story, adapting each musical section to the selected moments in the narrative, without any singing voice at all. The composer is very skillful to tell the story only with the instruments of the orchestra, using a technique similar to that used on film music many years later. Tchaikovsky's Romeo was created 58 years before the invention of cinema by the Lumiere brothers.
Of course, it is impossible to imagine the story only by listening to the music. Therefore it is always advisable to read the script if possible before enjoying the musical piece and then try to recognize some features of the written drama in each musical section. This formal procedure allows the composer to choose only the more convenient parts of the literary work and even change some details in the story if necessary, as Tchaikovsky did in fact.
It took the Russian composer ten years to complete his work. Even after the music was finished, he did a lot of corrections and improvements while the premiere took place in different cities in Europe. His music was much more successful than any of the sixteen operas formerly composed with the same plot. But there was another 'Romeo' more renowned at that time, even in Russia: the homonymous music by Hector Berlioz. This could be the reason why Tchaikovsky changed his music so many times, adapting it to the fashion at that time. In 1879 the work was definitely finished. As usual in symphonic poems, the author created different melodies for each character. This technique, called 'leit motiv', allowed keen listeners to recognize not only Romeo's and Juliet's themes, but also the melody for the final, the rivalry between both families, etc. In the central part of Tchaikovsky's Romeo, violins take the main melody while French horns play a motive in descending seconds. The musical texture in this section is very complex. The dynamics are also remarkable -crescendos and diminuendos- highlighting some cadences in the most recognizable part of Tchaikovsky's work.
Prokofiev's ballet
According to chronological order, we'll now talk about the ballet created by another Russian composer: Sergei Prokofiev. Prokofiev did not accept immediately the commission for ballet music with such a script. He thought that the strong psychological content couldn't be properly translated to music without loosing intensity. Furthermore, he didn't feel confident putting into music a work in which so many composers had worked before. Regardless, he finally started composing it in 1935.
It was a hard work for Prokofiev, who took special interest in the creation of the scenes, commissioned by choreographer, Sergei Radlov. Radlov as well as the rest of the choreographers and dancers expected a much more conventional music, but Prokofiev was making a modern and audacious work. The disagreement was such that the company terminated the contract with him. As if this were not enough, Prokofiev replaced the tragic end in the original play written by Shakespeare with a new one, in which the lovers didn't die. This fact was widely criticized. The composer explained later that the reason for the change was merely choreographic: a deceased man can't dance, so he considered it more effective for Romeo to find Juliet alive at the end of the play.
His music was first released quite successfully in 1935 as a concert suite, that is to say, without dancing. As the Russian company had cancelled their contract with Prokofiev, it was a Czech ballet company who first performed the work as a ballet. Russian authorities considered this an offense, so they put all the necessary resources to arrange a performance inside the country.
Rehearsals for the Russian premiere were significantly stressful for all the cast. A new choreographer, Leonid Lavrovsky decided to make some changes in the script but Prokofiev declined, pointing out that the music was finished and he wouldn’t work anymore on it. The Russian premiere took place finally in Leningrad in 1940. The enormous success surprised not only the choreographers and dancers, but also Prokofiev himself.
The most successful part of the ballet was the 'dance of the knights', in which brass instruments made an overwhelming accompaniment while violins played the main theme in a binary rhythm, reaching a considerably high pitch at certain moments. This extremely high melody along with the low accompaniment obtained a somewhat harsh atmosphere, intensified with a percussion box and other percussion instruments.
Nino Rota's film score
Franco Zeffirelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' is certainly the most celebrated film based on Shakespeare's drama. Released in 1968, the film was hugely successful and had an important media impact. The music created by Rota is filled with references to Renaissance: ancient instruments such as the lute, dancing rhythms such as pavane or sarabande and musical quotes taken from that period. Rota worked in close collaboration with the film director to achieve a sound according to the verses by Shakespeare. The aim was to make a film as respectful as possible to the original play. Even the main characters were the same age in the film as in Shakespeare's play. Both, Leonard Whiting, aged 17, and Olivia Hussey, aged 15, were completely inexperienced and unknown for the audience.
Zeffirelli had worked in theatre and opera before. That's why he gave special value to costume and photography, and made an excellent Renaissance recreation. The film won two Oscars: Best Costume and Best Cinematography, and was nominated for two more: Best Director and Best Picture.
Regarding the score, Nino Rota made an intelligent approach with the orchestration. He alternated solo sections with small groups of instruments, creating an atmosphere of chamber music. On the other hand, there is a lot of extremely lyrical melodies that strengthen the concept of innocence for the young lovers.
The most famous passage is the love theme, with that well-known theme in a Renaissance fashion. The leading melody is played by strings and woods while the piano makes a simple but effective accompaniment. The musical texture is very simple if we compare it to Tchaikovsky's or
Prokofiev's Romeo, but not less emotional.
Definitely, such an intensitive story has served as a script for many musical works, from operas to symphonies, from film music to ballet. Berlioz, D'Ivri, Bellini, Gounod, Rumling, Dalayrac and Gerhard are just a few of the many composers who have put this drama in music.
However, we will just focus now on three of the most celebrated musical compositions. We refer to the Overture by Tchaikovsky, the ballet by Prokofiev and the film soundtrack by Nino Rota. Three quite different works not only referring to their structure but also their style and the way they approach Shakespeare's play. Yet, three works from different historic periods.
Tchaikovsky's Romeo
We start our musical promenade with the most ancient of the three works, created in 1869. In fact, it's a symphonic poem, namely an instrumental work in which the author uses all the instruments of the orchestra to narrate the story, adapting each musical section to the selected moments in the narrative, without any singing voice at all. The composer is very skillful to tell the story only with the instruments of the orchestra, using a technique similar to that used on film music many years later. Tchaikovsky's Romeo was created 58 years before the invention of cinema by the Lumiere brothers.
Of course, it is impossible to imagine the story only by listening to the music. Therefore it is always advisable to read the script if possible before enjoying the musical piece and then try to recognize some features of the written drama in each musical section. This formal procedure allows the composer to choose only the more convenient parts of the literary work and even change some details in the story if necessary, as Tchaikovsky did in fact.
It took the Russian composer ten years to complete his work. Even after the music was finished, he did a lot of corrections and improvements while the premiere took place in different cities in Europe. His music was much more successful than any of the sixteen operas formerly composed with the same plot. But there was another 'Romeo' more renowned at that time, even in Russia: the homonymous music by Hector Berlioz. This could be the reason why Tchaikovsky changed his music so many times, adapting it to the fashion at that time. In 1879 the work was definitely finished. As usual in symphonic poems, the author created different melodies for each character. This technique, called 'leit motiv', allowed keen listeners to recognize not only Romeo's and Juliet's themes, but also the melody for the final, the rivalry between both families, etc. In the central part of Tchaikovsky's Romeo, violins take the main melody while French horns play a motive in descending seconds. The musical texture in this section is very complex. The dynamics are also remarkable -crescendos and diminuendos- highlighting some cadences in the most recognizable part of Tchaikovsky's work.
Prokofiev's ballet
According to chronological order, we'll now talk about the ballet created by another Russian composer: Sergei Prokofiev. Prokofiev did not accept immediately the commission for ballet music with such a script. He thought that the strong psychological content couldn't be properly translated to music without loosing intensity. Furthermore, he didn't feel confident putting into music a work in which so many composers had worked before. Regardless, he finally started composing it in 1935.It was a hard work for Prokofiev, who took special interest in the creation of the scenes, commissioned by choreographer, Sergei Radlov. Radlov as well as the rest of the choreographers and dancers expected a much more conventional music, but Prokofiev was making a modern and audacious work. The disagreement was such that the company terminated the contract with him. As if this were not enough, Prokofiev replaced the tragic end in the original play written by Shakespeare with a new one, in which the lovers didn't die. This fact was widely criticized. The composer explained later that the reason for the change was merely choreographic: a deceased man can't dance, so he considered it more effective for Romeo to find Juliet alive at the end of the play.
His music was first released quite successfully in 1935 as a concert suite, that is to say, without dancing. As the Russian company had cancelled their contract with Prokofiev, it was a Czech ballet company who first performed the work as a ballet. Russian authorities considered this an offense, so they put all the necessary resources to arrange a performance inside the country.
Rehearsals for the Russian premiere were significantly stressful for all the cast. A new choreographer, Leonid Lavrovsky decided to make some changes in the script but Prokofiev declined, pointing out that the music was finished and he wouldn’t work anymore on it. The Russian premiere took place finally in Leningrad in 1940. The enormous success surprised not only the choreographers and dancers, but also Prokofiev himself.
The most successful part of the ballet was the 'dance of the knights', in which brass instruments made an overwhelming accompaniment while violins played the main theme in a binary rhythm, reaching a considerably high pitch at certain moments. This extremely high melody along with the low accompaniment obtained a somewhat harsh atmosphere, intensified with a percussion box and other percussion instruments.
Nino Rota's film score
Franco Zeffirelli's 'Romeo and Juliet' is certainly the most celebrated film based on Shakespeare's drama. Released in 1968, the film was hugely successful and had an important media impact. The music created by Rota is filled with references to Renaissance: ancient instruments such as the lute, dancing rhythms such as pavane or sarabande and musical quotes taken from that period. Rota worked in close collaboration with the film director to achieve a sound according to the verses by Shakespeare. The aim was to make a film as respectful as possible to the original play. Even the main characters were the same age in the film as in Shakespeare's play. Both, Leonard Whiting, aged 17, and Olivia Hussey, aged 15, were completely inexperienced and unknown for the audience.
Zeffirelli had worked in theatre and opera before. That's why he gave special value to costume and photography, and made an excellent Renaissance recreation. The film won two Oscars: Best Costume and Best Cinematography, and was nominated for two more: Best Director and Best Picture.
Regarding the score, Nino Rota made an intelligent approach with the orchestration. He alternated solo sections with small groups of instruments, creating an atmosphere of chamber music. On the other hand, there is a lot of extremely lyrical melodies that strengthen the concept of innocence for the young lovers.
The most famous passage is the love theme, with that well-known theme in a Renaissance fashion. The leading melody is played by strings and woods while the piano makes a simple but effective accompaniment. The musical texture is very simple if we compare it to Tchaikovsky's or
Prokofiev's Romeo, but not less emotional.
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