literary genre
Symphony
A symphony is usually a composition for orchestra, usually consisting of several parts. This is one of the main genres of European music. In the modern sense, the word “symphony” came into use relatively recently, in the 70s. XVIII century., It is the very same very ancient origin.
“Symphony” in Greek means “consonance”. In ancient times, the so-called singing of the choir or ensemble in unison, as well as any harmonious, melodious combination of tones. In the Middle Ages, the word disappeared from use, and its new life began in the Renaissance. But now a different meaning was put into the word “symphony”. In the music of the Renaissance, polyphonic vocal compositions were circulated – madrigals, canzons. They usually opened with an instrumental introduction, which was called a symphony. When in the XVII century. an opera arose, it also began with a symphony – later this introduction turned into an overture. Continue reading
Ballad
A ballad is a narrative of a fantastic or dramatic nature. The word itself comes from the Italian “ball”, which means to dance. Once upon a time ballads were called dance songs. In the middle of the century ballads turned into narrative songs. They told about historical events, about people’s life, about knightly deeds. The most common theme of the German ballads was the exposure of the rich, who deceived the people and profited from it. And in the English ballads, which arose from the peasant heroic songs, it was told about the good advocate of the poor Robin Hood. There was a period when the ballad was reborn into a purely literary genre. Continue reading
