- published: 22 Feb 2011
- views: 8674417
Overture (French ouverture; German Ouvertüre, Vorspiel; Italian overtura; i.e. opening) in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn began to use the term to refer to independent, self-existing instrumental, programmatic works that presaged genres such as the symphonic poem. These were at first no doubt intended to be played at the head of a programme.
The idea of an instrumental opening to opera existed during the 17th century. Peri's Euridice opens with a brief instrumental ritornello, and Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (1607) opens with a toccata, in this case a fanfare for muted trumpets. More important, however, was the Prologue, which comprised sung dialogue between allegorical characters which introduced the over-arching themes of the stories depicted.
As a musical form, however, the so-called French overture begins with the court ballet and operatic overtures of Jean-Baptiste Lully, which he elaborated from a similar, two-section form called Ouverture, found in the French ballets de cour as early as 1640. This French overture consists of a slow introduction in a marked "dotted rhythm" (i.e., exaggerated iambic, if the first chord is disregarded), followed by a lively movement in fugato style. The overture was frequently followed by a series of dance tunes before the curtain rose, and would often return following the Prologue to introduce the action proper. This ouverture style was also used in English opera, most notably in Henry Purcell's Dido and Æneas. Its distinctive rhythmic profile and function thus led to the French overture style as found in the works of late Baroque composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach. The style is most often used in preludes to suites, and can be found in non-staged vocal works such as cantatas, for example in the opening chorus of Bach's cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61.
Ode (from the Ancient Greek ὠδή) is a type of lyrical verse.[citation needed] A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode.[citation needed] Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist. It is an elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally.[citation needed]
Greek odes were originally poetic pieces accompanied by symphonic orchestras.[citation needed] As time passed on, they gradually became known as personal lyrical compositions whether sung (with or without musical instruments) or merely recited (always with accompaniment).[citation needed] For some, the primary instrument of choice was either the aulos or the lyre (the latter of which was the most revered instrument to the Ancient Greeks).[citation needed] The written ode, as it was practiced by the Romans, returned to the lyrical form of the Lesbian lyricists.[citation needed]
In politics, a red flag is a symbol of Socialism, or Communism, or sometimes left-wing politics in general. It has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution. Socialists adopted the symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its use by the Paris Commune of 1871. The flags of several communist states, including China, Vietnam and the Soviet Union, are explicitly based on the original red flag. The red flag is also used as a symbol by some democratic socialists and social democrats, for example the Avami National Party (Pakistan), French Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Party of Germany. The Labour Party in Britain used it until the late 1980s. It was the inspiration for the socialist anthem, The Red Flag.
In the Middle Ages, ships in combat flew a long red streamer, called the Baucans, to signify a fight to the death. In one petition, a group of English sailors asserted that the Crown had no right to a share of the prize money earned from a Norman ship captured in 1293 because it had raised the Baucans. (Raising this streamer may have been a relatively novel practice at this time, since the writers feel the need to explain it.) By the 17th century, the Baucans had evolved into a red flag, or "flag of defiance." It was raised in cities and castles under siege to indicate that they would not surrender. "The red flag is a signal of defiance and battle," according to Chambers Cyclopedia (1727–41).
Cast off the crutch that kills the pain,
The red flag waving never meant the same,
The kids of tomorrow don't need today,
When they live in the Sins of Yesterday.
Well I've never seen us act like this,
Our only hope is the minds of kids,
And they'll show us a thing or two.
Our only weapons are the guns of youth,
It's only time before they tighten the noose,
And then the hunt will be on for you.
The Red Flag Waving Never Meant The Same,
No, The Red Flag Waving Never Meant The Same.
[2x]
Cast off the crutch that kills the pain,
The red flag waving never meant the same,
The kids of tomorrow don't need today,
When they live in the Sins of Yesterday.
Like the smallest bee packs a sting,
Like the pawn checkmates a king,
We'll attack at the crack of dawn.
Build a ladder if there's a wall,
Don't be afraid to slip and fall,
Speak for yourself or they'll speak for you.
The Red Flag Waving Never Meant The Same,
No, The Red Flag Waving Never Meant The Same.
[2x]
Cast off the crutch that kills the pain,
The red flag waving never meant the same,
The kids of tomorrow don't need today,
When they live in the Sins of Yesterday.
Like a fire,
Don't need water,
Like a jury,
Needs a liar,
Like a riot,
Don't need order,
Like a madman,
Needs a martyr.
[8x]
We don't need them.
[3x]
Cast off the crutch that kills the pain,
The red flag waving never meant the same,
The kids of tomorrow don't need today,
When they live in the Sins of Yesterday.
[9x]