What is programme music, and what are the features of the Romantic programme works of 1820 to 1910?
Area of Study 5, Programme Music 1820 to 1910: Romantic music that tells a story or paints a scene, its genres (the symphonic poem, programme symphony, concert overture) and signature features (the idee fixe and leitmotif, thematic transformation, descriptive orchestration, chromatic harmony).
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Music Area of Study 5, Programme Music 1820 to 1910. Covers Romantic music that tells a story or paints a scene, its genres (the symphonic poem, programme symphony, concert overture) and signature features (the idee fixe and leitmotif, thematic transformation, descriptive orchestration, chromatic harmony, the expanded orchestra), for Section A and Section C.
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What this dot point is asking
Area of Study 5, Programme Music 1820 to 1910, covers Romantic instrumental music that tells a story or paints a scene, as opposed to "absolute" music with no extra-musical content. To answer Section A and Section C on this area you need its genres and context and its signature features, the idee fixe and leitmotif, thematic transformation, descriptive orchestration, chromatic harmony and the expanded orchestra, described through the elements and tied to the narrative they convey.
Context and genres
Recurring themes and transformation
Descriptive orchestration and harmony
How OCR examines Area of Study 5
Section A plays unfamiliar Romantic programme extracts and asks for the style and features, sometimes linked to the depiction of a scene. Section C may ask how programme composers represent a narrative through recurring themes and orchestration, in a 25-mark essay. The marks reward period-specific features (idee fixe and leitmotif, thematic transformation, descriptive orchestration, chromatic harmony) tied to their narrative purpose.
Try this
Q1. What is the difference between an idee fixe and a leitmotif, and what do they have in common? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Berlioz's idee fixe is a single recurring melody for the beloved; Wagner's and Strauss's leitmotif is a short motif for a character or idea; both are recurring themes that represent something and can be transformed.
Q2. Give two ways a programme composer depicts a scene or story. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Any two of: descriptive orchestration (instruments depicting events), recurring themes (idee fixe, leitmotif) and their transformation, chromatic harmony and dynamics for intensity, and programmatic effects (storms, birdsong, marches).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 2019 (H543/05 Section A, style)4 marksIdentify four features of the extract that are typical of Romantic programme music. (Section A, unfamiliar listening, Area of Study 5)Show worked answer →
Up to four marks. Typical features: descriptive or pictorial orchestration (instruments chosen to depict the programme); a large, expanded Romantic orchestra; recurring themes representing a character or idea (an idee fixe or leitmotif); thematic transformation (a theme altered to reflect the narrative); rich chromatic harmony and wide dynamic range; expressive rubato and tempo change; and programmatic effects (storms, birdsong, marches). Markers reward period-specific features tied to the extract and, where relevant, to the depiction of a story or scene. They penalise Classical or Baroque features mislabelled as Romantic, or generic description.
OCR 2021 (H543/05 Section C, style)20 marksDiscuss how composers of programme music use recurring themes and orchestration to represent a narrative. (Section C extended essay; on the paper this carries 25 marks)Show worked answer →
A Section C essay (the real paper tariff is 25 marks). Argue how extra-musical narrative is conveyed: recurring themes (the idee fixe in Berlioz, the leitmotif in Wagner and Strauss) that represent a character or idea and undergo thematic transformation to track the story; descriptive orchestration (specific instruments and effects depicting events); and chromatic harmony and dynamics for emotional intensity. Support with named devices and works across the period. Markers reward a clear argument linking technique to narrative purpose, with specific evidence and evaluation, not a list. The asterisked essays also assess extended-writing quality.
Related dot points
- Choosing at least one of the five optional areas of study (Popular Song, Instrumental Jazz, Religious Music of the Baroque, Programme Music, Innovations) and a transferable method for learning its styles, context and signature features for Section A and Section C.
A focused answer to choosing and studying an optional area of study in OCR A-Level Music. Explains the five options, how the chosen area is examined in Section A (unfamiliar listening) and Section C (extended essays), and a transferable method for mastering a style's context, development and signature musical features.
- Area of Study 2, Popular Song: the blues, early jazz song, swing and big band, their context and development, and signature features (the twelve-bar blues, blue notes, swing rhythm, AABA form, big-band scoring).
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Music Area of Study 2, Popular Song. Covers the blues, early jazz song, swing and big band, their context and development, and signature features (the twelve-bar blues progression, blue notes, swing rhythm, call and response, AABA song form, and big-band instrumentation and scoring), for Section A listening and Section C essays.
- Area of Study 3, Developments in Instrumental Jazz 1910 to the present day: the evolution from early jazz through swing, bebop, cool, modal and fusion, and the signature features (improvisation, swing, extended harmony, the rhythm section) of each.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Music Area of Study 3, Developments in Instrumental Jazz 1910 to the present. Covers the evolution from early jazz through swing, bebop, cool jazz, modal jazz and fusion, and the signature features of each (improvisation, swing rhythm, extended and modal harmony, the changing roles of soloist and rhythm section), for Section A and Section C.
- Area of Study 4, Religious Music of the Baroque: the sacred music of Bach, Purcell and Handel, its genres (cantata, oratorio, anthem, mass) and signature features (counterpoint, fugue, ground bass, continuo, word-painting, choruses and arias).
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Music Area of Study 4, Religious Music of the Baroque. Covers the sacred music of Bach, Purcell and Handel, its genres (cantata, oratorio, anthem, mass) and signature features (counterpoint and fugue, ground bass, basso continuo, word-painting, terraced dynamics, recitative, aria and chorus), for Section A and Section C.
- Area of Study 6, Innovations in Music 1900 to the present day: the major twentieth- and twenty-first-century developments (Impressionism, atonality and serialism, neoclassicism, minimalism, electronic and new timbres) and their signature features.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Music Area of Study 6, Innovations in Music 1900 to the present. Covers the major developments (Impressionism, expressionism and atonality, serialism, neoclassicism, minimalism, electronic music and new timbres and techniques) and their signature features, for Section A unfamiliar listening and Section C essays.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level Music (H543) specification — OCR (2016)