What is a poem with no words that tells a story?
Telling a story by integrating the senses
Poem Definition
Usually a poem is defined with the following elements:
an arrangement of words written or spoken
sometimes rhymed
expressing experiences, ideas, or emotions in a style more concentrated, imaginative, and powerful than that of ordinary speech or prose
Source: Collins Dictionary
Tone Poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. Source: Generative AI
A tone poem is related to a symphony, except it is usually just one movement, or “chapter” of a symphony. A tone poem is a way to tell a story through music.
Why I like Tone Poems
Tone poems, inspired by non-musical arts, allow me to engage my multi-senses. Tone poems open my mind and heart and heart, elevate me to a space that transcends everyday challenges, such as winding down from the day’s activities. Through tone poems, the arts are integrated in a meaningful way.
Tone poems capture a mood in film or theater and expand the impact of a book or work of art. A five-year-old can identify the characters in Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” or Modest Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” by listening to the tone poem without the previously viewed animation. All ages can appreciate how George Gershwin captured the romanticism of Paris in the film “An American in Paris.”
Tone Poem Examples
Popular tone poems include the following, many of which are background music for films:
Sprach Zarathustra: By Richard Strauss, was the main theme in 2001: A Space Odyssey and was also used by the BBC for their coverage of the Apollo Moon landings.
Don Juan: By Richard Strauss, is based on the legend of Don Juan, a legendary ladies' man who sets out to find "perfect love."
Romeo and Juliet: By Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: By Paul Dukas, was featured in Disney's Fantasia.
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun): By Claude Debussy.
Danse macabre: By Camille Saint-Saëns.
Night on Bald Mountain: By Modest Mussorgsky. (Fantasia (1940) (1/2)
Isle of the Dead: By Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Pines of Rome (Pini di Roma): By Ottorino Respighi (also featured in Disney’s Fantasia)
An American in Paris: By George Gershwin.
The German term Tondichtung (tone poem) appears to have been first used by the composer Carl Loewe in 1828. The Hungarian composer Franz Liszt first applied the term Symphonische Dichtung to his 13 works in this vein, which commenced in 1848. Source: Wikipedia
My favorite group of tone poems are in an orchestral suite of seven tone poems by English composer Gustav Holst: The Planets, Full Suite. I wrote a children’s book about how Holst composed music for each planet.
The Planets is a suite of seven tone poems composed by Gustav Holst between 1914 and 1916. Each movement is a tone poem that represents the personality and mood of a planet, and the ideas and emotions associated with the planet's influence on the psyche:
Mars, the Bringer of War: A violent depiction of war, with an insistent 5/4 rhythm and brass fanfares
Venus, the Bringer of Peace: A calm and soothing contrast to Mars, with a solo horn and soft flutes
Mercury, the Winged Messenger: A nimble scherzo
Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity: A sentimental movement with a Bacchanalian dance and a hymn tune
Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age: A cold and weary movement with a dark and obscure main theme
Uranus, the Magician: A playful and parodic movement
Neptune, the Mystic: A disembodied siren song for the female chorus
Source: AI Overview
Types of Tone Poems
Tone poems can interpret history through jazz music, such at 1989, Susumu, jazz, pianist, Sumi Tonooka, Japan, USA, Pearl Harbor, tone poem, music, Kenmotsu.
An example of a singing tone poem is Futatabi Reprise Spirited Away Studio Ghibli 25 Years Concert
Something to think about9
How does a tone poem differ from what one usually define as a poem?
View some of your favorite films and check out the credits to see if they include thematic music from symphonies or tone poems. You also might guess the name of the tone poem or composer.
What is your favorite tone poem? What do you like about it?
Does a child or elder in your life have a favorite tone poem that may be in a film? If so, what is it?