Tone Poem
A single-movement orchestral work with a literary or pictorial title, established by Liszt
Related
A tone poem, or symphonic poem, is a single-movement orchestral work with a title drawn from a poem, painting or story. Liszt named and established the genre in the 1840s and 1850s. Thematic transformation is its typical device: one motif changes character, tempo and scoring as the narrative moves.
Unlike a programmatic symphony, it avoids the four-movement frame, yet often implies sonata form, variation or rondo beneath the surface. Strauss pushes narrative further; Smetana's Má Vlast is a cycle of six tone poems. Listen for the transformation of the core motif and for changes of scoring at each scene.
A common misconception treats the tone poem as a symphony with a story, or as music whose title explains it. It is not a soundtrack: the title only sets a direction, and the music must stand on its motives, harmony and structure. Overtures and rhapsodies are single-movement too, but have their own histories.
Sources
- 交响诗的单乐章标题性构思、李斯特的奠基与主题变形，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Symphonic poem"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.