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Orchestral program music     

There are  three main types of orchestral program music :

Tone poems (or symphonic poem)

The tone poem, or symphonic poem is a long single movement piece for orchestra.

 

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Liszt’s Hamlet

Richard Strauss’s Til Eulenspiegel 

Overtures

An overture is the name usually given to the orchestral piece played at the beginning of an opera, but during the 19th century composers began to write concert overtures.

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Tchaikovsky’s  1812 Overture 

Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides

Program symphonies

A program symphony is in several movements, following roughly the same plan as a symphony and drawing inspiration from an extra-musical element.

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Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony 

Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique 

Liszt’s Dante Symphony

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