Musical Analysis Of Ballet Spartacus By Aram Khachaturian

This paper focuses on one of the most widely recognized works by Soviet com-poser Aram Khachaturian-----ballet Spartacus.The article emphasizes on how the composer fluently mobilizes various technical means of music(harmony,orchestra-tion,texture,structure and so on),and how these techniques are skillfully woven into an original and virtuosic work of art.As one of the greatest composers in Armenian history,Aram Khachaturian's works reflects a perfect amalgamation of inner rooted Caucasian folk tunes and skill-ful western composing techniques.Studying his outstanding works may inspire future composers on how to write music based on its own folk tunes,and may give an out-line on how to bridge the gap between raw folk music material and strict serious clas-sical music,and how to establish personal style while doing so.Finally,ballet is a synthetic art form produced by the superposition of two artis-tic forms----music and dance.When composing a ballet music piece,the composer is forced to consider the relationship between dance and music,so that the two art forms can be intimately woven together,and at the same time highlight their respective cha-racteristics and advantages,eventually enhancing each others' performance and charm.As one of the greatest ballets of the 20th century,research on this magnificent ballet music piece may help guide future composers into consideration of what com-ponent music acts as when combined with other art forms.The first chapter of this article explains the background of the composition of Spartacus and the life of the composer.The second chapter analyzes the structural fea-tures of the ballet from two aspects including macro structure and micro structure.The third chapter selects typical harmonic techniques used in the dance drama to ex-pand the,including the use of "distant relationship and alternation" to expand tone,continuous tone and linear function.The fourth chapter summarizes the characteristics of orchestration in Spartacus,including how the composer adjusts orchestration in order to apply to different texture arrangements.The fifth chapter discusses the rela-tionship between music and dance in the ballet.