A Comparative Study In Two Opera’s Harmonic Language From The Late Romanticism To Early Expressionism

"Salome" is an opera composed by Richard Strauss, a German composer in the late Romantic."Expectation" is another opera composed by Arnold Schoenberg, a representative figure of the expressionist music of Austrian. Both of these two opera’s plot involve the murders horror、 perverted lust, and other similar content. So they both have the characteristics of expressionism."Salome" adoptted the expansion of the harmonic language of tonality, while "Expectation" used the free atonal harmonic language.The paper make these two opera as the research object.To study the harmonic language and its comparison. On the basis of study in the mutual relations between the harmony of the two operas’material and their relations of pitch system, the paper compared the harmonic language of the two operas. The purpose is to reveal the techniques characteristics of two different styles and harmony language in the opera and its artistic expression, and then explore the trajectory of harmonies’inheritance and development from the expansion of tonality to the free atonality.The first chapter——creative background of the opera "Salome" and " Expectation ", discussed the background of the two operas、 plays and music creation、 harmonic language and the unity of the dramatic plot;The second chapter——the expansion of the tonal harmonic language of "Salome", discussesd the motivation of the character and its harmony processing of the theatrical composition,another is the six techniques expansion of tonality that included multi-tone relations> the using of non-four-five root relationship、 linearity、 single structure of relationship、 composite features and tone、 the application of chromatic-chords sound.In addition,it has reachered the skills that fit with the story tonality state and chromatic transferred;The third chapter——A study in free atonal harmonic language of "Expectation", mainly discussed four aspects that is:the basic structural components and structural properties of the opera pitch organization、 as the vocal core of three-sound group (0,1,2) and their skilled use,as an accompaniment core of three-tone groups (0,1,6) and their technique use、 the relationship between structural components and the logical process;The fourth chapter——a comparative study of the harmonic language of the two opera,contains four aspects:the first one mainly discussed the two operas’similarities and differences in the drama constitute constitute, aesthetic basis and harmony style as a whole; The second is the derivative "bridge" of the two operas’sound material——the semitone and the tritone interval and the third is another derivative "bridge"——the structure of three interval and non-three interval; and,The fourth is the mutual relations and comparation of logical process of the two opera. Conclusion of the full text research made a broad and deep-seated summary.