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Musical Close-up: Symphony for the Devil

The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil"

recall Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones (interactive listening guide below)

Click on any color-coded button below to initiate playback from the specified location in the recording.
Intro Verse 1 Chorus Verse 2 Chorus Verse 3 Chorus Guitar Solo Chorus Verse 4 Chorus Outro

The Rolling Stones' song is based on two simple ideas ... while listening, try to focus on the piano & instrumental accompaniment without being distracted by the vocal part ...

• 1st musical idea (Pattern A)
  
• 2nd musical idea (Pattern B)
  

Blood, Sweat, & Tears' "Symphony for the Devil/Sympathy for the Devil"

BS&T's version is more than an "arrangement" … BS&T transforms the song completely, as cearly evident from the listening guide below.

BS&T divide  the piece into three major sections: Emergence, Devil's Game, & Submergence, as delinated in your textbook and as outlined in detail following the listening guide:

Sympathy for the Devil / Symphony for the Devil by Blood, Sweat & Tears
... a detailed outline of the Musical Form

The detailed description below of BS&T's "Symphony for the Devil" is based on the Musical Close-Up for the chapter on Jazz Rock, which I strongly encourage you to read as you listen to each section as described, using the interactive listening guide above to guide your playback.

Emergence

Theme A (0:00 to 0:45)

• presented with a musical theme (Theme A); staggered presentation ...
  • first 2 notes
• first 6 notes
• first 15 notes
• pause
• notes 16-20
• tritone - "diabolus in musica"
• introduces concept of 12-tone composition
  • exception to strict 12-tone compositions: repeated G at note #12)
• celesta repeats notes 2 thru 6, ending with notes 7 & 8
• note accented brass entrances (notes 2-4 of theme)
• notes 9 to 20 of theme, ending on E in bass (dissonant chord builds)

  Fanfare (1:20 to 1:24)

  series of four drum rolls lead to fanfare, preparing for the devil's speech

Devil's Game

Labyrinth ( 3 choruses)

• Theme B (tune from the Rolling Stones)
• notice changing musical texture with each phrase:
  • Chorus I (1:24 to 1:51)
    • phrase 1 - guitar on 1st beat of each bar
    • phrase 2 - add piano (E) on 3rd beat of each bar
    • phrase 3 - syncopated bass part
    • phrase 4 - syncopated drum fills
    • phrase 5 - full beat & accompaniment
    • phrase 6 - suspend accompaniment in 2nd bar
  • Chorus II (2:05 to 2:25)
    • phrase 1 - organ chords
    • phrase 2 - add brass chords (crescendo)
    • phrase 3 - bass down an octave
    • phrase 5 - full beat returns
    • note horn transition to third chorus
      • --where do those notes come from? (read Musical Close-Up in text)
      • --also, notice meter changes
  • Chorus III (2:41 to 3:08)
    • 4 descending brass chords; pattern ascends (building)
    • guitar notes rise constantly upward
    • notice horn line inserted before phrase 6

Satan's Dance (3 subsections)

instrumental break in 3 sections:

• polyphonic section based on Theme A
  • motive S (notes 2 to 6)
    • 3:19 - keyboards
    • 3:29 - brass
  • 3:35 - transposition (1st two 5-note phrases)
  • 3:40 - inversion
  • 3:45 - ascending keyboard line (notes 12 to 15)
  • 3: 54 - motive S inverted (keyboards), leading to ...
• 4:06 - sax solo improvisation
• fugue on Theme A (fugue = presentation of theme, then imitated successively in other voices at different pitch levels)
• 4:53 - subject begins (low brass) a tritone (!!) away from original statement (p. 272)
• 5:01 - 2nd entrance (trumpet; measure 6)
• 5:10 - 3rd entrance (piano & bass; measure 11)
• • countermelodies continue above
• full theme at original pitch level
• ritard to gong stroke (5:27)

The Demand (chorus #4)

• Chorus IV (5:38)
• phrase 1 - lyrics in whisper (organ plays theme A)
• builds to climax - "lay your soul to waste"
• 6:07 - phrase 5 - sarcastic "pleased to meet you ..."
• 6:17 - instruments drop out one by one until only bass is left (6:28)

Submergence

Contemplation

• 6:33 - Theme A returns
  • like beginning (1-2, 1-6, 1-15)
• 6:49 - spins around on notes 13-15
  • damper pedal down ... blurs the pitches together

  Return

• 7:05 - celesta (Theme A backwards)
  • notes 15 to 1
• 7:24 - trombone, bass, & piano
  • notes 6 to 1, then 2 to 1
• 7:41 - shuts trap door to Hell

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