5.5- Music of the Romantic Era
Romantic Era Music
The Free Composer
[audio:freecomposer.mp3]- Beethoven led the way
- Music Publishing on the rise
- Music for the public, rather than music for the aristocracy
Technological Improvements in Instruments
[audio:instruments-romantic.mp3]
Creating a more expressive range for the Romantic sensibility
- Piano
- Evolved into a social instrument
- The upright piano
- Woodwinds develop
- Better sound projection
- Better fingering systems
- The flute
- The clarinet
- The bassoon
- The Saxophone is born
- Brass instruments
- The invention of valves
- Trumpet
- French horn
- Percussion instruments
- A greater variety of instruments
- A greater variety of timbre
Program Music
[audio:programmusic.mp3]- Telling a story
- Born out of word painting
- Imitation of sounds outside of music, like birds
The Long and Short of it
[audio:longandshort.mp3]- Art Songs
- Piano Works
- Long Symphonic works
Grand Opera
- Still had great appeal, and now a broader audience
- Took on Nationalistic tendencies
Nationalism
- A Romantic tendency
- Identifiable folk idiom expressed in “art’ music
- Program music based on geography, history and legends
Romantic Composers
Hector Berlioz 1803-69
- French
- Symphonie Fantastique shocked Parisian audiences
- Innovative orchestration
- Autobiographical theme
- Musical recreation of a witches’ Sabbath
- Movements:
- Reveries, Passion
- A Ball
- Scenes in the Country
- March to the Scaffold
- Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath
- Used a motif through the entire symphony
- Idée fixe or “fixed idea’
Important work — Symphonie Fantastique
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwCuFaq2L3U&feature=related[/youtube]
Franz Schubert 1797-1828
Austrian
- Wrote over 600 songs
- At times utilized Goethe’s poetry as lyrics
- Also wrote chamber works and symphonies
- Popular Work — Elkonig (translation)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOiMVPSzr7E
Johannes Brahms 1833-97
German
- Wrote instrumental works
- Chamber works, concertos and symphonies
- Followed musical structures similar to Beethoven’s
- Popular work — Brahms Lullaby
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t894eGoymio
Clara and Robert Schumann 1819-96 & 1810-56
German
- Married couple
- Collaborated together and wrote individually
- Friends with Brahms
- Wrote vocal and instrumental works, including piano works
Clara’s Popular work – Die Lorelei
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxAipBbMzDw&feature=related
Robert’s Popular work — Carnaval
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDCsYHjtQpU
Frederic Chopin 1810-49
Polish born, lived in France
Wrote exclusively for the piano (with one exception)
Incorporated dance music from his home land of Poland
Extremely expressive works
Popular work — Etude Op. 10, No. 3
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrD1ZaNwdsU
Giuseppe Verdi 1813-1901
- Italian
- Drama, passion and power!
- Wrote 2 operas based on Shakespeare’s works
- Rigoletto, LaTraviatta, Falstaff and Othello… plus others.
Popular Work — Aria — La Donna e mobile from Rigoletto httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KowDzt31jUM&feature=related
Richard Wagner 1813-83
German
- Intense study of Beethoven
- Operas focused on the irrational forces and passion that drive human behavior
- Grand operas with amazing stage setting and costumes
- Utilized short motifs attached to characters – Leitmotif
- Was supported in the later part of his career by Ludwig II of Bavaria
Popular work — Ride of the Valkyries
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKAH_t0aXA
Modest Mussorgsky 1839-81
Russian
- A government clerk that wrote only a few works, but they were important
- Created a Russian sound
Popular work — Night on Bald Mountain
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Ca_edg6RE&feature=related
Peter Tchaikovsky 1840-93
Russian
- Brought a very European sound
- Had a wealthy patron, who he never met in person, but wrote over 300 letters
- Symphonies, ballets and orchestra works
- Had a gift to creating a variety of tonal colors in his music
- His music was highly melodic
Popular Work – Nutcracker Ballet
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp7wWCIWQVE[/youtube]
Franz Liszt 1811-1866
Hungarian born — career in Paris
- An exceptional piano performer — A musical celebrity, women swooned
- Invented the symphonic poem
- Led the way to “impressionistic music
Popular work – Totentanz
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqCEhmqsSnY
Claude Debussy 1862-1918
French
- Hugely influential in creating the direction of music in the 20th Century
- Rejected the dramatic dynamics utilized by other Romantic composers
- Created a huge variety of tonal colors
- Influenced by music of Java and Southeast Asia
- An Impressionistic composer — if you will
Popular work — Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncz-D1Vf13M[/youtube]
No. 1 — December 4th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I really like how this page is organized. I learned so much in a short period of time. Being able to watch the videos and listen to the music while reading about the composer was a wonderful experience.
My only disappointment was not being able to completely finish the entire experience due to the Claude Debussy video being removed.
Thank you… you did a wonderful job!
No. 2 — November 3rd, 2013 at 9:25 am
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