Romantic Era Composer

The Romantic Period 1820-1900

Hector Berlioz

The prevailing qualities of my music are passionate expressiveness, inner fire, rhythmic

drive, and unexpectedness.

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“Romanticism”

Derives its name from a literary genre -the “romance”

Free of structural or narrative conventions

Particular music offered access to a realm of ideals beyond the limitations of human reason and the physical world

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Romantic Era - Important Events

1830- Revolutions in France, Belgium, Poland 1837-1901- Queen Victoria reigns in England 1848- Revolutions in Europe 1861-1865- American Civil War 1870- Franco-Prussian War 1898- Spanish-American War

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Romantic Era –Major Works & Inventions 1819- Keats- Ode to a Nightingale 1822- Delacroix- Dante and Virgil in Hell 1823- Monroe Doctrine 1830- Delacroix- Liberty Leading the People 1831- Hugo- The Hunchback of /Notre Dame 1835- Friedrich- The Evening Star 1837- Dickens- Oliver Twist 1844- Dumas- The Three Musketeers 1845- Poe- The Raven 1848- Marx and Engels- The Communist Manifesto 1859- Darwin- Origin of Species 1866- Dostoevsky- Crime and Punishment 1870- Degas- The Orchestra of the Opera 1874 - Monet- Impression- Sunrise 1876- Bell invents telephone 1877- Cezanne- Still Life with Apples 1877- Tolstoy- Anna Karenina 1884- Twain- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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Romantic Era - Important Figures

Lord Byron Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Alexandre Dumas Victor Hugo Walt Whitman Emily Dickinson Franz Liszt Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Camille Saint-Saens Edward Grieg Gioachino Rossini

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The Revolution in Transportation

Increased mobility on both land and sea in the 19th century, fostering commercial and cultural connections

Music publishers could distribute their music on a global basis for the first time

European musicians could tour the United States with ease, and American musicians could tour Europe

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Industrial Revolution

Made it possible to manufacture goods on a scale never before imagined

Pianos and other instruments could be produced in mass quantities in large factories; this made pianos more affordable

Every middle-class-household had a piano

Demand grew for piano compositions, songs, and chamber music

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Technological Innovations

Telegraph

Telephone

Railroads; transcontinental railroad (New York-San Francisco 7 days of travel)

Steamships; Europe-United States (6 days vs months)

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Romantic Era- Music as Political Force Music proved an important vehicle for expressing political sentiment

throughout the nineteenth century Choral societies that sprang up across the continent were as much

political as artistic Political freedom was the subject of music performed by choral

societies

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Romantic Era- Composers Elevated Status

Composers were perceived to have a window on the infinite and the spiritual, and their social status rose accordingly

They received invitations to gatherings at the highest levels of society and commanded enormous fees for their performances

They joined the pantheon of painters and poets who gave voice to that which could not be expressed in ordinary language

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Romantic Era - Composers’ Distinct Voices

Explored musical extremes of all kinds Wrote for orchestras that were bigger and louder Emphasized extreme contrasts of texture between the simple and the

complex Wrote music that ranged from the disarmingly simple to the fiendishly

difficult, often within the course of the same work Gave growing importance to program music, sometimes exploring the

darker side of the human psyche

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Romantic Era- Nationalism (trend)

Many people began to perceive their social identities on the basis of a shared language and cultural practices

Music proved to be a powerful outlet for the expression of nationalistic feelings

Composers could express in sound their sense of national pride by using characteristic melodic and rhythmic elements of their culture; ex. Chopin’s Mazurka Op. 7, No. 1

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Romantic Era -Important Genres, Trends

Vocal: Opera (Dramatic & Grand styles), Art Song (lied)

Instrumental: Symphony, String Quartet, Trios (chamber music), Miniatures or Character Pieces

Trends: Program Music, Nationalism, Realism, Symbolism

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Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

“Erlkönig” D. 328 (The Erlking) Form: Modified Strophic, ballad Genre: Lied (German song)

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Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Widmung (Dedication) Form: ABA, Genre: Lied

Aufschwung (Soaring) Op. 12 No. 2 Form: ABACABA, Genre: Character piece

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Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Mazurka Op. 7 No. 1 (in B-Flat Major) Genre: Mazurka, Trend: Nationalism

Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 (in E-Flat Major), Genre: Nocturne

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Felix B. Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor, I. (Allegro molto appassionato), Form: Sonata Genre: Concerto (solo)

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Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Symphonie fantastique, IV. “March to the Scaffold,” Form: Sonata Genre: Symphony Trend: Program Music

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Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

String Quartet Op. 96 (in F Major), “American”, III. Genre: String Quartet Trend: Nationalism

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Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Symphony No. 4 Op. 98 (in E Minor), IV. Finale Genre: Symphony Form: Theme and Variation

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Georges Bizet (1838-1875)

L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera) from “Carmen” Genre: Aria (from Opera) Trend: Realism

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Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

La donna è mobile from “Rigoletto” Genre: Aria from Opera Trend: Dramatic & Grand Opera Style

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Richard Wagner (1813-1833)

The Ride of the Valkyries from “The Valkyrie” (Act III) Genre: Opera (opera cycle) Compositional device: Leitmotif (a brief musical phrase or idea connected dramatically to some person, event, or idea in the drama)

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Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869)

Union Genre: Character Piece Trend: Nationalism Displays of virtuosity

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Summary Mood and Emotional Expression- Music is closely related to the other arts, particularly literature. Art forms, including music, exhibited extreme interest in subjects related to nature, death, the fantastic, the macabre, and the diabolical. Unprecedented emphasis was placed on self-expression and the development of a uniquely personal musical style. Music explored a universe of feeling that included flamboyance and intimacy, unpredictability and melancholy, rapture and longing, the mysterious and the remote. Some composers wrote music evoking a specific national identify (“nationalism”) or an exotic location (“exoticism”).

Rhythm- Rhythm is extremely diverse. Tempos are flexible and may change frequently. Tempo rubato permitted greater expressivity and freedom in performance.

Dynamics- Dynamic changes can be sudden or gradual. Extremely wide dynamic ranges, from very soft to very loud, add considerably to emotional excitement and intensity.

Tone Color- Romantic music exhibits a wide range of expressive tone color and sensuous sound. The addition of new instruments and the increased size of the orchestra let to new and varied timbres. Woodwinds, brass, and [percussion instruments played prominent roles in orchestral and operatic works. Composers experimented with timbre through unusual combinations of instruments or by having instruments play in unusual ways.

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Based on Kamien- Music: An appreciation, 9th ed., pp. 295-6)