2020-music for the listener(mus174)-romantic music notes PDF

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2020-music for the listener(mus174)-romantic music notes...

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Romantic Music Romance and Romanticism 1. Came of age during the nineteenth century 2. An artistic viewpoint that also predominated in dance, theater, the visual arts, and music throughout the nineteenth century 3. Fascinated by the unknown and stood in awe of the world 4. Rely on emotion and imagination rather than rational intellect 5. Truth became what a person felt to be true, so it was wrong to deny one’s feelings 6. Grew to distrust reason and science 7. Fascinated by the long ago and far away 8. Considered medieval times to be heroic 9. Impressed by the unknown forces of the world and reveled in the struggle against them 10. Enthralled by nature Not only were the Romanticists impressed by the unknown forces of the world, they also reveled in the struggle against those forces Many Romanticists resented rules and restraints and felt perfectly capable of making their own rules – and proceeded to do so in their artworks Because Romanticists were highly subjective and individualistic, it is not surprising that they intended to be self-centered Romantic musicians were often concerned with the other fine arts as well as with philosophy The fascination with evil led to the inclusion of the Dies irae chant in several musical works and compositions such as Mephisto Waltz, Danse Macabre, and Totentanz Romanticists also had their optimistic and happy side that loved beauty Characteristics of Romantic Music 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Melodies are flowing and passionate Harmonies are rich Chords contain more notes Many more chromatic notes are used Changes of key occur more often and to keys that are harmonically more distant Rhythm is treated more freely, especially in speeding up and slowing down the tempo Changes in dynamic levels are more frequent, with many of the soft places softer and the loud places louder The tonal qualities are richer The works, especially for large ensembles, are often quite a bit longer The element of contrast in music begun by Beethoven is a feature of nineteenth-century music These features often coalesce to produce music of outstanding beauty

Romanticism prevailed from roughly 1820 to 1900

Romantic Music Early Romantic Music The Romantic period loved beauty and passion but was also fascinated with suffering and the idea of evil Schubert composed an enormous amount of chamber music, as did Mendelssohn Art song – a musical setting of a poem for solo singer and piano; developed in Germany is often called a lied or lieder; main purpose is the musical expression of the text, not necessarily a singable tune Art songs in foreign languages are seldom translated into English because it is difficult to match the translated words with the music effectively In an art song the piano does more than accompany the singer, it plays an equal party in evoking a mood and reinforcing the effect of the words of the song Many art songs are through-composed, which gives the composer more freedom since it is not necessary to repeat lines of music if they don’t suit the text The form of the solo concerto deviated significantly from the strict form used in Classical concertos with their double expositions There were several reasons for the small number of women composers…   

It was a “man’s world” Difficult for anyone to get their music published Women were prohibited from gaining advanced instruction in composition

The king in Schubert’s “The Erl King” is a mythical king who lives in the forest “Der Erklonig” is said to be through-composed because no musical line is repeated Romantic symphonies and concertos are generally quite a bit longer than their Classical counterparts Schubert’s “Der Erlkonig” is in German The singer needs to project father, son, Erl King, and narrator in Schubert’s “Der Erlkonig” At the end of Schubert’s “Der Erlkonig” the son is dead in his father’s arms Art songs are usually sung in their original language Romantic Piano Music Character pieces – a short keyboard work expressing a mood or idea, composed during the Romantic period Ballade – a short, melodic piano piece Berceuse – instrumental pieces in a moderate tempo and accompaniment reminiscent of rocking a cradle Prelude – a short instrumental work or a piece to be played as an introduction Impromptu – a short piano composition in a style that sounds improvised Fantasia – a free-sounding instrumental work

Romantic Music Scherzos – the third movement of some symphonies and other works, usually in a playful style or an independent work for piano composed during the Romantic period Nocturne – a type of nineteenth-century character piece for piano; originally, the word meant “night music” Rubato – a performer’s slight deviations from a strict tempo Transcriptions – an adaptation of a musical work for an instrument or voice for another instrument or voice, or for a group of either The Romantic period is sometimes called the “Golden Age of the Piano” The piano was easily the most popular keyboard instrument of the time There were no recordings in the nineteenth century, so piano transcriptions and arrangements of symphonies and opera arias were the only way most people heard those works Numerous short, solo works were composed for piano; often referred to as “character pieces” Pianists used the pedals to contribute to smooth, lyrical phrasing of the music and other artistic effects Chopin wrote almost exclusively for the piano; sometimes referred to as the “poet of the piano” Liszt was very likely the greatest pianist of his day in terms of playing and creating technically demanding music; greatly influenced by Niccolo Paganini’s accomplishments in advancing techniques for playing the violin Clara and Robert Schumann were important to the creation and performance of Romantic music, especially piano music Some composers in the Romantic period worked hard at having their compositions sound like improvised momentary feelings rendered in sound Clara Schumann wrote successful musical works while she was still in her teens Romantic composers involved the pedals a great deal in their piano compositions Important composers of piano music in the Romantic period include…  

Chopin Liszt

Program and Ballet Music Program music – instrumental works associated by the composer with an extramusical idea or object Overture – an instrumental introduction to a vocal work or an orchestral suite Concert overture – an overture not associated with an opera or drama Incidental music – music composed to be performed in conjunction with a drama Tone poem – a sizable orchestral work of program music (also known as a symphonic poem)

Romantic Music Program symphony – a multimovement programmatic work for orchestra Ballet – music and bodily movements combined for artistic purposes Program music is instrumental music that the composer associates with a nonmusical idea For Romantic composers, program music became a means of organizing a work without resorting to the forms developed during the Classical period Four types of program music were composed: concert overture, incidental music, tone poem, and program symphony Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique represents his fantasies about his beloved in five different situations Ballet is an art form that combines body movement, costumes, scenery, and music in an artistic way Choreographers usually create the dance movement to go with a particular musical work Theme transformation occurs when the basic intervals of the theme are retained, but the rhythm, harmony, and other elements are changed Ballet was developed in France Berlioz composed his Symphonie fantastique to express his love for an actress he had never met The fixed idea in Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique appears in all five movements of the work The music we usually hear today from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is a suite selected from the complete ballet Romantic Opera La boheme is a story of the artsy life on the Left Bank on the Seine in Paris In good operatic tradition, Mimi and Rodolfo fall in love very quickly In Act IV the setting is again the apartment, and there are several musical dramatic parallels to the first act The French did not develop quite as distinct a style of opera as the Italians or the Germans did Three French opera composers merit attention: Charles Gounod, Georges Bizet, and Jules Massenet Musical drama – the term Richard Wagner used for his operas in which he tried to strike a balance between the music and the dramatic action Romantic opera can be divided into three national groups…   

Italian French German

Each has its own distinctive style Italian opera features beautiful singing and realism

Romantic Music French opera was often more serious, like those of Charles Gounod German opera tended to be longer and heavier than Italian and French operas Wagner developed his plots around characters from Nordic mythology Wagner no longer divided the music into recitatives, arias, and choruses, because he though such divisions interrupted the flow of the drama The two most important composers of Italian operas during the Romantic period are Verdi and Puccini Verdi’s career was aided by the tide of Italian nationalism in the mid-1800s “Verismo” operas were about people in everyday life Romantic operas often end in tragedy The most important and innovative composer of German opera was Wagner Wagner called his operas “music dramas” because he wanted to eliminate the separation between recitatives and aria Wagner composed many short melodies associated with characters and ideas which he called leading motives or letimotivs Italian opera in the early years of the Romantic period was often called “bel canto”, which means beautiful singing Puccini’s La boheme concludes when Mimi dies in Rodolfo’s apartment Verdi became associated with Italian nationalism because the letters of his name represented “Victor Emmanuel, Rex d’Italia” Late Romantic Music Brahms composed only four symphonies, but each has a prominent place in the repertoire of the symphony orchestra Of all the Romantic composers, Brahms like to use traditional forms the most Brahms is especially gifted in writing melodious second movements, and his Fourth Symphony is no exception Romantic composers, especially in the last half of the nineteenth century, often used the same forms as Classical composers Brahms was especially skilled at working with themes, which gives his music just the right blend of something old and something new Both diminution and augmentation are found in the first movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 Although many fine symphonies and concertos were written in the Romantic period, composers during that time also wrote much chamber music

Romantic Music The fourth movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 contains a good example of the very contrasting nature of themes often found in Romantic music During his lifetime Brahms was considered a conservative composer because he often used forms developed in the Classical period Augmentation – doubling the length of the notes The first movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 is noticeably longer than the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony Dvorak’s American Quartet is so named because it was composed while he lived in America Brahms’s Fourth Symphony, Dvorak’s American Quartet, and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony are still performed in concerts today The first movement of Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 is sonata form Brahms composed…    

Piano music Choral music Chamber music Concertos

Like Beethoven, Brahms extensively develops motives in many of his works When listening to Brahms, one can enjoy it by paying attention to both its sensuous qualities and the composer’s skill Antonin Dvorak’s native country was Bohemia...