MUSIC 10

Music of the Romantic Period (1820-1910)

Romantic period was a time of expansion. Industrial Revolution broke down and capitalism and socialism
grew. There was already an advancement in science and technology: Darwin for his "Origin of Species",
and the Morse's telegraph was invented.

The important names in literature were Byron, Keats, Longfellow, Allan Poe; in painting, Tchaikovsky,
Schumann, Verdi, Liszt, etc.

Tacroix FiSchich and Gericault; and in music, Chopin, Brahms, Bizet, Berlioz, After the French Revolution,
aristocratic establishment broke down and 19th century liberalism followed. When the aristocracy
declined, the patronage system also declined.

Because of this, artists and composers were already free to express themselves. They were no longer
employed by the church or the royalty and nobility. They just relied on the support of the public or some
wealthy persons, thus making them victims of economic insecurity. This was the price they have to pay
to be able to enjoy unrestricted artistic endeavors.

The keynote of the Romantic spirit was freedom: political, economic, religious, personal, and artistic. The
common purpose is the free expression of man's feelings about himself, about humanity, and about the
world in which he lives.

Here are some examples of paintings during the Romantic period. Analyze the pictures and find out the
similarities in the music you are about to study.

LESSON 1: THE MUSIC OF CHOPIN

The music of the Romantic period constitutes the largest part of the music still played today and is
usually better known by the public than that of any other period. During this period, instrumental music
gained ascendancy over vocal music but because of the

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appealing, haunting and often singable melodies of the instrumental music, 20th century musicians were
inspired to use the melodies of the music of the Romantic composers. Some of them provided the lyrics
and transformed the

Chopin 1 B

instrumental music into a beautiful song.

One of the leading composers of the Romantic period is Frederic Chopin (1810-

1849), from Poland. His music is among the greatest ever written for the piano, such as his etudes,
nocturnes, preludes, concertos, ballads, polonaises, waltzes, and mazurkas.

All his compositions include the piano and most of his music is for the piano alone that's why he was
known as the "Poet of the Piano". The piano was the most important instrument of the period.

Are you familiar with the song "Could It Be Magic" by Barry Manilow? Listen to the introduction of the
song. Do you know that it's Frederic Chopin's "Prelude in C minor"?

A prelude is a musical introduction to a musical play or composition; sometimes it appears

independently.

"Etude no. 3 in E"

is another work of Chopin which was known to many as "No

Other Love". An etude is a study. It's a piece that develops technical skill and sometimes composed for
public performance.

An example of Chopin's nocturne is "Nocturne in E flat". The melody became popular because of the
song "To Love Again". A nocturne is a piece which is supposed to suggest the atmosphere of night. It's a
small piece without fixed form and dreamy and romantic in character.
Polonaise, waltz, and mazurka are all dance forms in triple meter but with different rhythmic patterns.
Chopin's polonaises and mazurkas reflect this great love for his country.

Chopin's music is individualistic and easily understood. His melodies are lyrical and he is fond of using
ornamentations. Chromaticism is also an important factor in his music.

Listen to examples of Chopin's compositions, sing the following songs and experience his poetic
melodies, bold rhythms, and daring harmonies.

LESSON 2: THE MUSIC OF LISZT

Franz List (1811-1886) was known as the piano virtuoso of the Romantic period. He exploited the tonal
and technical resources of the piano, like using unconventional tones, chromaticism, remote modulation,
dissonances, repeated notes, fast arpeggios, scales played in octaves and chords simultaneously played
by both hands. Extremes in tempo and dynamics were common. Examples of his compositions for the
piano are his etudes, rhapsodies and other piano pieces. A rhapsody is a declamatory piece in free form
using different melodies that vary in mood and tempo.

Listen to List's "Hungarian Rhapsody no. 15" and "La Campanella". Notice the technical devices used by
the composer.

Aside from the compositions for the piano, Liszt also composed music for the orchestra. He conceived
the idea of writing one-movement compositions for orchestra, based on extra musical associations. They
have no standard structure and these works are called symphonic poem or tone poem. An example of
this is his "Les Preludes" Comparing List with Chopin, James Humer said that the difference between the
two composers is that the basis of List is universality while Chopin's is individuality. According to Charles
Hoffer, "Liszt is a showman while Chopin is a shyman".

LESSON 3: ART SONG

An art song is a composition for solo voice that combines melody, poetry, and accompaniment into an
integrated form in which all three play equally important roles. The German word for an art song is "lied"
and the plural is "lieder." There are two main structural forms in art songs

1. strophic - each stanza of the poem is set to the same music

2. through-composed - comes from the German word Durchkomponiert; different music for each

Schubert

stanza of the poem in order to follow the changing ideas or moods of the text

During the Romantic period, one of the leading composers of art songs is Franz Schubert (1797-1828).
He chose the song as his way of expressing his musical thoughts. Many of Schubert's songs are through-
composed. Listen to Schubert's "Serenade"

Romantic perioloma cres Braos (183-1897), Homas:

Another well-known composer of art songs during the influenced by Schubert in composing songs. In his
songs, you will hear the simple tunes of German folk songs. His art songs are as intimate as a personal
message and very human.

Many of his songs are in strophic form. Here is a very familiar lullaby by Brahms, the "Wiegenlied"

LESSON 4: VERDI AND THE OPERA

Opera is a drama set to music. It includes poetry, scenery, costumes, acting, and dancing in addition to
vocal and instrumental music.

Components of Opera:

1. libretto - the text of an opera

2. overture - instrumental composition which serves as an introduction to the opera

3. recitative - a sung dialogue; a vocal part that is declaimed following the pattern of speech rather than
melody

4. aria - a song which poetically and musically reflects dramatic feeling

5. duo, trio, and other small ensembles

6. chorus

7. orchestra

8. ballet - dance of a formal and stylized nature

9. acts and scenes - sections of an opera

Guiseppe Verdi

The greatest composer of Italian opera was Guiseppe Verdi (1813-1901) who composed 27 operas. Some
of Verdi's operas are still performed in opera houses all over the world. Among these are La Traviata, Il
Trovatore and Rigoletto. As you listen to excerpts from Verdi's operas, notice the appealing and easy to
remember melodies and the wide range of emotional situations he incorporates in his work.

Another popular opera of Verdi is "Aida" The famous march played during graduation rites is the Grand
March from the sung. opera "Aida"

LESSON 5: THE MUSIC OF BERLOIZ

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was one of the great Romantic composers who expanded the orchestra. In
the same way that List expanded the tonal resources of the piano, Berlioz exploited the timbre that the
full symphony orchestra can make. He was recognized as the master orchestrator of his era.

Here is an example of a musical score of one of his works. Notice the instruments used.

Berlioz and List are the most important figures in writing music based on extra musical ideas.
Compositions with descriptive associations of this kind are called program music, like the tone poem or
symphonic poem, an idea conceived by List in the second half of the 19th century. Another example is
the program symphony, a composition for orchestra that tells a story. The "Symphonie Fantastique of
Berlioz is an example of program symphony. It is composed of five movements:

1. Dreams, Passions

A Ball

Ill. Scene in the Fields IV. March to the Scaffold

V. Dream of a With Sabbah

As you will notice in the titles, the favorite subjects during the Romantic period are the emotions,
nature, the supernatural, the weird, and the mystic.

Listen to "Dreams, Passions", the first piece from the "Symphonie Fantastique".

LESSON 6: THE MUSIC OF TCHAIKOVSKY

Paterlich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) as the king of composers for the balle fbody

the Romantic period. Ballet is an a fog mas tha kie music and visual aspects of bistic mistments,
costumes, and scenery are comiched forthe psychological and artistic setisfaction they provide. Ballet
musicis originaly intended to accompany ballet but rearranged for concert performance, usually in the
form of a suite. Some single movement works are heard more frequently as concert pieces than as
accompaniment to the dances for which they were written.

Tchaikovsky wrote the three greatest ballet scores of all time. First is the "Swan Lake" which is a full
length ballet with the extent of a symphony. Within this vast score is a short piece like the "Dance of the
Little Swans". This shows his capacity of working within small forms as well as large.
The second and considered by many as probably the best for it's finely structured main theme is "The
Sleeping Beauty". The music is light and perfectly matching the dreamy ambiance of the scene.

The "Nutcracker", a charming light fairytale story, was his final ballet. It has enchanted young and old for
almost 100 years. Here is a part of the score of "Pas de Deux" from the "Nutcracker".

During the Romantic period, the waltz became so popular that it almost replaced all other types of
ballroom dancing. Tchaikovsky wrote many waltzes for the ballets such as the "Waltz from Sleeping
Beauty", "Waltz from Swan Lake" and "Waltz of the Flowers" from the "Nutcracker". Here is a part of the
score of "Waltz of the Flowers".

LESSON 7: GRIEG AND NATIONALISM IN MUSIC

Romanticism fostered an intense feeling of nationalism among composers. This was accomplished
through the use of their own national styles. Among these composers are Grieg of Norway, Tchaikovsky
of Russia, Verdi of Italy, and Chopin of Poland. Their inspirations were drawn from their own folk tunes.

Edvard Grieg (1943-1907) not only used the language and legends of Norway but even the musical
dialect - the curious scales and intervals and folk traits which gave his music the Norwegian flavor.

Listen to examples of his songs and try to sing it.