What was the Historical Context of the romantic period?

The Industrial Revolution was at its peak, farmers

were moving to the cities, there was an expansive
mass production of all kinds of things, from food,
to materials, and also musical instruments.

The entrepreneurial middle class becomes the dominating

force, and because the instruments were being produced in
mass, now its not prestigious to have instruments.

What was the romantic period?

term applied to music in the 19th century, which had looser
and more extended forms, greater experimentation with
dissonance, richly expressive and memorable melodies,
improved musical instruments, and a view of music as a
moral force in which there was a link between the artist’s
inner lives and the world around them.

What were the Individualistic composers?

the composer or performer is seen in a more individualistic
way, he/she is seen as a hero battling through the
difficulties of the world all alone ; as uniquely gifted
(inspired) to translate to music his personal emotions,
struggles.

The focus starts being more on the individual musician,

and what he/she has to express through his/her art,
rather than a mere source of practical entertainment or
fulfilling a simple task.
What is a virtuoso?
Musician that has the highest level in an instrument.
He is at the peak, he specializes in one instrument.
there are a few of these, and they attract more audience
because the few virtuosos that exist.
Example of virtuosos:
Nicolo Pagani and Franz Liszt.

What is a lied?
German Song that consists of a piano and a voice.
common poetic themes for the lieder were drama, love,
longing, the beauty of nature, and sometimes supranatural
events.
Many German / Austrian composers at the time wrote lieder.

What New types of Piano music emerged?

Piano for teaching
Piano for amateur enjoyment
Piano for public performances such as concerts

What is a nocturne?
A nocturne is a compositor that is inspired or evocative
of the night.

What is a recital?

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What were the Orquestas founded in the romantic period?
London Philarmonic
New York Philarmonic
Vienna Philarmonic

What happened to the size of the orchestras?

The size of the orchestras grew, from around 40 at the
beginning of the century to 90 at the end of the century.
More instruments were added like harps, percussion,
trombones, etc.
Some instruments were improved, trumpets and
French horns got valves.

What are the Conductors?

In the 19th century, the role of the conductor was created.
Conductor uses a baton to beat time and cue entrances.
Many composers were also conductors, sometimes
conducting their own music.

What is the Classical Repertoire?

musicians begin to look at the music from composers in
the past. It is in this moment in history when music
by Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven begins to
be played again and considered as “classics of music”.
Which is the Difference between Program Music and
Absolute music?
Program Music: This kind of music guides the audience to
follow the composers idea, telling a story or following
a sequence of events.

Absolute Music: The Idea of the absolute music is to

give the audience the freedom of thinking. They could
listen to that music and express it as they want.

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Opera

Nationalism and exoticism:

Nationalism: concept of a nation as a group of
citizens with a common heritage emerges. Music was
affected by this, and one of the first genres to see
these elements was opera.

Exoticism: trend in the 19th century in which

composers wrote music that evoked feelings
and settings of distant lands or foreign cultures.

Main Italian Composers:

Gioachino Rossini
Gaetano Donizetti
Giuseppe Verdi
Giacomo Puccini
Opera in France:
The key element of opera in France during
the romantic period was that a new style emerged
called GRAND OPERA.

Grand Opera:
serious form of opera during the Romantic Era that was
sung throughout (no spoken dialogue) and had a big
production with ballets, choruses and spectacular staging.

French Opera Composers:

Hector Berlioz
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Georges Bizet

Opera in Russia:
Opera arrived much later in Russia (until 1731).
It was always sponsored by the Imperial Court of the Tsar.
Opera became more prominent in Russia with
composers such as Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, this composer
integrated elements of folk Russian music.