The Art Song

Art Song – Old Yet New

Romantic relationship of poetry and music– Profusion of Romantic poetry – Composers sought to capture the poem’s

emotional impact in music The composing of songs was not new but

Romantic, particularly German, composers placed great emphasis on the genre due to expressive possibilities

Art Song

Well suited to task of personal expression Solo voice and piano accompaniment Many German composers of art songs in

Romantic period German art songs called lieder (sing. lied)

Three Common Forms

Through-composed– Music unfolds without significant repetition– Constantly changing music suited to storytelling

Strophic– Same music for each strophe (stanza) of text

Modified strophic– Strophic with new music for the final strophe, or– Variations on each subsequent strophe

Song Cycle

Multiple art songs or lieder Thematic connection Famous examples:

– Die schöne Müllerin, Schubert (20 songs)– Winterreise, Schubert (24 songs)– Dicheterliebe, Schumann (16 songs)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Vienna native - sang in Vienna Boy’s Choir Studied with Antonio Salieri in 1810 Taught primary school for three years then quit Lived a bohemian life, eschewing the aristocracy Substantial compositional output, but was known

in his time primarily for his lieder Songs performed at Schubertiads

Franz Schubert (cont’d)

Suffered from syphilis (no cure at that time) Torchbearer at Beethoven’s funeral (1827) Died at age 31 (1828) – buried next to Beethoven Leading composer of art songs (wrote 600+) Music bridges Classical/Romantic like Beethoven

Listening Example

Title: Erlkonig Composer:Franz Schubert Genre: Art Song/Lied

Notes on Erlkonig

Four characters portrayed by the singer– Narrator – Boy– Father– Elf King

Note the galloping quality of the piano Through-composed form – no repetition Performed by a tenor

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Studied law but switched to music Dreams of piano virtuosity crushed by injury Turned to composing and music criticism Founded a music journal that still exists

– Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Journal of Music)– http://www.schott-music.com/shop/Journals/Neue_Zeitschrift_fuer_Musik/

Married his teacher’s daughter, Clara Wieck, 1840 That same year he composed approx. 150 lieder

Robert Schumann (cont’d)

Suffered from depression all his life Became delusional, possibly from treatment

for syphilis - mercury Attempted suicide by throwing himself into

the Rhine river in 1854 Died in an asylum in 1856

Listening Example

Title: Du Ring an meinem Finger Composer:Robert Schumann Genre: Art Song/Lied

Notes on Du Ring an Meinem Finger

Rondo form Common time/quadruple meter 4th song in Frauenliebe und Leben cycle Performed by a mezzo-soprano Slow tempo that gradually increases near

end

Early Romantic Piano Music

Evolution of the Piano

Like the orchestra, the piano grows in size and power – Industrial Revolution

Cast iron frame allows for steel strings This enables wider dynamic contrast Range of pitches grows:

– In Mozart’s day the keyboard spanned 5 octaves– By 1820 it spanned 7 octaves

Evolution of Piano (continued)

Foot pedals added by middle of century– Right pedal sustains the pitch– Left pedal dampens the pitch (softer)

These and other developments bring the piano into its modern form

The instrument’s basic design unchanged since 1850’s, though more pitches added

Character Piece

Broad category of Romantic era piano music based on a single idea

Form of program music on small scale Short pieces for solo piano Emphasis on capturing a mood or the feel

of a particular moment

Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)

Born in Warsaw, Poland– Father was French, Mother was Polish

Received education in Warsaw– Father taught at elite aristocratic school– Attended the Warsaw Conservatory

Arrives in Paris, France in 1831 Performs in homes of aristocracy & gives

lessons for very high fees

Frédéric Chopin

Associates w/Liszt, Berlioz, and other artists and writers

Roughly 10-yr relationship w/George Sand– Pen name for Baroness Aurora Dudevant– Novelist and iconoclast

Died of tuberculosis at age 39 Considered a national hero in Poland

Chopin’s Music

Compositions centered around the piano– Works for solo piano– Ensemble works that feature the piano

Use of rubato– Literally means “robbed time”– Generally means freer tempo– Chopin kept LH in strict time, w/rubato in RH

Listening Example

Title: Nocturne in C# minor Composer:Frédéric Chopin Genre: Nocturne

Notes on Nocturne

Nocturnes are characterized by a melancholy, bittersweet quality

Note the use of tempo rubato Rising chromatic line builds tension Frequent minor and major shifts Final major resolution releases tension

Program Music

Century of Program Music

Instrumental music that tells a story or paints a picture

Some composers still write absolute music Programmatic genres:

– Overture (Dramatic and Concert)– Incidental Music– Program Symphony– Symphonic Poem (Tone Poem)

Overture

Dramatic Overture– Precedes a staged work: often an opera or play– Encapsulates the essence of the drama in music– One movement, often sonata-allegro form

Concert Overture– Similar but not connected with a staged work– Programmatic music intended for concert hall

Incidental Music– Music during and between scenes of a play

Program Symphony

A symphony with 3 – 5 movements Movements depict a series of events Composers did not feel bound by multi-

movement cycle rules, but used as a guide Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique best-known

example of a program symphony

Symphonic Poem

Also called a Tone Poem Very similar to concert overture Large scale, programmatic orchestral work One movement, no set form Often features many contrasting sections This genre invented in the Romantic Era

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Born in Grenoble, France Abandoned study of medicine for music Cut off financially by his father Couldn’t play the piano well, couldn’t teach Earned a living as a music critic Despite lack of training, he became one of

the greatest orchestrators

Hector Berlioz

Heavily influenced by literature and drama Married an English Shakespearean actress Did not hesitate to alter or mix genres in

pursuit of dramatic effect Berlioz’s music, like the man, marked by

extremes of emotional expression Recognized today as a brilliant orchestrator

Idee Fixe

A recurring theme or “fixed idea” Theme occurs in each movement It unifies a multi-movement work The theme represents something

– In Symphonie Fantastique it is the “beloved”

Listening Example

Title: Symphonie Fantastique, 5th mvt. Composer: Hector Berlioz Genre: Program Symphony

Notes on Symphonie Fantastique, 5th mvt

Unusual orchestral effects– Col legno – strings playing with the wood of

the bow instead of the hair– Pizzicato – string players pluck the strings

instead of bowing them– Unorthodox combinations – four bassoons and

two tubas initially play the Dies Irae Parody of the idee fixe

Notes on Symphonie Fantastique, 5th mvt

Use of well known chant: Dies Irae– Played in horns– Slow at first, then in rhythmic diminution

Intensifying counterpoint depicts the ghoulish dance of the witches– The Dies Irae becomes a fugue subject