Romanticism and MusicBy: Meghan, Britt, Carly, and Erica

How is Romanticism displayed in music?Emphasis on emotion and great freedom of formRomanticism also emphasized:the individualthe subjectivethe irrational the imaginativethe personal the spontaneousthe visionarythe transcendental

How is Romanticism displayed in music continued...Composers pushed all instruments to the limits of their expressivenessExpanded the range to explore the entire chromatic scale, and linked instrumentation with the human voiceWhen a composition had words, the romantic influence can be especially evidentpoetic texts, legends, and folk tales, and the linking of words and music either programmatically or through forms such as the concert overture and incidental music is common

Comparing Music During the Romantic Era and the Classical Era

Classical Era (1750-1820)Characteristics:Simple melodies: Sonatas (one or two instruments)PianoEmphasis on balance, restraint, beauty, and eleganceHomophonicEasily remembered melodiesUnexpected pauses, syncopations, and frequent changes from long notes to shorter onesPopular Composers:Mozart, Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert

Wolfgang Amadeus MozartLudwig Van BeethovenFranz Schubert

Romantic Era (1850-1920)Characteristics:Artistic freedom, experimentation, creativity, expressive, and nationalismContained warm, personal melodies; expressive indications, implied interpretive freedom and harmonic color Color was intensified by improvements in instruments, particularly the piano. Combined Romantic poetry with voice and piano waltz, mazurka, polonaise, and etudePopular Composers:Brahms, Schumann, Chopin, Wagner, Bach

Romantic Era Cont. MELODY: Long, lyrical melodies with irregular phrases; extensive use of chromaticism ; vivid contrastsRHYTHM: Frequent changes in both tempo and time signatures.TEXTURE: Almost entirely homophonic.TIMBRE: A great variety of tone color; woodwind and brass sections of the orchestra increased; many special orchestral effects introduced; rich and colorful orchestration.

Johannes BrahmsRobert SchumannJohann Sebastian Bach

American Involvement in Romantic MusicThere were several provident American romantic practitioners:Louis Moreau GottschakPianist and composerBorn in New OrleansMoved to Europe in 1942 and came back to United Sates in 19531960-1965 were most famous yearsKnown for combining African and Latin rhythms with classical European style

American Involvement Cont.John Knowles PaineFirst American-born composer to achieve fame for his large-scale orchestral performancesBorn in Portland, MaineIn 1958 traveled to Germany to study musicCame back in 1962 and became the first professor of music at Harvard

Americas small involvementAmerica had little involvement in the Music era of the Romantic movement1. Industrial RevolutionHappened at the same time (1820-1870)America was heavily involved in the Industrial Revolution2. European Composers stayed strictly in Europe-Most of the European composers didnt travel on American Tours-Most Americans didnt know about movement until later on

American Involvement Cont.John Phillip SousaBorn in Washington, D.C.Started musical studies at around age 6Didnt travel to Europe to study music; several European toursConducted the U.S. marine band

Americas small involvement cont. 3. During the Romantic period, American composers were still classical -Before the Romantic music period was classical music period -At the time that classical music period was over in Europe, just beginning in U.S. -America was a celebrating classical music at time of Romantic movement

How did the music during the Romantic Era differ from the music directly after it?

Romantic vs 20th Century

Going from Romanticism to 20th century modernism was a change that would forever change the course of history

Romantic vs 20th CenturyStylistic Changes were being made in:European CountriesNonwestern CountriesAmericaParis was the center for music, art, and literature during the early years of this periodImpressionism evolved out of this during the second half of the 19th century

Romantic vs 20th CenturyImpressionismReaction to Romanticism in FranceFocused on suggestion and atmosphere rather than strong emotion or the depiction of a storyLess use of major and minor scalesGoes for a more dissonant sound (clashing notes)Longer compositions vs. shorter ones

Romantic vs 20th CenturyExpressionism was the German version of impressionismTypical instruments were:Woodwinds, strings, piano, and small chamber ensemblesNationalism-This played a large part in romantic music, but not so much in 20th century music, because it placed a large emphasis on the importance of local traditions and customs and 20th century music hardly emphasized this at all

Overall, the Main DifferencesLess emotions, more how the world was actually perceived (impressionist music)Less spirituality, more focus on concrete things (neoclassicism)Less focus on melodies and rhythms (more diverse)Less of an interest in the past

Major Romantic Composers

Ludwig van Beethoven1770-1827Bonn, GermanyDeaf at age 28Music writing techniques: Sloppy, always making correctionsPopular compositions: Eroica (third symphony), Beethovens Fifth, Fidelio Famous Piano Sonatas: Pathtique, Moonlight, Waldstein and Appassionata

Felix MendelssohnFebruary 3, 1809 November 4, 1847Hamburg, GermanyConservative musical tasteFamous pieces:Wedding MarchViolin Concerto in E Minor, op. 64A Midsummer Night's Dream

Robert SchumannJune 8, 1810 - July 29, 1856Zwickau, GermanyInspired by Schubert and MendelssohnFamous pieces PapillonsCarnavalKreisleriana

Frederic ChopinMarch 1, 1810- Oct. 17, 1849 Zelazowa Wola, PolandWrote his first composition at age 7Famous PiecesPolonaiseNocturne Op9, No2 Funeral March

Johannes Brahms7 May 1833 - 3 April 1897Hamburg, GermanyMajor creative block during the mid-1850sFamous PiecesDouble ConcertoLiebeslieder WaltzesAcademic Festival Overture

Works Cited"Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)." MFiles. Music Files Ltd. , n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. ."Frederic Chopin." 8notes. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. ."Johannes Brahms." Self Confidence or Modesty. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. ."Robert Schumann." Guitar Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2010..

Works Cited "The 20th Century." Fine Arts Society. Fine Arts Society, 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 25 Apr 2010. .

Works Cited"The Classical Era." Think Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2010.http://www.library.thinkquest.orgCriswell, Chad. "Romanticism in Music." Suite101. N.p., 16 Apr. 2006. Web. 30Mar. 2010. ."Romanticism in Music." InfoPlease. HighBeam Research, 2007. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. ."Romantic Music ." RP Fuller. Richard Fuller, 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. ."The Romantic Period." Mostly Wind. Carole B. Miller, 10 Feb. 2009. Web. 25 Apr. 2010. .Schmidt-Jones, Catherine. "Music of the Romantic Era." Connexions. N.p., 19 Sept. 2008. Web. 28 Mar. 2010. .

Works CitedCriswell, Chad. Romanticism in Music. Suite 101. N.p., 16 Apr. 2006. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. .Fuller, Richard. Romantic Music. Richard Fuller. N.p., 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2010.Romanticism (music). TalkTalk. Tiscali, 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. .Schmidt-Jones, Catherine. Music of the Romantic Era. Connections. N.p., 19 Sept. 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. .

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