romantic!period!!182021900!...
TRANSCRIPT
Lecture Notes -‐ Music 110 -‐ Owen J. Lee -‐ day 12-‐2
Romantic Period 1820-‐1900 Romantic -‐ larger than life, glorification of the ego, exaggeration, the bizarre, mysterious, the heroic.
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” – the symphony that broke the bonds of classical restraint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC8LjoIaS4g
Napoleon Crossing the Alps, Jacques-‐Louis David
Society & Musicians Noble Courts disbanded orchestras due the costs of revolution and war -‐ all musicians freelance. large and prosperous urban middle class (formed due to increasing industrialization) wanted music: public concerts -‐ subscription concerts -‐ established orchestras at home: the home piano, transcriptions, musical evenings music lessons, conservatories composers earned living via: their compositions, teaching, performing (some were “worshipped” as performers) journalism (music related) lucky few had patronage from wealthy music lovers (Wagner, Tchaikowsky, Sibelius)
The Music < the influence and Beethoven, the deification of Beethoven > • Subjective Impressions (in varying degrees) -‐ Individuality -‐ self-‐absorbed self-‐expression, autobiography -‐ many works are about something specific. -‐ Great diversity of style -‐ each composer very distinct, as distinct as their personalities. -‐ Intensity and freedom of Expression -‐ outpouring of emotional and spiritual expression. -‐ Every possible human emotion and state of being described with the subtlest nuance -‐ rapturous love, obsessive longing, deep intimacy, monumental adversity, soaring heroism, catastrophic defeat, childlike delicacy, supernatural fantasy, etc. etc. -‐ Each work creates its own complete world. -‐ The physical world as an expression of the human soul. -‐ Music and literature closely linked. • Objective Observations Primacy of Lyrical Melody vs. primacy of balance and structure of the classical style. Expanded Harmony -‐ chromatic harmony -‐ greater dissonance -‐ extreme tension takes longer to resolve Expanded Tone Color -‐ bigger orchestra -‐ more instruments -‐ the art of orchestration -‐ piano's iron frame Expanded range and greater manipulation of dynamics, pitch and tempo for expressive purposes Form -‐ miniature (piano pieces for the middle class home) vs. monumental (public concert hall or
theater)
Fra Hardanger, Hans Gude (1847)
• Conservatives Romantics a less intense version of romanticism, a look back to balance and restraint of the classical style)
Schubert: Symphony No. 9: I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU0ekzVELg0&feature=fvwrel
Franz Schubert 1797-‐1828 -‐ composed all day, performed for friends in the evening. Schubertiades, lived off the charity of his friends. Composed over 600 lieder (art songs) -‐ The Erl King – Primacy of melody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjxsIXMVg8
The Storm, Pierre-‐Auguste Cot
Felix Mendelssohn 1809-‐1847 -‐ born to well to do family, busy career as a conductor -‐ orchestral color -‐ program music vs. absolute music -‐ tone poem -‐ yet restrained expression This primacy of melody found its way to the solo concerto Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEK_vIODM-‐c