Chapter 15 Prelude: Music after Beethoven: Romanticism
Key Terms Romanticism Cult of individual feeling Revolt The supernatural The macabre Artistic barriers
Early Romantic Timeline
Romanticism (1) Romantic literature & literary theory flourished particularly
Romanticism (2) Literary figures were talking excitedly about “Romantic” music by the 1820s
Romanticism (3) To us, the word romantic refers to love But glorification of love was just one of many Romantic themes
Romanticism and Revolt American & French Revolutions 1848 revolutions & upheavals In France, Germany, Austria, & Italy Romantics viewed as rebels against the established order Many composers took up cause of liberty Beethoven, Liszt, Verdi, Wagner Social barriers also broken down Greater social mobility Liszt’s affairs with noblewomen
Music and the Supernatural Many supernatural, even macabre subjects
Artistic Barriers (1) A constant search for higher experience & more intense expression
Artistic Barriers (2) Composers broke down barriers of harmony & form
Music and the Other Arts (1) Efforts were made to blend the arts Poetry became more “musical” Paintings & musical works were given “poetic” titles Wagner attempted to merge poetry, drama, music, & stagecraft in his “total artwork”
Music and the Other Arts (2) Artists tried to express higher experience Works that evoke the sublime or the infinite
Concert Life Public concert steadily grew in importance Concert hall & opera house came to dominate Even small cities had symphony societies Including New York & Boston Organized by merchants, government officials, lawyers, & other members of middle class Intimate genres increasingly presented on concert stage Piano works, Lieder, & string quartets