Chapter 2. Romantic Composers and Their Public

More freelancing than previous eras Outside aristocratic or church patronage Inspired by Beethoven Composed to fill an “inner need” rather than fulfill a commission

Partly due to economics French Revolution, Napoleonic wars left aristocrats unable to afford to maintain private music endeavors Merging of many tiny states into fewer, larger ones, left many musicians unemployed without courts

Industrial Revolution – enlarged middle class Composers wrote even more for them Romantic Era a time of many public subscription-based concerts opening London Philharmonic Society (1813) New York Philharmonic (1842) Many conservatories opened in Europe and United States

Public captivated more than ever by virtuosity Best known Romantic virtuosos: Pianist Franz Liszt Violinist Niccolò Paganini

Private music making more popular than ever – nearly every home had a piano High demand for solo piano repertoire Even operas and orchestral works arranged for piano

Few Romantic composers were able to support themselves through composition alone Other income: lessons - especially to the wealthy, who could be overcharged (Chopin taught wealthy young women); music criticism; conducting

III. The Art Song

The Art Song Solo voice + piano Accompaniment is an integral part of the composer’s concept—serves as interpretive partner to the voice Poetry and music are intimately fused Often has piano introduction and ending (called postlude)

The Art Song, cont… One of two forms: Strophic form: repeating same music for each stanza Through-composed: new music for each stanza Song Cycle – romantic art songs grouped in a set Unified by a story line that runs through the poems or by musical ideas linking the songs

IV. FRANZ SCHUBERT

Franz Schubert Born in Vienna, musically gifted at young age Earliest master of romantic art song First Viennese composer whose income came entirely from composition Taught at the school where his father was schoolmaster until age 21

Franz Schubert, cont… Composed rapidly, turned out music at incredible speeds Lived “Bohemian” lifestyle – living for one’s art rather than material goods Age 25: contracted venereal disease Became moody and despaired Could not get jobs later in life Died of syphilis at 31, one year after Beethoven’s funeral

Wrote over 600 songs, symphonies, string quartets, chamber music, sonatas, piano pieces for two and four hands, masses, operatic compositions Songs vary in mood and types

LISTENING TO SCHUBERT Der Erlkönig (1815) Lyrics Poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 4 Characters Narrator Sick son Father Elf King

The Story Father rushing his sick son home through the woods at night The deliriously sick son keeps insisting that the Elf King, the king of the elves, who symbolizes death, is trying to steal him away Father tries to comfort son and explains things away as being “the fog” or “the trees” Father gets son home to find that his son is dead

The Accompaniment Piano plays rapid triplets to simulate horse galloping until the very end when father and son arrive home Through-composed: different music for each verse, no repeated stanzas text painting

The Accompaniment More text painting

The Vocals 4 Characters sung by one person Narrator sung in middle range

The Vocals Father sung in low range Low register contrasts with the high- pitched outcries of the child, as reassurance

Son sung in high range Each of the son’s pleas of “My father, my father!” grows louder and higher as he panics

The Vocals Erlkönig (Elf King) moves up and down Erlkönig sung pianissimo (very quiet) to seem sneaky and persuasive

The Accompaniment Piano stops before the final line, symbolizing the horse’s gallop coming to a halt, and to allow a heartbreaking recitative as the narrator tells us, “In his arms the child was dead!”

The Performance Challenging for piano Rapid hand movement throughout song Challenging for singer Portraying characters Books: pg. 287

“The Erlking” by Albert Sterner, 1910

LISTENING TO SCHUBERT Die Forelle (The Trout; 1817) Very famous Nature, folk-like simpicity A trout swims merrily in a brook before being caught by a clever fisherman

Modified strophic form A (stanza 1) A (stanza 2) BA’ (stanza 3) Piano intro that reappears as an interlude after the first and second stanzas and postlude after third stanza

First two stanzas, which portray the trout swimming happily, are the same lighthearted melody (A). Piano accompaniment includes short, ascending passages to depict the trout’s leaps and twists Third stanza is more dramatic, minor, agitated, depicting the trout being caught. Books: pg. 290

LISTENING TO SCHUBERT Piano Quintet in A Major (Trout; 1819), Fourth Mvmt Commissioned by a cellist who admired Die Forelle and asked Schubert to write variations on it

Variations found in 4 th and 5 th mvmts Scored for piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass

V. ROBERT SCHUMANN

Born in Zwickau, Germany Son of bookseller, loved literature Wrote poetry, composed, decent pianist Studied law in Leipzig Rarely attended lectures and devoted time to literature and music

Age 20 – tried to become piano virtuoso Developed finger pains/problems Used mechanical device to stretch/strengthen fingers Didn’t work – one finger permanently crippled Still composed many piano works Very personal, autobiographical

Multiple Personality Disorder “Florestan” and “Eusebius” Often signed his articles written for the New Journal of Music with these names

Met his piano teacher’s daughter and prize pupil, Clara Wieck, when he was 18 and she was a 9-year-old piano prodigy Got engaged when she was 17, despite her father’s wishes Happy marriage, 8 children

Physical and mental health deteriorated 1854: tried to commit suicide, committed himself to an asylum where he died 2 years later

Schumann’s Music Wrote art songs, piano music, symphonies, chamber music Much of it organized into cycles or sets Full of extramusical references – thought of music in emotional, literary, and autobiographical terms

LISTENING TO SCHUMANN Carnaval ( ) Cycle of 21 brief pieces with titles evoking a festive masked ball Varied characters, moods, activities

He called it a “musical picture gallery” Includes Sketches of fellow musicians Young women in his life at the time Stock characters from commedia dell’arte Self-portraits representing the introverted and outgoing sides of his own personality (Florestan and Eusebius) Books pg. 294

VI. CLARA WIECK SCHUMANN

Concert Pianist, premiered many of her husband’s works and those of Brahms. Daughter of well known musicians and teachers Married day before 21 st birthday Married for 14 years

Considered herself primarily a performer Wrote art songs, lyrical and virtuoso piano pieces

LISTENING TO CLARA SCHUMANN Romance in G Minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 22, No. 2 (1853) Dedicated to a friend of hers who played them for his employer: King George V of Germany, who loved them

The term “romance” was often used for short, lyrical pieces for piano or solo instrument with piano accompaniment. Displays her gifts as a melodist. Books pg. 298