Romantic Period

Principles of the Romantic Era Form rules relaxed (not eliminated) Emotion rather than reason Nationalism Stories depicted Nature viewed mystically (Rousseau) Exotic (foreign culture) Love of the past versus the future

The Romantic Artist/Composer/Writer Personal feelings of the artist became critically important The artist needed to suffer to be fully empowered The starving artist became idealized –And then satirized

Characteristics of Music Departure from Classical era –Message in the music Give a word description for each piece Haydn vs. Beethoven –Beethoven’s 5 th in minor/major key Loss of power in the major –Beethoven’s 5 th in style of Haydn Loss of power Romantic music is felt not reasoned

Characteristics of Music Underlying themes carried throughout the symphony –Complete symphony viewed as a unit –Folk songs incorporated for nationalism Longer symphonies Orchestra grew in size Use of strong dynamics Virtuosos

Discussion Is it important for a composer to communicate with the audience? Why? –Example of communication: baseball

Romantic Music How does a composer communicate? –Form Strength of the Classical Period Romanic Period strayed from strict form –Story Beethoven’s 5 th (symbolic story) Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique (story notes) Tchaikowsky’s Romeo and Juliet (well-known story) –Uncomplicated (short length) Chopin’s works

Beethoven Bridged Classical and Romantic periods –Form used contextually –Perfection was the goal (compare number of symphonies compared with Haydn) –Motifs Short semi-melodies or rhythms carried out in modified form throughout work

Motifs Musical Domain Note Motif Melody Chemical Domain Atom Molecule Bulk Polymer

Beethoven Manifested Romantic ideal –Nature depicted (symbolic story) –Pastoral, Symphony No. 6

Franz Schubert Wrote lieder—songs with emotional theme Told stories in the music –Erlkönig Note the horse rhythm Note the ominous feeling Note the voice differences (narrator, father and son) Note the sad conclusion

Frederic Chopin Born in Poland,lived in Paris Short pieces in small rooms to allow communication –Minute Waltz Virtuosity –Etude Opus 10 Nationalistic (Polish) music shown in his mazurkas, preludes and polonaises –Polonaise in A flat major

Franz Liszt Hungarian child prodigy Greatest showman Hungarian Rhapsody 2

Franz Liszt

Richard Wagner German nationalism Not a prodigy Immoral life Ludwig II Opera –Leitmotif Depicted myths and heroes –Die Walküre (Ride of the Valkyries) –Tristan and Isolde (Unresolved – Liebestod)

Russian Composers Moussorgsky,Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov (Then "Handful") Used Russian themes –Russian Easter Overture Flight of the Bumble Bee Night on Bald Mountain Almaty, Kazakhstan

Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky Russian Used French style Ballets are most famous –Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty –Romeo and Juliet Love theme Fight theme End theme Deep emotion for his sad life –Symphony No. 6 – Pathètique

Discussion The hand-full of Russian composers criticized Tchaikovsky because he didn’t use Russian melodies. Should music be nationalistic?

Giuseppe Verdi Greatest Italian style opera Excellent librettos Orchestra an important component –Aida –La Traviata –Rigoletto La Donna e Mobile

Discussion Why has Romantic music remained so popular?

Principles of Art Abandoned strict rules of neoclassical Conveyed personal feeling of artist Used nationalism Depicted the exotic Landscapes became important

"If you want to do art you must first study the rules, second study the great masters, third forget the rules, because genius begins where trite rules end but you can't get there until you've obeyed the rules first." – Sir Joshua Reynolds ( )

Francisco Goya - Classical Period

Franciso Goya – Romantic Period 3 rd of May 1808

Eugene Delacroix Liberty Leading the People

Delacroix The Death of Sardanapalus

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Fighting "Temeraire"

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Slave Ship

"From the early 16C to the end of the 18C common opinion held that religious and history painting were the highest genres. The one edified, the other reminded; both decorated. Portraits came next, landscapes lagged behind. For nature was not yet loved for itself alone. In the early Renaissance it served as a background only, and even then it was 'humanized' by the presence of temples, columns, or other architectural fragments, along with actual figures." – Barzun, Jacques, From Dawn to Decadence, Perennial, 2000, p71.

John Constable Hay Wain

Literature Romantic Period

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Raised the level of German literature The Sorrows of Young Werther Dr. Faustus

Discussion Why did Goethe’s writings have such a profound effect on the population?

Sir Walter Scott Historical novels –Ivanhoe –Lady of the Lake

Leo Tolstoy Russian War and Peace Anna Karenina Born to nobility but lived on simple farm Freed the serfs

Victor Hugo Son of Napoleonic general Involved in French politics Hunchback of Notre Dame Les Miserables

Alexandre Dumas Imitated style of Scott Novels supported extravagant life –Employed several people Count of Monte Cristo The Three Musketeers The Man in the Iron Mask

Discussion What was the principal message of Scott, Tolstoy, Hugo, and Dumas?

William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge English Lyrical ballads Five years have past; five summers, with the length Of five long winters! and again I hear These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs With a soft inland murmur. Once again Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs, That on a wild secluded scene impress Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect The landscape with the quiet of the sky.

William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge English Lyrical ballads –Suspension of disbelief –Rime of the Ancient Mariner Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink ; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink.

Lord Byron Art was an inner expression Childe Harold The Flying Dutchman The Wandering Jew

Percy Bysshe Shelley English Strongly liberal Friends with Lord Byron Married Mary Wollstonecraft –Frankenstein

Discussion Which is more difficult, creativity within the form or ignoring the form?

Thank You Creativity in emotion