Romantic Period Historical Events 1830: First Railroad
1832: Passing of the Great Reform Bill : Crimean War : American Civil War 1865: President Lincoln assassinated 1865: Slavery abolished in America : Franco-Prussian War 1876: Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone 1877: Thomas Edison invents the phonograph 1881: Panama Canal Built 1883: Automobile motor patented by Dailmer 1886: Statue of Liberty unveiled in New York 1896: Opening of the Glasgow Subway 1830: First Railroad 1832: Passing of the Great Reform Bill disenfranchised 56 boroughs in England and Wales and reduced another 31 to only one MP created 67 new constituencies broadened the franchise's property qualification in the counties, to include small landowners, tenant farmers, and shopkeepers created a uniform franchise in the boroughs, giving the vote to all householders who paid a yearly rental of 10 or more and some lodgers : Crimean War Conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French, British and Ottoman Empires and the Kingdom of Sardina. The war waspart of a long-running contest betweenthe major European powers for influence over territories of thedeclining Ottoman Empire : American Civil War Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America, also known as The Confederacy. Led by Jefferson Davis, the Confederacy fought for its independence from the United States 1865: President Lincoln assassinated 1865: Slavery abolished in America : Franco-Prussian War Conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia.Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation. The complete Prussian and German victory brought about the final unification of Germany and marked the downfall of Napoleon III. 1876: Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone 1877: Thomas Edison invents the phonograph 1881: Panama Canal Built 1883: Automobile motor patented by Dailmer 1886: Statue of Liberty unveiled in New York 1896: Opening of the Glasgow Subway Historical Figures Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849): American author
Charles Dickens ( ): American author Mark Twain ( ): American author Claude Monet ( ): French artist Camille Pissarro ( ): French artist Poe: The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart Charles Dickens: The Adventures of Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and a Christmas Carol Mark Twain: (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Claude Monet: Impressionist painter; Water lilies Pissarro: Impressionist painter; influences Post-Impressionist painters like Van Gogh Nationalism in Music Describes increasingly common trend in the nineteenth century for composers to draw on the folk songs, dance, legends, literature, character, and language of their own country as inspiration for musical composition, as opposed to the universal European style that had prevailed (instrumental: Vienna, Austria, Germany/opera: Italy and France) Important movement in France England Eastern Europe Scandinavia USA Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Born near Grenoble, France
Father was a physician Learned to play the flute and guitar (was only modestly talented on these two instruments) Berliozs father wanted him to become a doctor, so Berlioz moved to Paris to study medicine but hated it Drops out of medical school: starts going to concerts in Paris As a young man, was profoundly moved by such great literary works as those of Virgil and Shakespeare Now in Paris, he was able to hear for the first time the symphonies of Beethoven in performance, and that was a huge revelation for him Also strongly influenced by opera, especially by the composer Gluck Berlioz Continued 1826: Soon enrolls in the Paris Conservatoire to study composition 1827: saw the Irish actress, Harriet Smithson, in a Shakespeare play in Paris; was very smitten by her. Later, Berlioz had fallen in love with, and become engaged to, Camille Mohe, a young pianist 1830: Competes in the prestigious Prix de Rome composition competition, eventually winning it. 1831: Leaves for Rome (to fulfill the stipulations of the Prix de Rome) While in Rome, finds out that Camille has married another man: Berlioz plans to return, and also thinks about committing suicide. 1832: Berlioz returns to France Finally meets Harriet Smithson in person; she agrees to marry him. Income from commissions (a small source of income); his major source of income was from writing (editing, writing treatises, musical commentary, etc.) From 1840 onwards, was active touring throughout Europe, promoting and conducting his works, and earning income as a guest conductor 1850: Appointed head librarian at the Paris Conservatoire (his only official musical position) 1854: Harriet Smithson died (they had been separated for some years), and later that year married Marie Recio 1867: Extended stay in Russia 1868: Became ill and eventually died on March 8, 1869 in Paris Sent Smithson love letters, etc.; but she refused to meet him. The Symphonie Fantastic (subsequently written in 1830) was inspired by his feelings for her. They get married; however, there are language barriers and she gets sick. He attempts suicide by dressing as a womans servant and trying to drown himself in Mediterranean Sea. Importance of Berlioz An important innovation he brought to the process of rehearsing was sectionals Important compositions 1830: Symphonie Fantastique 1834: Harold in Italy (large-scale work for viola and orchestra, commissioned by the great violinist, Niccolo Pagenni) 1837: Requiem 1839: Romeo and Juliet Symphony 1840: Funeral and Triumphal Symphony, scored for a wind band of 200 players, first performed outdoors as a part of a civic parade; 1842: added strings and a final chorus 1849: Te Deum (chorus and orchestra) 1854: L Enfance du Christ 1858: Les Troyens (massive opera, based upon Books 2 & 4 of Virgils Aeneid) Books: Les soirees de l orchestra (Evenings with the Orchestra): 1852 Treastise on Instrumentation (Hugely important work on orchestration; still used today) Memoirs (published posthumously, 1870) The Orchestral Conductor Symphonie Fantastique: Idee Fixe: fixed idea or recurring motive Programmatic music Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Born in Hamburg, Germany Son of a banker
Grew up in anintellectual and cultivated environment: his grandfather was a prominent Jewish philosopher Regarded as the greatest child prodigy since Mozart Was celebrated as a pianist and composer from his early years Wrote over 100 works by age 20, including 12 string symphonies, the beautiful Octet for 4 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos, and the famous Overture to Midsummer Nights Dream Wrote five symphonies including the Reformation Symphony, No. 5 Made 10 visits to England, where he was very popular Was a colleague of Berlioz & Liszt; basically disapproved of both Mendelssohn continued
1812: Moved to Berlin 1816: Converted to Lutheranism 1829: Was first to perform Bachs St. Matthew Passion in the nineteenth century 1846: Wrote the great Oratorio Elijah for the Birmingham, England Music Festival 1835: Appointed conductor of the Leipzig Gerwandhaus Orchestra (important musical position) 1837: Married Cecil Jeanrenaud, had 5 children 1843: Founded the Leipzig Music Conservatory 1839: Gave the world premiere of Schuberts Great C Major Symphony 1844: Composed the famous Violin Concerto 1847: Died of a series of strokes, shortly after the death of his sister Fanny Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) Born near Warsaw, Poland
Had a Polish Mother and a French father Was a child prodigy pianist (like Mendelssohn) Also, mostly wrote piano works By age 7: giving public concerts His father taught French in a Warsaw school Studied at the Warsaw Conservatory of Music 1830: Chopin, aged 20, set off on a European tour French is important because all ruler rulers spoke French because it was the language of the cultivated. In fact, all of his compositions include the piano Chopin Continued November 30:uprising in Poland
Chopin kept traveling west: Vienna, Stuttgart, finally ended up in Paris In Paris: became acquainted with Liszt, Berlioz, and Mendelssohn Moved in intellectual and artistic circles March 23, 1833: Chopin, Liszt, and Hiller performed the Bach Concerto for Three Harpsichords (on pianos) Introduced to George Sand (female novelist) in 1837; had a relationship with her that lasted for ten years Was in poor health for much of the last 4 or 5 years of his life Died of Tuberculosis Ex: Nocturne, Sonata no. 2 Bb Minor, Etude in C minor Op. 25 no. 12 Wrote programmatic music Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Born in Hungary Age 13: moved to Paris
Like Chopin, a child virtuoso Greatest pianist of his age, and perhaps of all time Became good friends with Berlioz and Chopin Touring superstar of the piano Composer as well as performer (mostly piano works) 1848: Settled in Weimar, Germany, as music director (composed orchestral music instead of piano playing) 1861: Went to Rome and took holy orders (became an Abbe) The ultimate Romantic figure Avant-garde Incredible, virtuoso performer: superstar of the concert stage Lisztomania (1842) Liszt Compositions Wrote a great deal of piano music: very difficult compositions, expanded the technical limits of piano playing Also wrote Symphonic Poems: relatively short symphonic compositions, in one extended movement, with contrasting sections (program music) Works Annees de Pelerinages: Years of Pilgrimage Piano Sonata in B Minor Trios Etudes de concert Les Preludes Mazeppa Hamlet Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe: From the Cradle Trotentanz Many transcriptions of famous symphonies, overtures, songs, opera arias, etc. for performance at the keyboard (one pianist) Beethovens Symphonies 5, 6, 7 Berliozs Symphonie Fantastique Berliozs Harold in Italy Saint-Saens Danse Macabre Mozarts Requiem Transcription for piano duo: Beethovens Symphony No. 9 Romantic Opera Comic Opera: Spoken dialogue
Serious or Grand Opera: Sung dialogue Lyric Opera: half-way between comic and serious opera The great operas of the 19th century were tragic operas, ending with the death of the hero or heroine Traits of Operas Beautiful Melodies Innovative orchestration
Huge orchestras called for (pit orchestras were very large) New instruments developed for opera: Wagner tubas, etc. Coloristic instruments used in opera: English horn, harp, etc. Nationalism: opera texts were in the native language as opposed to Italian Opera plots were often tied to themes of freedom, independence, etc. as countries began to develop national aspirations National myths & legends were important (Wagner) Two opposing themes in 19th century opera: exoticism (escapism)/Stark (realism) Intense expressiveness/highly charged emotions Programmatic music Vocal virtuosity Blurring boundaries between aria & recitative, and between scenes (Wagner) Eventually breakdown of tonality (Wagner) Giuseppe Verdi ( ) The Italian Opera Composer of the 19th century, and one of the two giants of 19th century opera Was loosely associated with the Risorgimento: Italian movement towards nationalization V.E.R.D.I. stands for Victorio Emanuel Ri Di, King of Italy Born near Busseto, Italy Early studies in music compositions To Milan (age 20) to continue his studies Returned to Busseto to be the local music master Married local girl, Margherita Barezzi, 1836 Had two children, both of whom died in infancy Died in 1901 of a stroke Verdi is persuaded to write another opera: this third opera, about the Jewish people of the Old Testament, and their oppression under King Nebuchadnezzar, was first performed in March 1842 This opera was a huge success and established Verdi as a preeminent opera composer The theme of the opera: the oppression of the Jewish people under foreign rule Resonated with the Italian populace, who wanted to have an independent national state Died in 1901 of a stroke His funeral was the largest gathering of the Italian public ever ( mourners were present) Verdis works Operas Requiem is very massive and frequently performed
Macbeth Rigoletto Luisa Miller Il trovatore La traviata Un ballo in maschera La forza del destino Aida Otello Falstaff Requiem is very massive and frequently performed Last work was Four Sacred Pieces (1898) Nearly all of his operas were Serious operas Librettos and plots were from Romantic authors and poets, also Shakespeare Richard Wagner ( ) The dominant figure of the nineteenth century music Born in Leipzig, Germany Father died when he was 6 months old; his stepfather was an actor 1828: heard Beethovens 7th and 9th symphonies: awaken his interest in music 1831: Enrolled in the University of Leipzig; continued some music studies and composition studies on the side 1833: First opera (Die Feen) and first musical position (choir master at Wurzburg) 1836: Marrie Minna Planer- disastrous marriage, moved to Riga (Northeast of Poland, on Baltic Sea) Wagner continued 1839: Fled Riga to escape creditors and ended up in Paris 1840: completed Rienzi 1842: Moved to Dresden, Germany; Rienzi performed there to great acclaim Eventually appointed court conductor at Dresden 1848: (Year of Revolution) Became involved in uprising ; uprisings in Dresden and elsewhere eventually suppressed, Wagner fled to Switzerland Was in exile in Switzerland for about 12 years Wrote philosophical treatises: The Artwork of the Future (Opera as Gesamtkunstwerk which translates as Total Artwork) Opera and Drama Also wrote the libretto for the Ring Cycle, began work on the music for the Ring Cycle 1862: Finally parted from Minna 1864: Mad King Ludwig II succeed to the throne of Bavaria Huge fan of Wagner and brought Wagner to Munich and paid off Wagners debt 1865:Tristan und Isolde premiered in Munich: conductor was Hans von Bulow; his wife, Cosima, was already involved with Wagner 1870: Cosima divorced and married Wagner 1876: Created Bayreuth- New Opera House Bayreuth Festival in existence ever since The Ring Cycle Died of a heart attack Wagners style Harmony: chromaticism, blurs tonality
Orchestrations: Huge orchestras needed in the pit and new instruments developed Flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, Wagner tuba, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, harps, etc. Thunder machines, anvils Continuous action: divisions between recitatives and arias blurred; divisions between scenes and acts blurred; more flow on stage Nationalism in opera (Use of Germanic folk-songs, legends, etc.) Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Born in Hamburg Child Virtuoso on piano
Age 20: Met Robert Schumann, who would go on to champion Brahms music Brahms: would go on record as opposed to the new music school of Liszt and Wagner Brahms settled in Vienna In demand as a pianist, conductor, and composer: traveled widely Composed orchestral, vocal, chamber, and piano music; no operas Good friends with Clara Schumann Brahms helped Clara through the crisis of the last years of Robert Schumanns life) Also helped raise her 7 children She performed many of Brahms piano works Died in 1896 and Brahms died one year later Brahmss works Op. 45 A German Requiem
Op. 53 Alto Rhapsody for contralto, orchestra, and male voices Op. 80 Academic Festival Overture Op. 81 Tragic Overture Op. 77 Violin Concerto Op. 102 Double Concerto for Violin and Cello Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857) One of the early Russian nationalists
Wrote operas in the Russian language Used modal scales Used quotations from Russian folk songs Ex: Ruslan and Ludmila - Overture Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) Opera with libretto in Russian
Colorful orchestration: lots of percussion (sounds like church bells ringing in the city square) Definitely sounds model Folk hymn quotation Used Russian language Ex: Night on Bald Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Born in Votkinsky, Russia Was a nationalist in that his operas use the Russian language & are based on works of Russian literature Also used Russian folk songs occasionally However, his music is much more westernized than Mussorgskys, etc. Trained in law to hold government office (civil servant) However, entered St. Petersburg Conservatory at age 19 (when the conservatory opened) Appointed Professor of Music at Moscow Conservatory one year after graduating from the St. Petersburg Conservatory Attempted suicide, had a nervous breakdown Widow Madame von Mect: becomes his patron Provides him with an annual income but only if they never meet Successful composer and conductor Died of cholera (suicide?) Tchaikovskys works Great composer of ballet scores Also wrote
Nutcracker Sleeping Beauty Swan Lake Also wrote Mazeppa Queen of Spades Eugene Onegin Romeo and Juliet (programmatic) Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) Important Czech nationalist composer
Influenced by Brahms Works: New World Symphony Cello Concerto Violin Concerto Piano Concerto Rusalka (opera) Requiem Stabat Mater Used Slavonic Dances Used Czech folk songs and dance Similar to Brahms in orchestration, size of orchestra, use of mellow timbres (liked French horn, viola, and cello) Slightly modal in tonal inflections Use of dotted rhythms (from Czech folk dance) Use of the Dumka (From Slavic ballads: introspective sections contrasted with cheerful, quicker sections)