Romantic Era Flashcards
romantic main themes
individuality, originality, fantasy, expression of pure emotion, transcending conventional limits to pursue deeper truths
napoleonic wars cultural affect on music
changed old boundaries and spread ideas of national identity across Europe, interest in national culture grew, becomes more important and reflective in music
napoleonic wars economic/political affect on music
war and inflation destroyed aristochracy, less states meant less courts supporting the arts, more freelance artists and freedom, so they became specialized in niches
middle class reasons for instruments (5)
- had time and money
- released from social pressures
- expressed aspirations wo risk of censorship
- gave escape from wars, economies, repression
- music more personal, not confined to churches and courts
music as social control (4)
- state sponsered opera
- church choirs
- kept woman occupied and attracted a spouse
- factory bands for better conditions and keep from drinking and orginizing strikes
instrument improvements ->
more options for composers, music more expansive
how did composers make music appealing to amateurs (9)
pieces songlike, uniform in rhythm and difficulty, 4 bar phrases, dynamic contrasts, imagery, dramatic and colourful, harmonies, evocative titles, national or exotic associations
absolute music
refers to nothing but itself
programmatic work
recounts narrative or series of events
character piece
depicts or suggests mood, personality, scene
romantic as a term
focussed on indl, expression of self, search for original, interesting, evocative, expressive, extreme, derieved from medievel romance (heroic tales), connotates something legendary and fantastic from a far off everyday life
classical and romantic periods divided when
1820s, some other theories differ
romanticism as a rxn (4)
- as society changed rapidly, romanticism sought refuge in past, myth, dreams, irrational, supernatural
- regarded common people as true embodiment of nation
- pursued enlightenment instead of $
- instrumental music permier mode of artistic expression, freee of concreteness of words, explored new relams of sound
organic form
like how all parts of a plant are adaptations of same basic shape, all parts of a musical piece should have a common source (relationship of themes, movements, etc)
the Lied
fusion of music and poetry, often about greater forces or nature as a metaphor for the human experience
lyric
short strophic poems of ancient lyrics and folk verses, chief poetic genre, expresses personal feeling or vuewpoint
strophic
verses with same melody but different words, no chorusses, like Amazing Grace
ballad
romantic adventures or supernatural incidents, longer in length for more moods, events, themes, and textures, piano rose as an equal partner
schubert (7)
- master of romantic lied
- set poetry to music
- wanted music to be an equal of the words, not just words
- totallu freelance
- hosted schubertaid parties
- fond of modulation
robert schumann (4)
- wrote to express passions and frustrations for love
- music critic
- mental instability, confined to asylum
- didnt give title until after piece was written
clara schumann (4)
- virtuoso pianist, always stuck to exactly what composer said
- played by memory
- edited roberts work
- composed her own
song cycles
groups of song that go together and relate like an album, with unifying characteristics
Ballads/parlour songs 4
Songs for home performance, relies on vocal melody with piano as support, performers could adorn or reshape, famous one is home sweet home by Henry r bishop
Stephen foster 3
First American to line solely as a composer, combined different styles, easy to perform and remember
Piano music major purposes 3
Teaching (Clementis studies), enjoyment (dances, lyrical, character pieces, sonatas), public performance by virtuosos
Mendellson 4
- blended influences from older composers and his own contemparies
- favoured fluent technique over bravura with no substance
- famous for songs without words, for thoughts that couldn’t be expressed with words (absolute music, music speaks for itslef and nothing else)
- combines romantic expressivity and classical forms
chopin 3
- composed almost exclusively for piano
- national polish flavour
- for amateurs, virtuosos, connoisseurs, many different genres (polaiase, etudes, mazurka, nocturne
liszt 7
- massive hand span for very virtuostic pieces
- new playing techniques and textures
- pioneered recital, master class
- experimental, embraced dissonance w/o resolving
- liked chords to divide octave =ly
- also did transcriptions, paraphrases
- embodied romantic characteristics supposedly more than any other musician
goltschalk 2
- first american composer with international rep
- rhythms and melodies based on mother’s carribean heritage
etude
each adressed a specific technical skill
polonaise
courtly aristrocratic dance, asserts national identity (chopin polish)
mazurka
polish folk dance, exoticism with trills, grace notes, leaps, slurs, ruboto
nocturne
mood piece, embellished melodies, singing style
