Romantic Solo Concerto

Question 1

When was the Romantic era

Answer 1

1820 -1900

Question 2

Romantic Solo Concertos continued to be instrumental works for

Answer 2

a single solo instrument with orchestral accompaniment but became more dramatic sounding and emotive. sometimes double concertos were written for solo instruments

Question 3

what was the harmony

Answer 3

mainly diatonic but much more use of chromatic harmony, dissonance and added note chords

Question 4

what is dissonance

Answer 4

clashing notes and chords

Question 5

eg of added note chords

Answer 5

9ths to create dramatic effects

Question 6

what happened to the tempo and metre

Answer 6

frequent changes of time signature and tempo

Question 7

texture of the Romantic Solo concertos

Answer 7

homophonic (melody and accompaniment) but more complex than in classical concertos

Question 8

dynamics in romantic solo concertos

Answer 8

extremes of dynamics were common (ppp, fff) and specific expression markings

Question 9

examples of expression markings

Answer 9

expressivo, dolce, appassionato

Question 10

how was 1st movement played

Answer 10

in sonata form, allegro - soloists played virtually throughout

Question 11

how was the second movement played

Answer 11

ternary or variation form
slow, lyrical and song like, often short and acting mainly as an introduction to the very fast and virtuosic finales. sometimes linked to final movement with a pause

Question 12

how was the third movement played

Answer 12

rondo, variation or sonata form

fast and cheerful

Question 13

explain the melody compared to the classical concerto

Answer 13

the regular balanced phrases of the classical concerto were less important with composers giving more freedom to expression within their melodies which were now often long and dramatic, loud and powerful or warm and emotional

Question 14

examples of romantic solo concerto composers

Answer 14

beethoven, brahms, liszt, mendelssohn

Question 15

where were the romantic solo concertos performed (venues)

Answer 15

performed in large-scale public concerts and festivals. larger concert halls had to be built due to the rise of the “middle class” concert goer

Question 16

what type of performers were composers also

Answer 16

many romantic solo concerto composers were also virtuoso performers
eg Franz Liszt, Chopin, Clara Shumann and Niccolo Paganini

Question 17

what was the size of the orchestra and what did it allow

Answer 17

was large and often contrasted dramatically with the soloist, this growth allowed new timbres and sonorities to become available to composers who explored rich and colourful orchestration

Question 18

what happened to the strings sections

Answer 18

it was enlarged again, often with the addition of harps

Question 19

what happened to the woodwind section

Answer 19

instruments were added to the woodwind section such as the Double Bassoon, Cor Anglais, Bass Clarinet and Piccolo

Question 20

what happened to the Brass section

Answer 20

saw trombones and a tuba added along with an extra trumpet and two further french horns

Question 21

what happened to the percussion section

Answer 21

now features a vast array of Drums, Cymbals, Pitched percussion and other instruments which could be hit, struck, banged or plucked!

Question 22

how many players in the Romantic orchestra

Answer 22

90-100 players

Question 23

which instruments did romantic composers write solo concertos for

Answer 23

for almost any orchestral instrument but the piano and violin continued to be popular choices as solo instruments

Question 24

who does the conductor follow

Answer 24

continues to follow the soloist and the orchestra follows the conductor

Question 25

why is the soloists interpretation of the music now more important

Answer 25

due to the music being more dramatic and powerful

Question 26

changing roles - soloists vs orchestral accompaniment

Answer 26

the soloists stepped forward as the “heroic figure” with the orchestra slipping back into a more “subordinate” role

Question 27

what did the soloist and orchestral accompaniment changing roles add

Answer 27

more “competition” between soloist and orchestra

Question 28

difficult soloist part

Answer 28

soloists part became more difficult, virtuosic and technically difficult to play

Question 29

what did cadenza sections allow

Answer 29

to allow the soloist to “show off” becoming more complex and difficult with lots of melodic decoration, ornamentation and fast scale passage and demanding playing techniques particular to the solo instrument

Question 30

playing techniques particular to the solo instrument examples

Answer 30

glissandi on the piano, double stopping and harmonics on the violin

Question 31

what changed about cadenzas?

Answer 31

they were now written out and not improvised by the performer

Question 32

what happens at the start of the first movement

Answer 32

the soloists often enters immediately (no orchestral introduction) at the start of the 1st movement sharing themes with the orchestra

Question 33

woodwind consists of

Answer 33

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, double bassoon, cor anglais, bass clarinet and piccolo

Question 34

brass consists of

Answer 34

3 trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones and 1 tuba

Question 35

percussion consists of

Answer 35

timpani and lots of different timbres including pitched percussion instruments

Question 36

romantic composers who wrote music expressed what

Answer 36

their inner most feelings and the regular 4 and 8 bar phrases of the Classical Concerto were less important as greater flexibility was now key

Question 37

how did the industrial revolution impact the romantic solo concertos

Answer 37

it improved instruments and the rise of the “urban middle class” (not musically educated) - music now available to more people not just the rich and upper class, piano was common in middle class peoples homes