Romanticism Flashcards
Romanticism derived from…
romance literature (romances).
Romanticism evoked…
idealized medieval heritage.
Romanticism defined as…
opposition to real/concrete/predictable/rational and embraced irrational/imaginative/fantastic.
Romantism, in music, meant…
pushing the boundaries of existing forms, harmonic structures, etc., for the purposes of emotional expression.
lied
German song setting poetry to music; Performed by single vocalist and piano (Schubert)
idee fixe
recurring theme/motif (Berlioz)
In Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz’s idee fixe transforms throughout symphony to become a…
grotesque caricature (i.e. witches).
Many works from early 1800s emphasized…
the melancholic, fantastic, or both.
Prevailing music in America included…
dance music and marches (Frank Johnson).
Variety of programs were an important means of…
keep audiences engaged.
Boundaries of form and harmony were…
increasingly stretched for the purpose of expressivity.
The main musical debate in the late 1800s was…
absolute versus program music.
absolute music
music only about itself with no significant extramusical references (i.e. Beethoven’s 5th)
program music
music that tells a story or refers to extramusical events in a way that has a significant effect on form and content of work (i.e. Beethoven’s 6th)
Musical absolutists were cast as…
conservatives.
Programmists cast themselves and their work as…
music of the future.
What were Brahms and Wagner?
Brahms = Absolutist
Wagner = Programmist
gesamtkumstwerk
total work of art
leitmotivs
short, recurring phrases that represent person/place/idea (i.e. Wagner)
Wagner believed that…
the greatest music has powerful emotional impact without mediation of intellect.
First musical manifestations in music were discussed from which perspective?
German.
Nationalism in music was initially thought to be a…
phenomenon against supremacy of German music.
Nationalism within music non-existent in places with…
long musical histories (i.e. France, Germany, Italy).
Program music was often used as a vehicle for pieces with a…
specifically nationalist agenda (i.e. tone poem).
Following the Civil War, American music thematically expanded beyond…
military and dance.
Inversion of European Orientalism
West could be purified and reinvigorated through ideas from East. Only African civilization could redeem America.
ragtime
modified march style popularized by Black composers in 19th century and characterized by syncopation (“ragging” time) and African polyrhythms
