Unit 3: Vocal Music in the 19th-Century Flashcards
What is the title of the fourth movement of Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45?
How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place, O Lord of Hosts!
Why did Brahms leave Hamburg for Vienna?
He was bitter that he was turned down for directorship of Hamburg Philharmonic. He went to Vienna to conduct the Vienna Singakademie.
In 1843, Robert Schumann became appointed professor at the newly founded ___ Conservatory.
Leipzig.
Who was Schumann’s teacher?
Friedrich Wieck in Leipzig.
What is the english translation of Und wussten’s die Blumen from Dichterliebe, op. 48?
Poet’s Love.
Schumann often experimented with formal structures, allowing…
Form to be generated by content.
Who are the principle characters in Die Walkure?
Wotan (father and ruler of gods), Fricka (mother and goddess of marriage), Valkyries (daughters), Siegmund (mortal son of Wotan, twin to Sieglinde), Sieglinde (mortal daughter of Wotan), Hunding (Sieglinde’s husband and Siegmund’s enemy), Brunnhilde (favourite daughter of Wotan).
Who did Wagner become romantically involved with in his Munic, Bayreuth, Final Years period?
Liszt’s daughter Cosima, who was still married to conductor Hans von Bulow. They had three children before she divorced von Bulow.
Who was a La traviata inspired by?
A novel and play by Alexandre Dumas.
Which composer entered law school to please their mother?
Robert Schumann.
What is the text source of the fourth movement of Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45?
Psalm 84.
Describe the plot of La traviata:
Violetta Valery is a courtesan in 19th-century Paris. Finds spiritual refuge from tuberculosis in her love for Alfredo Germont. However, the redemptive power of his love comes too late to save her from death.
Chromatic Harmony
From Greek chroma for “colour.” Liberal use of chords based on notes outside the key. Frequently involves modulations to distant keys. Used as expressive device.
What is the English translation of Die Walkure?
The Valkyrie.
What was Verdi’s first major success as a musician?
His opera Oberto, which led to the commission for three new operas.
How was Wagner influenced by Beethoven in his music dramas?
Beethoven’s symphonies inspired him to infuse his operas with a more symphonic approach to writing, such as closely weaving the vocal and orchestral strands into a complex musical fabric.
What followed the writing of Nabucco for Verdi?
A period of vigorous creativity. A new opera every nine months.
Who was Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45 written for?
Robert Schumann. The fifth movement was inserted in memory of his mother.
Why did the Schumann family move to Dusseldorf from Dresden in 1850?
As a result of political unrest.
What are some Romantic features of Brahms’ music?
Modal and chromatic harmony, unexpected modulation.
Who was Tristan und Isolde conducted by when it premiered in Munich in 1865? (Hint: Ironically, Wagner would end up marrying his wife Cosima Liszt 5 years later).
Hans von Bulow.
In 1872, was Brahms in any financial trouble?
No, he was highly respected and financially successful, and made many guest appearances as performed and conductor.
Who was recognized as the greatest Italian composer of opera in the 19th century, whose works remain a staple of the operatic repertory worldwide?
Verdi.
Robert and Clara Schumann had 7 children; however, what put strain on their relationship?
Robert’s mental instability.
How did Wagner make a living in 1839 when he moved to Paris?
He continued writing operas, but survived by working as a music arranger and journalist; his articles and essays were published in several journals, including Schumann’s Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik.
What aspects of Verdi’s music makes it so popular?
Enduring melodies, rich emotional expression, compelling drama, and universal human appeal.
How long did it take Wagner to complete Der Ring des Nibelungen?
Over 20 years.
Who had a “year of song,” writing over 150 songs?
Robert Schumann.
Where did Wagner obtain a musical education?
Attended Leipzig University and studied with teacher/composer Christian Theodor Weinlig. However, he considered himself largely self-taught in music.
Which composer used techniques such as contrapuntal elements (imitation, intricate voice leading, well-crafted bass lines, frequent pedal points)?
Brahms.
Who was the principle advocator for Robert Schumann’s music?
Clara Schumann.
Song Cycle
A collection of art songs united by a central theme or narrative thread. Intended to be performed together. Poetic texts drawn from same author.
Whose music influenced Wagner very early on?
Beethoven, especially his Symphony No. 9 and his opera Fidelio. This influence was apparent in Wagner’s earliest compositions.
In what period did Wagner begin formulating ideas for what would become Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of Nibelung)?
Dresden period.
Recitative
A speech-like stye of singing heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata. Used for “dialogue” between characters and to advance the plot. Often used to precede an aria.
How did Robert and Clara Schumann make a “statement” to Friedrich Wieck?
By getting married on the eve of Clara’s 21st birthday, the day when she no longer needed permission.
___ became a lifelong friend and collaborator to
Brahms, and introduced him to musicians like Liszt, Berlioz, and the Schumanns.
Joachim.
Homorhythmic Texture
All voices sing the same rhythm. Results in a blocked chordal texture (homophonic). Delivers the text with clarity and emphasis.
What was the inspiration for Dichterliebe?
Heinrich Heine’s poetry.
How many operas did Verdi write?
28.
Verdi’s birth/death years:
1813 - 1901.
What works marked dramatic departure from operatic tradition, heralding the evolution of a new style?
Der fliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman) and Tannhauser.
After leaving school, what did Brahms do?
He contributed to the family income by teaching, accompanying in the local theatre, and playing at working-class dining establishments and private parties.
True or false? Verdi’s wife and two kids died within a two year period.
True.
In 1853, Robert Schumann met a young composer by the name of ___ ___ and wrote an enthusiastic article about him. This led to widespread fame for the young composer.
Johannes Brahms.
Who was in attendance at the first Bayreuth Festival?
Edvard Grieg, Camille Saint-Saens, and Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky.
What is the language of La traviata?
Italian.
What were the sources of the librettos for Verdi?
Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, William Shakespeare.
Eusebius and Florestan
Two personae of Schumann. Opposing sides of his creative genius. Eusebius was introspective and dreamy. Florestan is extroverted and impulsive.
True or false? Wagner reduced the size of his orchestra for more control.
False. He required an expanded orchestra, often with over one hundred players. He invented the Wagnerian tuba.
Did Schumann ever achieve his dream of becoming a concert pianist?
No, a hand injury prevented him from doing so.
When did Schumann compose Dichterliebe?
In 1840 during his year of song.
In the 1830’s, what type of composition did Schumann focus on?
Piano.
Schumann’s birth/death years:
1810 - 1856.
Who did Brahms write Four Serious Songs, op. 121 for?
Clara Schumann in anticipation of her death after a series of several strokes.
What was Robert Schumann’s role in Dusseldorf?
Municipal music director.
What is the English translation of La traviata?
The Lost One.
Who was one of the few opera composers to write his own librettos, and always worked on the librettos before composing the music?
Wagner.
Describe Verdi’s first period of musical output, and examples of some of his operas from this period.
Represents a gradual evolution within the Italian opera tradition. Operas include Oberto, Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and La traviata.
Where did Brahms accept directorship to in 1872?
Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of Musical Friends).
What was Wagner’s first opera, and what was unusual about it?
Die Feen (The Fairies). It was never performed in his lifetime.
Gesamtkunstwerk
German for “total art work.” An ideal expounded by Wagner in his writings. Achieved through the perfect union of text, music, and stagecraft (costumes, scenery, lighting).
What are the characteristics of 19th-century vocal music?
Extra-musical sources, fascination with the supernatural, adoration of nature, subjective emotional expression, and longing for the unattainable.
What is the genre of Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45, fourth movement?
Sacred choral work.
Wagner was the ___ child in his family, and his father died shortly after birth.
Ninth.
What did Wagner use as opposed to the “numbers” approach used in Italian opera?
A more seamless, through-composed type of opera in which the distinction between recitative and aria was blurred.
What is the structure of La traviata?
Three acts.
Die Wakure is the ___ opera in the Ring cycle.
Second.
What was Schumann’s first composition
Abegg Variations for solo piano.
What is the genre of Dichterliebe?
Song cycle.
What was premiered at the first Bayreuth Festival?
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
The ___ technique is central to Wagner’s operas.
Leitmotif.
Heldentenor
German for “heroic tenor.” A male boise with a high range, possessing incredible strength and stamina. Associated specifically with Wagner’s operas.
Verdi is primarily known for his accomplishments in one genre. What is that genre?
Italian opera.
True or false? Schumann embraced virtuosity, often employing it extensively in his works.
False. Unlike many pianist-composers of his time, he did not embrace virtuosity for its own sake.
Who were Verdi’s influences?
Early opera serial and opera buffs, Parisian grand opera (Giacomo Meyerbeer), bel canto composers (Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Gioachino Rossini); Italian operas of Mozart.
Give a summary of the text of the fourth movement of Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45:
The text offers up a song in praise of the gifts of heaven.
Give an example of how Wagner employed a sophisticated chromatic harmony:
The Tristan chord.
What did Brahms do in Hamburg in 1857?
Accepted a high paying three month position as a pianist and choir director at court in Detmold. He also founded an amateur women’s choir.
Which composer drew principle inspiration from Norse mythology, Celtic legends, and medieval epic poems, all with symbolic subject matter?
Wagner.
Schumann embodied the spirit of Romanticism with…
An intensely subjective viewpoint, heightened emotionalism, and an underlying sense of pathos.
Verdi used ___ ___ arias with soaring melodies, spectacular runs, and vivid ornamentation.
Virtuoso coloratura.
Schumann’s strongest muses were literary, especially…
Jean Paul (Papillons) and E.T.A. Hoffman (Kreisleriana)
True or false? Verdi used extreme chromaticism to add colour to his music.
False, he maintained traditional, diatonic harmonic language with moderate use of chromaticism.
Why did Verdi move to Busseto in 1831?
To live in the home of Antonio Barezzi, a wealthy merchant and enthusiastic amateur musician. Gave singing and piano lessons to Barezzi’s daughter Margherita whom he later married.
Libretto
The text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata. Usually written by someone other than the composer.
Describe Brahms’ mother Johanna:
A skilled seamstress who was only 17 years older than Jakob.
When was the first performance of Die Walkure?
1870 in Munich. This is different from the first performance of Der Ring des Nibelungen, which premiered in 1876 at the new Festival Theatre in Bayreuth.
Wagner was an advocate for the “Music of the Future” that involves the principle of ___ (“total work of art”) in which all elements of the product are given equal status.
Gesamtkunstwerk.
Where does the Wagner festival take place?
Bayreuth, Germany.
How did Brahms study music?
Early lessons in piano, horn, and cello. After a few years, he was accepted to study piano and theory, free of charge, with Eduard Marxsen, one of Hamburg’s leading teachers.
What forms did Brahms used that evidence that he respected Classical tradition?
Use of sonata form, theme and variations, and even passacaglia.
Where was Verdi born?
In the Parma region of Italy in Roncole, near Busseto.
Which composer became unstable early in his life, and continued to deteriorate?
Robert Schumann.
