Romantic Period Composers

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

-French composer and conductor -Genres: program symphonies, operas, oratorios, requiem mass -Wrote books on orchestration and conducting -Symphony Fantastique (1830) - a five movement program symphony inspired by his relationship with the actress Harriet Smithson *EX(4th movement "March to the Scaffold") *"Fantastic Symphony" 5th movement (1830) -Program Symphony -Tritone - interval associated with the devil, played by double basses -Idee fixe - melody associated with the girl he loves, played by clarinet (small clarinet) -Dies Irae "Day of wrath" -Chant from the Requiem mass used as a symbol of death played by low brass -Col legno - "with the wood of the bow" imitates the sound of rattling bones

John Field (1782-1937)

-Irish composer of the early Romantic period -Known for piano music -Composed 16 Nocturnes -a short piano piece evoking images of night -modeled on the embellished singing style of Italian opera over arpeggiated accompaniment *EX(Nocturne No.8 In A Major)

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

-Italian composer best known for his 39 operas including: The Barber of Seville (1816) Guillaume Tell (1829) -Retired at the age of 40 and became a chef -Bel canto - Italian opera style emphasizing solo voice, spare orchestral accompaniment *Title: II barbiere di Siviglia Act 1, No.7, Una voce poco fa Date: 1816 Genre: opera Libretto based on a play by Beaumarchais Cavatina (entrance aria) for Rosina (mezzo soprano) Structure: -Cantabile (slow, lyrical) -Cabaletta (faster) EX(Kathleen Battle-Rossini Una voce poco fa) *Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody" from A Night at the Opera (1975) by Freddie Mercury How is Bohemian Rhapsody connected to the bel canto opera tradition? Structure: Cavatina -Scena (accompanied recitative) -Cantabile (slow) -Tempo di mezzo ( middle movement) -Cabaletta (fast)

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

-Major composer in german -100 song (most song wrote at 1840) -He want to be a writer when he grow up -New music magazering (review musician) Title: Dichterliebe ("A Poet's Love") Date: 1840 (Romantic Period) Genre: Song Cycle *No.1 Im wunderschönen Monat Mai ("In the marvelous month of may") • What is the form? -Same melody for both stanza (strophic form) • How does the harmony foreshadow the outcome of the relationship? -sad -beginning love but something goes wrong *No.12 "On a gleaming morning in summer" (postlude) "Bb major: Cheerful love, clear conscience, hope, aspiration for a better world." How does Schumann represent the voice of the flowers? -He changing the keys No.16 Die alten bösen Lieder (postlude) Why does Schumann bring back the postlude from "Am Leuchtenden Sommermorgen?" - old and angry song - old memory "Db major: A leering key, degenerating into grief and rapture. It cannot laugh, but it can smile;-- Consequently only unusual characters and feelings can be brought out in this key." 1. The Heidelberg Tun 2. The Roman Rhine Bridge 3. St. Christopher in the Cologne Cathedral 16. The old and evil songs -Positive memory of the relationship -mood:angry; the mood change at the end(using piano to change)

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

-Piano virtuoso -Invented the piano recital and the symphonic poem -Focused on composition and conducting after 1948 *EX(Evgeny Kissin-La campanella "the bell") Genre: Etude- a technical study for a solo instrument, sometimes used for concert performance

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

9 Symphony Title: *Erlkonig Date: 1815 (Romantic Period) Genre: Lied 1) What is the instrumentation? piano, tenor 2) What is the language and subject of the text? German text, father, and son. 3) What is the form? Through-composed form (new music for each stanza) Title: Ganymed Date: 1817 Genre: Lied *Compare to Ernest Hemingway, For Whom The Bell Tolls (1940) p.159 -Major scale, a change in tempo near the second stanza(faster), lower down at the end. -Word painting -Tenor and piano

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Polish composer of the Romantic Period Known for piano music: etudes, nocturnes, mazurkas, and polonaises *EX(Yun Di-"Raindrop" Prelude) Genre: Prelude- an improvisatory piece for keyboard Title: Mazurka in Bb minor Op.24 No.4 Date 1833 (Romantic Period) Triple Meter Rubato- flexible tempo *EX(Su Yeon Kim-Mazurka in Bb minor Op.24 No.4)third stage

Mussorgsky

•Civil servant, officer in Russian army •Self taught, in group of composer called "The Mighty Five" •operas from folk legends •used odd meters (synopation) Title: Baba Yaga from Pictures at an Exhibition Date: •"Baba Yaga"- witch character who lives in the forest •disjunct melody

Wagner

•German •opera composer •based operas on German legends •composed more than 10 operas (the Ring Cycle) •operas begin with overture •revetee and arias The Vacurese •light motifs- melody connected with a character •walking bass line End of Act 3: ends with a duet (Brun Hilda)

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

•Italian composer from the romantic period •mostly operas and a Requiem Mass •bel canto style- "beautiful voice" •Italian national -Risorgimento -V.E.R.D.I Verdi- "Dies Irae" from Requiem Mass (1874) •operatic setting of the latin mass for the dead •instrumentation: orchestra, solo quartet, chorus •tutti orchestra playing fortissimo "Dies Irae" •whispering choir singing pianissimo "quantus tremor" •judgment day proclaimed by the trumpets and offstage brass (BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by the Semyon Bychkov) YouTube 9:40 Title: "Dies Irae" from Requiem Mass (time: 9:40) Date: 1874 Instrumentation: orchestra, solo quartet, chorus •operatic setting of the latin mass for the dead •tutti orchestra playing fortissimo "Dies Irae" •whispering choir singing pianissimo "quantus tremor" •judgment day proclaimed by the trumpets and offstage brass

Tchaikovsky

•ballet music •orchestral •Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty Title: A Pine Forest in Winter