Romantic Era Part 2

4 Types of program music:

1. Concert Overture 2. Incidental Music 3. Program Symphony 4. Symphonic poem

Absolute Music genres in Romantic Era

1. Symphony 2. Concerto 3. Chamber Music •Inherited by Classical era •Basic components of 3 and 4 movement cycle maintained •Composers took new freedoms with structures

What are the names of the 4 opera sequence in The Ring Cycle called The Ring of the Nibelung? Who was the composer of this sequence?

1. The Rhine Gold 2. The Valkyrie 3. Siegfried 4. The Twilight of the Gods •Wagner

Who coined the term Ideé Fixe?

Berlioz

3 compositional periods of Verdi's operas:

Early, Middle, and Late -A late opera, Otello, was written when he was 73, 79

Who created the Symphonic Poem?

Franz Liszt

Who was the last of the great Viennese Symphonists?

Mahler

Who wrote La Bohéme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, and Turandot?

Puccini

Who was the only opera composer (up to this point) who was also his own librettist?

Richard Wagner

Who said "He is the young eagle... called forth to give us the highest ideal expression of our time" and who was it said about?

Schumann said it about Brahms

Hector Berlioz

•1803-1869 • Greatly admired Beethoven and Shakespeare •Fell in love with Shakespearean actress whom he married

Felix Mendelssohn

•1809-1847 •Worshipped the music of Bach -organized performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 1829 --> ignited revival of Bach's music •Excelled in many roles •Founded conservatory at Leipzig •Was a conductor of Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and elevated ensemble to one of the finest in Europe

Franz Liszt

•1811-1886 •Born in Hungary, studied in Paris •Virtuoso pianist and showman •Adored and idolized by public •Introduced orientation of piano performance that is now standard (as opposed to having back to audience) •Withdrew from concert stage at height of his fame to focus on composing •***Created Symphonic poem, a new genre of orchestral music

Richard Wagner

•1813-1883 •Abandoned academic studies at 20 years old and became conductor in provincial theaters •Participated in failed revolutions of 1849, so fled to Weimar, where Liszt helped him get to safety in Switzerland •Late Romantic Era

Giuseppe Verdi

•1813-1901 •Operatic composer •Studied in Milan; commissioned to write operas for Milan's La Scala opera house •Personal tragedies kept him from composing for months •Nationalist at time when Italy was liberating itself from Austrian Habsburg rule

Clara Schumann

•1819-1896 •Leading pianist in Europe •Successful composer •Raised 9 children while composing and playing •Romantic

Symphonie Fantastique

•1830 •Berlioz •Program symphony in 5 movements 1. Dreams, passions 2. A Ball 3. Scene in the Fields 4. March to the Scaffold 5. Witches' Sabbath •Final 2 movements represent opium dreams

Johannes Brahms

•1833-1897 •1st piano performance at age 10; soon contributed to family income by teaching and playing music •Studied with Robert Schumann --"Young eagle... called forth to give us the highest ideal expression of our time" - Schumann on Brahms •Became enormously successful; known in Europe as the heir to the Classical Viennese masters (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven) •Combined use of Classical forms with Romantic expression and breadth of design •Master of chamber as well as orchestral music

Georges Bizet

•1838-1875 •Born and raised in Paris and studied at Paris Conservatory •His exotic operas established his reputation

Peter Tchaikovsky

•1840-1893 •Born in Russia •Held teaching post in new Moscow Conservatory for 12 years •Married a female student despite being a homosexual --> remained married but separate •First Russian composer to appeal to Western tastes

Antonín Dvorák

•1841-1904 •At 16, secured a position playing viola in Czech National Theater under Smetana •Quit orchestra to focus on composing as a result of stipend from Austrian government •Professor of Composition at Conservatory of Prague •By 1890's, was known throughout Europe and USA •Invited to become director of National Conservatory of Music in New York (salary of $15,000/year)

Edvard Grieg

•1843-1907 •Norwegian composer, pianist, conductor •Studied at Leipzig conservatory •Received stipend from Norwegian government so that he could promote Norway through his music -- allowed him to focus on composition.

Gabriel Fauré

•1845-1924 •Showed musical ability at young age and was sent to a school in Paris that specialized in church music •Held numerous positions •Major proponent of French Impressionism -had a restrained compositional approach

Giacomo Puccini

•1858-1924 •Father was a church organist, but Puccini pursued opera instead •Studied at Conservatory in Milan •Manon Lescaut (1893) established him as the most promising Italian composer of his generation •Died before completing his final opera •Late Romantic era

Gustav Mahler

•1860-1911 •Born and raised in Bohemia •Attended conservatory in Vienna •Famous conductor; held numerous posts in Opera Houses -Eventually was the Music Director of Vienna Opera, "most important musical position in Austria" •Young daughter died, he got a serious heart condition which forced him to resign from Vienna post •Eventually named Music Director of New York Philharmonic Society Orchestra •Implemented massive orchestra for his expansive compositions

Typical Romantic Symphony plan, First Movement:

•1st Movement: -Sonata-Allegro -Home key -Optional slow introduction; sometimes expansive

Symphonic Poem

•Aka Tone Poem •Created by Liszt •One movement only •New genre of orchestral music •Romantic

Typical Romantic Symphony plan, 4th Movement:

•Allegro or presto •Home key •Sonata-allegro; Rondo also popular •Often closed symphony on note of triumph or pathos •Usually more serious than classical

Symphonic Poem (program music)

•Also called Tone Poem •For orchestra in one movement •Does not use Classical forms-- much freer structure •Uses contrasting sections to develop poetic idea, suggest a scene, create a mood

Symphonie Fantastique, mvt 4

•Berlioz •1830 •Looking out from scaffold and seeing beloved (4th) •Loud chords followed by pizzacato: blade falls, head bounces into basket (4th) •Romantic

Symphonie Fantastique, mvt 5

•Berlioz •1830 •Uses Dies Ire (Gregorian Chant Melody) •Strings col legno •Idée fixe played by E-flat clarinet

Carmen, Act 1 excerpt

•Bizet •Explored new literary theme of naturalism; portrayed realities of life •Carmen: beautiful gypsy girl who works at cigarette factory in Seville •Don José: simple solder who falls in love with her •Habanera: a Spanish dance rhythm •Romantic era opera

Symphony No. 3 in F major, Mvt. 3

•Brahms •Waltz (different because it is a dance-like figure as is traditional for the 3rd mvt., but a different type of dance) •Melancholy -triple meter •Three-part structure (A-B-A) •Late Romantic

Piano Trio in G minor, Mvt. 3

•Clara Schumann •Andante (song without words) •1847 •Piano trio (violin, cello, piano) •4 movement work: middle movements are inverted as compared to Classical model •2nd mvt: scherzo •3rd mvt: andante •Romantic

Ballet

•Dance form featuring a staged presentation of group or solo dancing with music, costumes, and scenery •No speaking or singing; solely about visual and orchestral •Part of European culture since Renaissance era •Rose as an independent art form in the 18th century •Most prominent centers of ballet: France and Russia

Faure's Requiem

•Did not follow standard structure •Used latin texts, but edited them freely •Several versions/editions exist

Romantic Era Opera Elements:

•Distinct national styles developed in Italy, Germany, and France

Symphony No. 9 in E minor, First Mvt ("The New World")

•Dvorak •1893 •Slow introduction; expansive in size; sudden dynamic bursts in strings, timpani, and brass •Theme 1 in E minor; theme 2 and 3 in relative major (G Major) •Entirely woodwind chorale (strings and percussion come in later) •Late Romantic

Requiem, Op. 48, Mvt. 6 (Libera Me)

•Fauré •Chamber orchestra without violins and with organ •Striking changes of mood based upon text

Ideé Fixe

•Fixed idea •Recurring musical idea which links different movements of a work •Coined by Berlioz

Romantic opera in France:

•Grand opera (serious opera with historic plots) •Opera comique featured smaller ensembles and spoken dialogue

Peer Gynt Suite, No., Op. 46

•Grieg •I: morning mood •IV: In the Hall of the Mountain King •Published 1888 •Incidental music to a play by Henrik Ibsen •Program music •Romantic

What is the significance of Brahms final set of chamber works?

•He had retired from composing, but after hearing clarinetist Mühfeld in March 1891 he wrote his final set of chamber works •Performed the premieres of his two Clarinet Sonatas with Mühfeld

When is a piece program music?

•Instrumental music that has literary or pictoral associations •These associations are supplied by the composer in either title or in an explanatory note

Theater in Bayreuth significance in Romantic Era?

•It was built for Wagner's operas specifically •It allowed Wagner to really make grand operas

Leitmotif meaning

•Leading motive •Basic recurring theme, representing a person, object, or idea

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor

•Liszt •csárdás (Hungarian dance popular in 19th cent. featuring slow and fast sections) •Virtuosic piano (no other instruments or voice) •Begins in slow, dramatic way •Romantic

Typical Romantic Symphony plan, Slow Movement:

•Lose, 3-part structure (A-B-A), sonata-allegro, or themes and variations •Different key •May retain slow, lyrical nature •Range in mood

The Song of the Earth: III

•Mahler •Unstaged and written for solo voice -German Lieder, but with orchestra •1908-9 •Text from the Chinese Flute by Hans Bethge •Use of pentatonic scale to evoke the exotic •Late Romantic Era piece

What did Verdi prize above all?

•Melody •Melody is "The most immediate expression of human feeling"

Program Symphony (program music)

•Multi-movement orchestral work •Each movement can be compared to a chapter in a story

Role of Exoticism in Romantic Era Opera

•Musical style in which rhythms, melodies, and/or instruments evoke the color and atmosphere of far-off land •Found perfect outlet in opera: could be set anywhere in the world Examples: -Verdi's Aida -Puccini's Turandot -Bizet's Carmen

Romantic opera in Italy:

•Opera Seria or Opera Buffa

Incidental Music (Program music)

•Orchestral music written to accompany dramatic works •The most successful pieces are arranged into suites for performance in concert

Un bel dí from Madame Butterfly

•Puccini •Alternation between soaring lines and speechlike section •Female aria •Romantic

Romantic Concerto

•Retains 3-movement structure of fast-slow-fast •Soloist carries theme/melody a great percentage of the time •1st movement is still usually Sonata-Allegro form -Solo instrument may enter earlier - Cadenza may occur earlier in the movement •2nd movement: slow, lyrical, often A-B-A •3rd movement: fast, brilliant (shows off technique), often Rondo or Sonata Allegro form -often includes another cadenza

Typical Romantic Symphony plan, Dance Movement:

•Scherzo and Trio •Home key •Exciting, strongly rhythmic -Allegro, allegro-molto, vivace •Mood can vary greatly

Concert Overture (program music)

•Single movement orchestral concert piece •Written to be a stand-alone piece •Normally uses traditional Classical forms

Romantic opera in Germany:

•Singspiel gave way to operas of immense scale by Richard Wagner -Comic opera with spoken dialogue

Violin Concerto in E Minor, 1st movement

•Solo violin enters early and introduces first theme •Cadenza occurs between Development and Recapitulation •Wide range of emotions expressed: from hymn-like to highly expressive, passionate, virtuosic

Nationalism in music and how composers showed it (3 ways):

•Song and dance of their people •Dramatic works based upon folklore and/or peasants •Works exploiting a national hero, historic event, or beauty of their country

Innovative techniques by Berlioz

•Stopped horn: closing off bell with hand; creates nasal sound •Col legno: "with the wood"- wooden part of a bow striking strings

Rigoletto, Act 3

•Sudden changes in dynamic •Rubato tempo

Tchaikovsky's Ballet's:

•Swan Lake •The Sleeping Beauty •The Nutcracker -Dancers initially complained that rhythms were too complicated; eventually became staples of Russian ballet

Romantic Symphony

•Symphony structure grew larger and more expansive; size of orchestra vastly increased •Standard four-movement Classical Symphony was not always followed •Inner movements sometimes inverted -Becomes Fast, Dance, Slow, Fast

The Nutcracker: 3 dances

•Tchaikovsky Ballet •March -March played as guests arrive for the party •Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy -Features celesta and bass clarinet as soloistic instruments •Trepak -Russian Dance •Late Romantic Era

Rigoletto

•Verdi Opera •1891 •Based on Victor Hugo's play The King is Amused -Banned in France; achieved universal popularity via opera •Set in Renaissance-era court in Mantua, Italy

What late Romantic composer invented his own instrument?

•Wagner •Invented the Wagner Tuba

What Romantic composer put forth the idea of Gesamtkuntswerk? What is that?

•Wagner •Means "total art-work" -Music, poetry, drama, and visual spectacle were fused together -Everything through-composed -As his own librettist, Wagner had complete control

What Romantic composers writings on anti-semitism inspired Hitler?

•Wagner's

Who was Nadezhda von Meck and what is her importance?

•Wealthy widow of industrialist •Was a patron for Tchaikovsky which allowed him to recover his health