MUSIC HISTORY

THE ROMANTIC ERA

“Music, of all the liberal arts, has the greatest influence over the passions.” —Napoleon Bonaparte

THE ROMANTIC ERA

DATES: 1820 to 1900

ROMANTIC ERA TIMELINE

KEY POINTS • The French Revolution fostered the rise of a middle- class • Romantic poets, artists, & musicians turned to passionate and fanciful

subjects and exotic settings • The Industrial Revolution spurred many technical advances in musical

instruments, making them more flexible and affordable • Educational opportunities broadened as music conservatories appeared

across Europe and the Americas • The orchestra grew in size and sound when new and improved instruments

were introduced • Technical improvements to the nineteenth- century piano led to the

development of the modern concert grand piano • Rise of “programmatic” music • Romantic music is characterized by memorable melodies, richly expressive

harmony, and broad, expanded forms • Women musicians excelled as performers, teachers, composers, and music

patrons • Rise of the “Ballet”. The three ballets of Russian composer Peter Ilyich

Tchaikovsky—Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker—remain favorites today

CURRENT EVENTS

• Political upheaval following French Revolution

• Transfer of power from aristocracy to the

middle class • War of 1812 – U.S. vs Great Britain • Defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 • Spread of the Industrial Revolution • Charles Darwin – Origin of Species • Start of the American Civil War in 1861

Liberty Leading the People, by Eugène Delacroix Captures the spirit of the French Revolution

CURRENT EVENTS IMPORTANT INVENTIONS during the Romantic Era

Adolphe Sax invents the Saxophone in 1840 The First Railroads

Invention of the Telegraph Samuel Morse sends the first Morse Code

Electric Motor Invented Light Bulb Invented by Thomas Edison

CURRENT EVENTS

ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE

Periodic Table Established in 1869 Discovery of X-Rays

in 1895 Stethoscope Invented

THE ROMANTIC ERA ROMANTICISM:

A style of art, literature, etc., during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that emphasized the imagination and emotions

Two Friends Contemplating the Moon

Casper David Friedrich, 1819

• The Romantic era sprang from the social and political upheavals that followed the French revolution

• Clash between old political order

and new social order – resulted in power being transferred from aristocracy to middle class

• Slogan of the French Revolution:

“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” was inspirational to artists of the time

• Sympathy for the oppressed

THE ROMANTIC ERA Romanticism in Art & Literature

• Reacting to the “order” of the 18th century, romantic writers and artists turned to the passionate, fanciful, and picturesque

• In the mind of the artist, the romantic world was one of “strangeness and wonder”

• Longing for far-off lands and exotic scenes

• Well-known novelists, writers, and poets: • Hugo – Dumas • Heine – Coleridge • De Lamartine – Byron • Emily Brontë – Shelley • Tolstoy – Keats • Poe – Hawthorne

The Burden, Honoré Daumier

THE ROMANTIC ERA Romanticism in Music

• The Industrial Revolution brought with it the means to create more affordable and responsive musical instruments

• Technical improvements in instrument

manufacturing gave composers freedom for more musical expression

• Valves were added to brass instruments • Pianos built with cast-iron frames and

thicker strings for a deeper, more brilliant sound

THE ROMANTIC ERA Romanticism in Music

New instruments added to the Romantic Era orchestra extended the range of the orchestra and gave composers additional means of expression:

Tuba Piccolo English Horn Contra Bassoon

THE ROMANTIC ERA Romanticism in Music

The Trombone Multipavilions by Adolphe Sax, inventor of

the saxophone

• New music conservatories arose, training better-quality musicians

• Orchestras increased in size • Addition of new instruments which gave orchestras

increased ranges (highs & lows) and additional sounds

• More dynamic contrasts – very loud (fff) and very

soft (ppp) lent new drama to music and helped create additional mood and emotion

• Additional musical terms of expression were added

(dolce, maestoso, gioioso, con amore, etc.) • Conductor was needed to guide performance

THE ROMANTIC ERA Romanticism in Music

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNi-_0kqpdE

Smetana: The Moldau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTaz7ADBzBU

• National styles began to emerge: Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Bohemian, Scandinavian, American

• Exoticism – a musical style in which

rhythms, melodies, or instruments evoke the color and atmosphere of far-off lands

Bugs Bunny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYM84n-

2Sas&list=PLVMav6yODOOpIS6DimBfeiZ2ir_ZF8nYy

THE ROMANTIC ERA – Musical Characteristics

Verdi: “La donna è mobile”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCFEk6Y8TmM

Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYl4Xb4cDQ8

The Royal Pavilion at Brighton Reflects the 19th Century fascination

with Eastern Culture

• Romantic Era melodies were very lyrical • Musical “themes” from the period were

used in popular songs and became very well-known

• Harmonies were highly expressive • Increased use of dissonance and

chromaticism • Pieces were much longer than before,

with symphonies ranging from 40 minutes up to an hour in length

• Composers wrote with precision in

order to achieve an individual style which resulted in much less output than composers of the Classical Period

THE ROMANTIC ERA – Musical Characteristics

Music of the Romantic Era Reflected:

• Dreams and Passions • Human destiny • God and nature • Pride in one’s country • Desire for freedom • Political struggles of the age • Triumph of good over evil

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VeiELD3RIA&list=PLcf7jhQzFXyxdDuqx72u6ceGqNnDsq0TH&index=3

THE ROMANTIC ERA The Musician in Society

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFBxuf7BBqE

Niccolo Paganini Famous Violinist

• Music began to reach the general public

• Musicians were supported by the

middle class and made their own living

• Musicians treated as equals • Popular conductors and soloists

were idolized by the public

THE ROMANTIC ERA Women in Music

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel

• Women made great strides in the nineteenth century as professional musicians in teaching and performance

• Although the field of composition

was still dominated by men, a few women were able to become successful composers. Among these were Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann.

Clara Schumann

Fanny Mendelssohn - Notturno in G minor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti1eZ2B63Ro

Clara Wieck-Schumann, Ballade op. 6 no. 4 (1836)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dSC3By6-mg

THE ROMANTIC ERA The Art Song – a musical setting of a poem or text,

usually written for solo voice and piano

In the Salon, a lithograph by Achille Deveria

The immense popularity of the Romantic art song was due in part to the emergence of the piano as the universal household instrument.

Art Song of the Romantic Era Types of Song Structure

Two Main Song Structures: 1. Strophic Form - the same melody

is repeated with each stanza of poem or text

2. Through-Composed Form - no repetitions of whole sections. In through-composed songs, the music follows the story line.

A combination of the features of the two forms is called Modified Strophic Form

Art Song of the Romantic Era The Lied

Schubert, “Gretchen am Spinnrade”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ClvNQEc28

• The Lied - a German-texted art song for solo voice usually with piano accompaniment.

• The German Lied became popular

due to the emergence of the piano as a household instrument.

• A song cycle is a group of Lieder

that are unified by a story line or descriptive theme that convey feelings of love, longing, or appreciation for the beauty of nature.

Composers who were masters of the Lied:

Franz Schubert

Robert Schumann Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel

Clara Schumann Johannes Brahms

THE ROMANTIC ERA Franz Schubert

• Viennese composer

• Schubert’s music links the Classical and Romantic periods with characteristics of each

• His friends organized “Schubertiads” – a series of concerts where his newest works could be heard

• Achieved regional fame

• Death at an early age (31) from syphilis

• Dying wish was to be buried near Beethoven Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)

Schubert: Symphony No. 8 “The Unfinished Symphony” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDl7MAs96Zk

THE ROMANTIC ERA Franz Schubert

Schubert: String Quartet in C, III

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFVdqTnls_M

Schubert Wrote:

• Over 600 “Lieder” • Nine symphonies • Seven Masses • Chamber Music • String Quartets • Piano Trios • Piano Sonatas • Operas

Schubert: Elfking (Erlkönig)

The Legend of “The Elfking” (c. 1860)

• Considered the masterpiece of Schubert’s youth

• Based on a poem by Goethe which

is based on the legend that whoever is touched by the king of elves must die

• The Elfking is a forest creature

derived from Norse mythology who carried people off to their deaths

Schubert: Elfking (Erlkonig) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZxzz-N3oxM

THE ROMANTIC ERA Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)

• Robert Schumann was a German composer and music critic

• He established a publication called Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (The New Journal of Music)

• Married the daughter of his former piano teacher against her father’s wishes. She was a well established concert pianist who was a chief interpreter of his piano works

• He suffered from auditory hallucinations and psychotic behavior, which led to a suicide attempt after which he was institutionalized. He declined into dementia and died at the age of 46.

THE ROMANTIC ERA Robert Schumann

Schumann: “Die Soldatenbraut”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpyQJgzJhTQ

Clara Schumann at age 31,

with Robert. Anonymous

lithograph (1850).

Schumann’s Music: • Passionate Melodies • Innovative Harmonies • Driving Rhythms • Master of the “Song Cycle” – a group of

German Lieder connected by a story line

Schumann Wrote: • Over 100 German Lieds • Song Cycles • Four Symphonies • Piano Concertos • Chamber Music for strings and piano • One Opera • Choral Music

THE ROMANTIC ERA Robert Schumann

Famous Song Cycle – “Dichterliebe” (A Poet’s Love)

• Built on a set of 16 poems by Heinrich Heine • First song in the cycle is “In the Lovely Month of

May” which conveys the idea of the fragility of new love.

Schumann: Dichterliebe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKUNl1HN-4A

THE ROMANTIC ERA PIANO MUSIC

This beautiful, ornate grand piano was made by Erard, c. 1840, for the Baroness

of Kidderminster

• The rise in the popularity of the piano shaped the musical culture of the Romantic era

• Melody and harmony could be

performed together on one instrument • Could be found in many homes and

salons • Led to the rise of the virtuoso pianist • Technical improvements to the piano in

the nineteenth century led to the development of the modern concert grand piano

THE ROMANTIC ERA PIANO MUSIC

Chopin: Prelude in E, Op. 28, No. 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y6r1nHnLVo

Chopin: Mazurka, Op. 53, No. 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7qmVOFgLJI

• Most piano music in the Romantic Era were short, lyric pieces

• Dramatic Moods were depicted • Composers used imaginative titles for

their works: Prelude, Intermezzo, Impromptu, Mazurka, Polonaise, Waltz, and Scherzo

Master Composers for Piano: Schubert, Chopin, Liszt,

Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Robert and Clara Schumann, and

Brahms

THE ROMANTIC ERA Frederic Chopin

Frederic Chopin (1810 – 1849)

• French / Polish Composer & Pianist • All of his music revolved around the piano • Credited with originating the modern piano style

Chopin Wrote:

• Piano: concertos, ballades, sonatas, preludes, etudes, mazurkas, polonaises, scherzos, waltzes, impromptus, nocturnes, chamber music

Chopin: Fantasie Impromptu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-HosIOod_A

Chopin Musical Moments Cartoon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k815Igcb-Nc

THE ROMANTIC ERA Program Music vs. Absolute Music

Berlioz: “Witches’ Sabbath”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cao6WyF-61s

Brahms: Symphony No. 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3a4v1TWUNo

Program Music: Instrumental music that has literary

or pictorial associations

Example:

Absolute Music: Music that has no literary or

pictorial meaning. Also known as Pure Music

Example:

THE ROMANTIC ERA Program Music

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=614ew5HY8vM

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, IV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elWQLxoXav4

Smetana: The Moldau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPhaV1sDSsI

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hvOP4PVTdQ

Four Main Types of Program Music:

1. Concert Overture: a single-movement concert piece for orchestra based on a literary idea.

2. Incidental Music: Music performed between acts of a play and during important scenes. (Much like background movie music today.)

3. Program Symphony: a multi-movement orchestral work.

4. Symphonic Poem (Tone Poem): a one-movement work for orchestra in which contrasting sections develop a poetic idea or create a mood.

Examples:

THE ROMANTIC ERA Absolute Music

• In addition to programmatic music, some composers continued to write in the multi-movement cycles of the Classical Era

• This included the symphony, concerto, chamber music (string quartets, quintets, piano trio)

THE ROMANTIC ERA Absolute Music – The Symphony

• The symphony moved from the palace to the concert hall and continued to

develop in the Romantic Era.

• Greatly increased in size and instrumentation. Symphonies themselves were

more lengthy with more colorful harmonies.

• Still continued to follow the multi-movement cycle of the Classical Era

THE ROMANTIC ERA Absolute Music – Brahms

Johannes Brahms, German Composer

(1833 – 1897)

Symphony: Symphony No. 3 in F Major, 3rd Mvmt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejOTIAf-giM

Piano Quartet: Piano Quartet No. 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF7YjmBhq7E

Concerto: Brahms Violin Concerto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esfcDxpgeOg

THE ROMANTIC ERA The Opera

The Opera continued to have a major role in the music of the Romantic Era and became one of the most important

and best-loved theatrical genres of the 19th century.

THE ROMANTIC ERA Italian Opera

Two Main Styles of Italian Opera:

Opera Buffa (Comic Opera)

and Opera Seria (Serious Opera)

Composers of Italian Opera

Verdi: Requiem, “Dies irae” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHw4GER-MiE

Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1901)

Gioachino Rossini (1792 – 1868)

Rossini: The Barber of Seville https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXCULR2wO-A

Verdi: Rigoletto, “La donna è mobile” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3zetSuYR

g

Rossini: The William Tell Overture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IErXg5kBXXg

THE ROMANTIC ERA German Opera – Music Drama

Wagner: Die Walküre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKAH_t0aXA

Richard Wagner, German Composer

(1813 – 1883)

• German opera evolved from the Singspiel (a light or comic drama with spoken dialogue)

• This developed into the Music Drama – the opera as a total artwork, unifying all elements of music, poetry, drama, and visual spectacle.

Wagner: The Flying Dutchman Overture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbUjqtzOdKg

THE ROMANTIC ERA Exoticism in Opera

• Exoticism is a musical style in which melodies, rhythms, and instruments evoke the color and atmosphere of far-off lands.

• This style was used for many operas in the Romantic Era

EXAMPLES:

Georges Bizet: Carmen (French opera set in Spain)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlGTz0pSLS8

Giacomo Puccini: Madame Butterfly (Italian opera set in Asia)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bror-r0Wfw

Giuseppe Verdi: Aida (Italian opera set in Egypt)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns_xsduwI-E

THE ROMANTIC ERA The Ballet

• Ballet has been present in European culture since the Renaissance. • It was central to theatrical entertainments associated with weddings and

similar celebrations. • Ballet developed as an independent art form during the Romantic Era.

THE ROMANTIC ERA The Ballet - Tchaikovsky

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian Composer

(1840 – 1893)

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty – Waltz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7e8voxXKiw

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx24IOX6qP4

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz_f9B4pPtg

Arabian Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sEgjXxjxIw

Chinese Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiyx1m44nMM

Trepak (Russian Dance): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiiuN9eAy9Y

Waltz of the flowers (Music): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Au8EDsQfI

Music in Nineteenth-Century America

• American music during the 19th century was largely imported from Europe

• Devotional hymns were sung in schools, churches, and at social gatherings

• Parlor ballads, minstrel show tunes, plantation songs

Music in Nineteenth-Century America Stephen Foster

• America’s first great songwriter

• Born in Pennsylvania

• Wrote music for minstrel shows in addition to parlor songs. These songs conveyed the deep-felt emotions and sufferings of African slaves

• Wrote My Old Kentucky Home, which is currently the state song of Kentucky

• His music is distinctly American Stephen Foster (1826 – 1864)

Famous Songs: Oh, Susanna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CJLark_H08 Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKPXkVf5zdI Beautiful Dreamer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtgklHQ52WE Camptown Races: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKoqSoKhnTU

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Hector Berlioz (1803 – 1869)

• French Composer • Master of orchestration • Not accepted or appreciated during his

time • Wrote newspaper reviews to earn money • Wrote operas, symphonies, choral music,

overtures, and cantatas

Notable Works: • “Symphonie Fantastique" • "Requiem" • "The Damnation of Faust" • "The Childhood of Christ"

Symphonie Fantastique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cao6WyF-61s

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875)

• French Composer • Brilliant student, outstanding pianist,

won many prizes • Served as a national guard during the

siege of Paris • Wrote operas, orchestral music,

incidental music, compositions for piano and songs

Notable Works: • Carmen • L’Arlesienne • Habanera

L'Arlésienne-Suite - Farandole https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibd1-ooK5as

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)

• German composer, pianist, conductor • A musical perfectionist who destroyed

some of his own works and left others unpublished

• Considered to be both a music traditionalist and a music innovator

• Wrote symphonies, concertos, piano sonatas, serenades, motets

Notable Works: • Brahms Lullaby Piano Concerto No. 1 • Hungarian Dances Symphony No. 1 • A German Requiem

Brahms Lullaby https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX3tlpWkB5E

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Frederic Chopin (1810 – 1849)

• Polish composer & piano virtuoso • Child prodigy and musical genius • All of his music centered around the

piano

Notable Works: • Nocturne Op. 9 • Polonaises in G minor • Sonata in C minor

Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGRO05WcNDk

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Antonin Dvorak (1841 – 1904)

• Czechoslovakian Composer • Music reflected the folk music of his

native Bohemia • Moved to America in 1892 and became

the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York

• Wrote symphonies, string quartets, operas, songs, and piano music

Notable Works: • Symphony No. 9 “New World Symphony” • Te Deum • Cypress Trees

Symphony No. 9, “New World Symphony” – 4th Mvmt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHqtJH2f1Yk

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907)

• Norwegian Composer & Pianist • A leading composer in the Romantic Era • Referred to as the “Chopin of the north” • Wrote piano pieces, orchestral music,

plays, songs, sonatas, suites

Notable Works: • Piano Concerto in A Minor • Peer Gynt • In the Hall of The Mountain King

Peer Gynt Suites 1 & 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2gDFJWhXp8

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Rimsky Korsakov (1844 – 1908)

• Russian Composer • Employed Russian folk songs and lore in

his music • Served in the Russian military • Wrote symphonies, operas, orchestral

works and songs

Notable Works: • Scheherazade • Flight of the Bumblebee • The Tale of Tsar Saltan

Flight of the Bumblebee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtAu7xkwNjQ

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)

• Hungarian Composer & Piano Virtuoso • Renowned throughout Europe as an

amazing piano player • Popular with the ladies • Wrote orchestral music, piano music,

operas, and choral music

Notable Works: • Hungarian Rhapsodies • Transcendental Etudes • Sonata in B Minor

Transcendental Etude No. 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haRCdflznIw

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911)

• German Composer • Known for his writing for huge

orchestras • A leading conductor of the time • Wrote symphonies, cantatas, and other

songs

Notable Works: • Symphony No. 2 • Symphony No. 5 • Symphony of a Thousand

Symphony No. 8 – Symphony of a Thousand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuve8eKeqKA

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)

• German Composer • Piano and Violin Virtuoso • Founder of Leipzig Conservatory • Wrote symphonies, piano pieces, opera,

choral works

Notable Works: • The Wedding March • A Midsummer Nights’ Dream • Italian Symphony

“Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oo4z37OUEI

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Modest Mussorgsky (1839 – 1881)

• Russian Composer • Wanted to establish nationalistic style for

Russia • Known for his vivid portrayal of Russian

life • Wrote songs, piano pieces, operas,

orchestral music

Notable Works: • Pictures at an Exhibition • Night of Bald Mountain • The Great Gate of Kiev

Pictures at an Exhibition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUfSstK3MOc

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924)

• Italian Composer • Great and prolific composer of Italian

Opera • Music is emotional and sentimental • Wrote operas, orchestral music, choral

music, and chamber music

Notable Works: • La Boheme • Madama Butterfly • Nessun Dorma

Nessun Dorma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdTBml4oOZ8

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943)

• Russian Composer • Piano Virtuoso • Last great representative of Romantic-Era

music from Russia • Wrote symphonies, piano concertos, solo

piano music

Notable Works: • Piano Concerto No. 2 • Prelude in C-Sharp Minor • Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Prelude in C-Sharp Minor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGqylB0GUQk

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Gioachino Rossini (1792 – 1868)

• Italian Composer • Specialized in “Opera Buffa” – Italian

comic opera • A wealthy musician who lived a lavish

lifestyle • Wrote operas, sacred music, chamber

music, instrumental pieces

Notable Works: • The Barber of Seville • William Tell Overture • La cenerentola

William Tell Overture (Final) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3T8-aeOrbg

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)

• Austrian Composer • Referred to as the “Master of the Song” • Early master of the “Lied” – German Art

Song • Wrote songs, symphonies, masses, and

quartets, operas

Notable Works: • Serenade • Ave Maria • The Erlking

Ave Maria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqHQFl-x86c

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)

• German Composer • Influential music critic • Wrote passionate melodies • Wrote orchestral works, piano music,

chamber music, operas, choral music

Notable Works: • Dichterliebe • Piano Concerto in A Minor • Carnaval

Piano Concerto in A Minor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibd1-ooK5as

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Bedrich Smetana (1824 – 1884)

• Czechoslovakian Composer • Considered the “father of

Czechoslovakian music” • Founded the Czech national school of

music • Wrote operas and symphonic poems

Notable Works: • The Moldau • The Bartered Bride • Ma Vlast

The Moldau https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPhaV1sDSsI

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949)

• German Composer & Conductor • Famous for his operas and tone poems • Talented french horn player • Wrote operas, symphonic poems,

instrumental and vocal music

Notable Works: • Also sprach Zarathustra • Don Juan • Macbeth

Also sprach Zarathustra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szdziw4tI9o

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893)

• Russian Composer • First Russian composer who’s music

became notable worldwide • His music was popular with audiences • Wrote ballets, operas, symphonies,

concertos, suites, overtures, chamber music

Notable Works: • The Nutcracker • Swan Lake • 1812 Overture

1812 Overture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW4C2h3lPac

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1901)

• Italian Composer • Known for his operas • His music revolves around themes of

love, heroism, and revenge • Wrote grand Italian operas, symphonies,

church and secular music

Notable Works: • Rigoletto – La donna e mobile • La traviata • Otello

La donna e mobile (from Rigoletto) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj-sXm-vhMQ

IMPORTANT ROMANTIC ERA COMPOSERS

Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883)

• German Composer • Chorus master, opera conductor, writer,

librettist, critic • He wrote both the libretto (words) and

the music for all of his operas • Wrote operas, orchestral music, piano

music, choral music and chamber music

Notable Works: • Der Ring des Nibelungen • Ride of the Valkyries • Tristan und Isolde

Ride of the Valkyries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73Z6291Pt8