The Romantic Era

1
The Romantic Era

• 1825-1900

2
Romanticism

• Generally, Romanticism refers to groups of
  artists, poets, writers, musicians, and
  political, philosophical and social thinkers in
  the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
  Romanticism exalted individualism, subjectivism,
  irrationalism, imagination, emotions and nature -
  emotion over reason and senses over intellect.

3
The increasing role of science in defining a
worldview

• The skepticism resulting from by a clearer
  understanding of the world and humanity's place
  in it changed the way people thought of
  themselves and society. Charles Darwin's
  (1809-1882) The Origin of the Species is one
  example of the new attitude.

4
A growing autonomy for the arts

• More and more, art was removed from functional
  roles and came to be appreciated for its
  aesthetic worth. The art of the past became
  increasingly revered, and our modern notions of
  the "artist" and of the "fine arts" were born.

5
Painters

• William Blake
• The Dragon

6

• Francisco de Goya
• Saturn eating
• Cronus

7

• Eugène Delacroix
• Liberty
• Leading
• The
• People

8

• William Turner
• The Fighting Temeraire

9
Musical Developments

• Increased interest in nature and the supernatural
  
• The rise of program music
• Nationalism and exoticism
• Changing status of musicians

10
Increased Interest in Nature and the Supernatural

• Romantic artists saw nature in a less idealized
  way than the artists of the Classical period had.
  
• The natural world was considered less a model of
  perfection and more a source of mysterious
  powers.
• Romantic composers gravitated toward supernatural
  texts and stories. Schubert's Erlking and
  Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique
• are two good examples.

11
Musical Style

• Dynamic range is wider, and there is a larger
  range of sound.
• There is a greater variety of instruments,
  including improved or newly-invented wind
  instruments.
• Melodies are longer, more dramatic and emotional.
  
• Tempos are more extreme, and tempo rubato is
  often called for.
• Harmonies are fuller, often more dissonant.
• Formal structures are expanded. These are often
  determined by the programmatic content of the
  piece.

12
The Virtuoso

• The Romantic Era saw the rise of the Virtuoso
  (meaning skill, manliness, excellence) A
  highly capable performer whose abilities were
  such that they dazzled the public.

13
Notable Composers

• Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
• Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
• Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
• Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904)
• Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
• Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
• Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

• Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
• Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
• Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
• Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
• Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
• Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
• Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
• Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

14
Beethoven The Crossover Composer

• Beethoven was born in the classical era, and his
  early music was typical of this time.
• As he grew older, his music started to exhibit
  characteristics that were not typically
  classical.
• Beethoven's use of tonal architecture in such a
  way as to allow significant expansion of musical
  forms and structures was immediately recognised
  as bringing a new dimension to music.

15
Beethoven The three periods

• Early Emulates the style of great predecessors
  (Haydn, Mozart)
• Middle Brought on by his struggles with hearing
  loss. Characterized by large-scale works
  expressing heroism and struggle.
• Late 1816 until his death in 1827.
  Intellectual depth, personal expression and
  experimentation with form.