The Romantic Era

1
The Romantic Era

• 1829-1910

2
Romance/Romantic

• term derived from medieval French
• imaginative tale written in a romance language as
  opposed to Latin. Ordinary people achieving the
  extraordinary
• Term Romantic first appears in English literature
  during the 17th Century

3
Individualism

• The individual imagination paired with defiance
  to authority reached its peak during the 19th C
• Artists served themselves rather than pleasing
  aristocratic patrons
• When accepting patronage, it was to the artists
  own terms

4
A thing for the past

• Sir Walter Scott almost a dozen popular novels
  set in medieval times
• Eugène Delacroix gallant knights followed
  chivalric code in service of idealized women
• Hector Berlioz Greek and Roman mythology in his
  opera The Trojans http//thespace.org/items/e000
  0exc
• Richard Wagner Norse mythology The Ring Cycle
  http//ringcycle.metoperafamily.org/

5
(No Transcript)
6
Grotesque Themes

• Hunchback of Notre Dame Hugo 1831
• Ring of Nebulung ugly dwarfs
• Faust Goethe

7
Natures Force and Power

• Darwins theory of natural selection 1859 On the
  Origin of Species
• Caspar David Friedrich 1774-1840
• William Turner 1775-1851

8
The Industrial Revolution

• Smokestack industries spewed ash over cities and
  countryside
• People abandoned farms for greater security in
  the cities instead they found congestion,
  poverty and crime
• Cheap labor including child labor in factories

9
Warfare

• Napoleon assembled hordes of soldiers motivated
  by patriotism rather than money
• Development of the Gatling gun
• Little concern for civilian casualties

10
Colonialism to Imperialism

• World powers Britain, France and Germany governed
  the lesser races of the world, traveling to
  Africa, India and the Middle East
• Institutuionalized slavery

11
Politics

• American Civil War
• French Revolution
• Risogimento the resurgence, unification of
  Italy
• A newly united Germany under leadership of Otto
  von Bismarck

12
Education

• Extended to the middle class
• Spread of egalitarianism race, gender battles

13
The work week

• At start of Romantic Era 70 hours per week
• At end of Romantic Era 50 hours per week
• Provided more leisure time
• Permanent orchestras and symphonies put in place
  as well as the nine month concert season

14
Hector Berlioz

• 1803-1869 small town near Grenoble
• Wavy red hair, penetrating eyes and unbound
  energy
• Shared Fathers love for literature
• Father insisted Hector study medicine
• Lasted 2yrs

15
Hector Berlioz

• In Paris, no family support for music
• Prix de Rome (3rd try)
• 1827 first saw H.S.
• Music seen as incorrect to the public
• Music critic
• Idèe Fixe (fixed idea)
• Programmatic Music
• Marriage was over within six years

16
Symphony Fantastique1830

• Part I Reveries, passions
• Part II a ball (1520)
• Part III Country side (2150)
• Part IV March to Scaffold (3750)
• Part V A Witches Sabbath (4445)

17
Hector Berlioz

• Symphonie Fantastique
• Romeo and Juliet
• The Trojans
• Treatise on Instrumentation and Modern
  Orchestration
• Tuba Mirum
• Te Deum

18
Nicolo Paganini

• Born into a poor family 1782-1840
• Father made him practice morning to night even
  denying food
• By 13 leading violinist would not take him as a
  student

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwXoAYWpzT3E
19
Nicolo Paganini

• By 18 supported himself by giving performances
• Warsaw and Paris 1829 1831 Liszt and Chopin

20
The Piano

• In 1830 lt 10,000 produced annually
• By 1900 gt 500,000
• Viennese piano of Beethoven competed with the
  French pianos of Pleyel and Erard

21
Franz Liszt 1811-1886

• Hungarian family that worked with Esterhazy
  estate
• Thought descended from nobility no proof
• Father taught cello when he was 7
• Hungarian nobles provided scholarship for him to
  study music in Vienna when 10

22
Liszt 1811-1886

• Studied with Czerny (pupil of Beethoven)
• As a teenager, travelled in France, England and
  Switzerland to play concerts
• Day before premiere of Symphony Fantastique, met
  Berlioz

23
Liszt 1811-1886

• Three months later met Paganini
• From 16-19 dedicated 10-12 hours daily to achieve
  his own transcendental technique
• Le concert, cest moi
• 1848 permanent conductor of Weimar court orchestra

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vhQULyGMhhWs
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vGX0KiSwm3yc
24
Liszt 1811-1886

• 1860 moved from Weimar to Rome because of an
  affair with a Catholic princess
• Taught master classes for 25 years to his death
• 1865 took minor Catholic orders, though he never
  became a priest

25
Frederic Chopin

• 1810-1849
• Reserved and withdrawn
• Born in Warsaw mom Polish, dad French
• 1829 heard Paganini
• Lived in Paris for the latter part of his life
• Gave lessons to aristocratic children

26
Frederic Chopin

• Asked students to leave fees on the mantlepiece
• 1836 Met George Sand, aka Aurore Dudevant
• Suffered from tuberculosis travelling to
  England 1848 may have quickened his death

27
Frederic Chopin

• Wrote nearly 250 works
• Most works are 2-6 minutes
• Mastered the mazurka, polonaise, nocturne, and
  etude

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v6PGpn6Iw50g
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v4LkXsnEEQmE
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v4LkXsnEEQmE
28
Felix Mendelssohn

• 1809-1847
• Songs Without Words
• Overture
• Sister Fanny
• Known for melodies
• Father was a banker
• Mother

29
Felix Mendelssohn

• Used classical forms
• Embodied the feelings of Romanticism
• Visited Goethe, stayed two weeks
• Overture a stand alone work

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vm0gHTNJVFtA
30
Robert Schumann

• 1810-1856
• Loved literature
• 16 attended University
• Did not attend class read, sketched novels and
  improvised piano
• 18 took lessons from Friedrich Wieck met 9 year
  old Clara

31
Robert Schumann

• 1830 heard Paganini
• Signs of manic-depressive disorder
• Fingers injured
• Turned to composition and journalism
• First to praise Berlioz, Chopin and Brahms

32
Robert Schumann

• 1839 Engagement
• Legal battles
• 1840 Married Clara
• 150 songs
• cycle of great production followed by periods of
  depression and inactivity
• Suicide attempt
• Assylum

33
Brahms

• 1833-1897
• Born the middle child mom43 dad25
• Sent Schumann his works of youth returned
  unopened
• Conservative
• Absolute music of classical era

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vBAuqxEMRapg
34
Johann Strauss, Jr.

• 1825-1899
• Father discouraged musical career
• 1842 undertook his own musical education
• 1860 world famous
• International Peace Jubilee in America 10,000
  instrumentalist 20,000 singers, 100 sub-conductors

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vqqm9jaM5UPA
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vlkzWF1UE1CI
35
Opera in Italy

• Early 18th C opera moved from theathers of the
  aristocracy to public theaters
• Opera houses in Paris, London, Berlin, and Vienna
• Most popular form of entertainment
• Audience members not formally educated in music
• Libretto

36
Gioacchino Rossini

• 1792-1868
• At 18 wrote his first opera
• 1810-1829 36 Spain, France and Italy
• The Barber of Seville

37
Giuseppe Verdi

• 1813-1901
• Perfect blend of music and drama
• First music lessons 3
• At 18 Milan conservatory refused admission
• 1840 first production at La Scala - failure

38
Verdi

• Within 2 months of first major flop, lost his
  wife, son and daughter
• 1842 Nabucco
• In following years, 20 more operas followed,
  including Rigolletto, Il Tovatore, La Traviata

39
Verdi

• Verdis operas had subtle political undertones
• For unification of Italy, he played an important
  role
• After 1860 completed only 5 operas
• Melodies that beg to be whistled or hummed
• Melodies straightforward and subtle
• Orchestration bold

40
Verdi
41
Giacomo Puccini

• 1858-1924
• Originated from family of church musicians
• Sometimes worked in Tuscan folk songs or snatches
  from Verdi opera
• Milan conservatory at 22
• The Almighty touched me with his little finger
  and said Write for the theater, mind you, only
  for the theater!

42
Puccini

• Madama Butterfly, Tosca, La boheme
• Verismo realism favored lower class characters
  caught up in lust, greed hatred, betrayal, or
  revenge.

43
Richard Wagner

• 1813-1883
• Youngest of nine
• Father died when Wagner was 6 mo.
• Wanted an opera in Paris
• Journals, piano arrangements

Tristan and Isolde http//www.youtube.com/watch?v
NlpLlQbNFow
44
Wagner

• Affairs, debtors prison, insensitive, exiled
• Die Hochzeit (the wedding)
• The Flying Dutchman
• Tannhauser
• Lohengrin
• The Ring

45
Wagner

• Unending melody
• Leitmotif
• Zukunftsmusik (music of the future)
• Gesamtkunstwerk (complete artwork)
• Lohengrin sought a woman who would believe in
  him, who would believe in him, who would not ask
  who he was or from where he came, but would love
  him just as he was Doubt and jealousy prove to
  him that he is not understood but only adored,
  and tear from him the confession of his divinity,
  whith which he returns, destroyed, into
  isolation.

46
Camille Saint - Säens

• 1835-1921
• Organist began playing at 3 by 10 he was
  playing Beethoven concertos in public
• Traveled extensively (Australia, Antarctica)
• Wife was half his age. Two sons death

47
Saint - Säens

• Blamed his wife for their death leaves her and
  travels the world extensively
• After 1880 France recognized him as outdated.
  This contributed to his travels
• Helped found the French National Music Society
• Algeria
• Samson and Delilah, Danse Macabre, Carnival of
  the Animals

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vtG8QCjaw4yk
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v5LOFhsksAYw
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vYMeGxIgVdHU