The romantic Era

1. Music History The romantic Era

2. The Romantic Era (1820 - 1900) • • The term Romantic refers to the music being expressive and emotional (rather than referring specifically to love). • • Patronage declined and successful composers became famous – the equivalent of pop stars in their day. • • Most of the musical developments were creative rather than technical.

3. Musical Characteristics • • Ensembles increased in scale. – The orchestra increased in size adding more instruments and numbers of players. – Chamber music was less popular. There are few string quartets, etc. • • Programme music rose in importance. • • Harmonies became more dissonant and chromatic. • • Composers increasingly ignored the formal structures phrasing typical of the classical era.

4. The Virtuoso Performer • • The performer (rather than the composer) became the star of many pieces. • • The virtuoso performer would amaze their audience with their technical ability on their instrument (most often piano or violin). • • Many composers wrote virtuosic pieces often for particular performers.

5. Instrumental Music • The piano developed technically and became much more like the powerful and expressive instrument we know today. • • Solo Piano Music: – Etudes – studies showing off a performer’s technical ability – Character Pieces – short programmatic works – Variations – virtuoso pieces based on a theme a variation form – Stylised Dances – based on popular dances forms such as the waltz, mazurka, polka and gallop

6. Instrumental Music (continued) • • Orchestral Music: – Symphony – less formal and less restrictive than the Classical symphony. – Concerto – similar to the Classical concerto. The violin and piano were the preferred solo instruments. – Symphonic Poem – Single movement programmatic work. – Concert Overture – Similar to the Symphonic Poem but more formal and less programmatic. – Symphonic Suite – Programmatic works in several movements. – Dances – similar to the stylised dances for solo piano.

7. The Romantic Orchestra • • The percussion section increased in size and number of instruments. • • The woodwind and brass sections increased in numbers and several new instruments were added. • • The number of string players was increased to balance the larger woodwind and brass sections. • • The harp was added to the string section. • • Instruments were often directed to use more unusual techniques (such as pizzicato and flutter tonguing

9. Programme Music • • Unlike the absolute music of the classical era Romantic music often reflected a narrative or extra-musical idea. This meant that composers would often abandon the formal structures that were popular in the classical era. • • The Symphonic Poem (or Tone Poem) is a single movement orchestral work that incorporates an extra-musical element. Composers would often put several of these pieces together for a larger scale work.

10. Vocal Music • • Art Song (Lieder) – Song Cycles • • Opera • • Voices (either as soloists or choruses) were often incorporated into orchestral pieces.

11. Song Cycles • • Song cycles were collections of songs, arranged for solo voice and piano, that had a common theme or narrative. • • They were intended, on the whole, to be performed in sequence. • • The term lieder is sometimes used to refer to the songs in a song cycle.

12. Opera • • Opera took on board many of the trends of the Romantic Era: – The distinctive structures of songs, recitative, aria and chorus, gradually broke down and merged together. – The harmony became more chromatic. – The number and variety of instruments in the orchestra increased.

13. Nationalism • • Many romantic composers began to incorporate features from their home country into their music. • • These may have been: – Folk Stories (as the narrative in opera or programmemusic) – Rhythms and Themes from folk music

14. Romantic Composers • • Franz Peter Schubert (1797 – 1828) • • Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886) • • Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883)

15. Summary • • Music became more expressive. • • Harmony became more dissonant and chromatic. • • The orchestra increased the number and variety of instruments. • • Absolute Music gives way to Programme Music. • • Very little chamber music – mostly orchestral or solo music. • • Music led by lyrical (song like)