Romantic music

The “romantic” concept indicates the music which spreads out beginning XIX {{E}} until the whole beginning 20th century. The music, like the painting, is influenced by the Romantisme which, in the beginning, is a literary movement.

The romantic music aims here at causing the emotion, to upset. The Pianoforte, by replacing the Harpsichord, makes it possible from now on to exploit powerful contrasts of dynamics. In the same way, the orchestration becomes increasingly daring and elaborate, more especially as certain instruments, such as for example the horn, are modified by the factors of instruments so as to become more handy. The sonorities invented by the romantic ones are particularly coloured and evocative, more in any case that at the traditional ones like Haydn or Mozart. At the junction of these two currents is the powerful personality of Ludwig van Beethoven, whose first works are attached to traditional esthetics while those of its maturity must be regarded as the beginning of the musical romanticism.

Throughout the XIXe century, the romantic music will preserve in its characteristics a certain continuity, a temporal homogeneity of style, that the other artistic forms of the romanticism did not know. At the base of this continuity is perhaps a philosophical ideology: the music became finally the real shape of Article the music started to take very an other dimension; she from now on was not regarded any more as a minor art, works craftsmen. Consequently, which characterizes the romantic music is especially individuality in the styles.

Forms of the romantic music

  • the Symphony

Carried to the more high degree by Beethoven, the Symphonie becomes the most prestigious form to which many type-setters devote themselves. Most preserving respect the mould beethovénien: thus of Schubert, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, of Schumann, Brahms. Others show an imagination which makes them exceed this framework, in the form or the spirit: most daring of them is Berlioz.

Lastly, some go across telling a history throughout their symphonies; such Liszt, they will create the Symphonic poem: new musical genre generally composed of a single movement and inspired by a topic, a character or a literary text. Since the symphonic poem is articulated around a Leitmotiv (musical reason allowing to identify a character, the hero for example), it is to be brought closer to the music with program.

  • the Lied

The pianoforte being developed much during the romantic period, this musical genre appeared. The Lied is a vocal music generally accompanied by a piano. The song is drawn from romantic poems; and this style makes it possible as much as possible to bring the voice closer to the feelings. One of the first most famous type-setters of the Lieder, is Schubert, however much of other romantic type-setters were given to the kind of the Lied; one will thus retain, after this last, Schumann, Wolf and Mahler.

  • the concerto

It is Beethoven which inaugurates the romantic Concerto, with its five concertos for piano (especially the fifth) and its concerto for violin. Its example is followed by many type-setters: the concerto competes with the symphony in the repertory of the great orchestral formations. Lastly, the concerto will make it possible type-setters musicians to reveal their virtuosities, such Paganini with the violin, and Chopin or Liszt with the piano

Great concertos for violin: Paganini, Beethoven, Tchaïkovski, Mendelssohn (n°2), Sibelius…

Great concertos for piano: Hummel (in and so minor), Kullak, Litolff (3,4&5), Schumann, Tchaïkovski, Rachmaninov (2&3), Chopin (1&2), Saint-Saëns, Grieg…

  • the Ballet

The romantic Ballet much will develop throughout the 19th century, in particular by Tchaïkovski in Russia, and Delibes, in France

The romantic Opera

  • In France
During the XIXe century, the romanticism gains the opera; and it is Paris which is the hearth. The majority of the romantic operas are composed by type-setters living in France, such as Cherubini, and Auber. The apogee of the style comes from works of Meyerbeer. With regard to the really French operas, “Troyens” of Berlioz are ignored, while “Faust” of Gounod is “one of the French operas most popular of the middle of the XIXe century. ”

To the second part of XIXe, Bizet will revolutionize the opera with its “Carmen”: “local color resting on the use of songs and Spanish dances” According to Nietzsche, it is “a Mediterranean ray of light dissipating the fog of the Wagnerian ideal”. The interest for works with “local color” is confirmed with “Lakmée” of Delibes, and “Samson and Dalila” of Saint-Saens. The French type-setter most productive of the last part of the century is Jules Massenet (“Manon”, “Werther”, “Thais”)

Offenbach (“tales of Hoffmann”), is essential like the Master of the French Op3era Comique of the XIXe century, called comic opera. It also will develop the operetta

In 1902, one leaves the French romanticism, to turn us towards impressionism with “Pelléas and Mélisande” of Debussy

  • In Germany ,

Weber, with Der Freischütz (1821) creates the first German romantic opera; the first grand opera being Fidelio of Beethoven

Wagner, starting from the “Ghost ship”, introduced the leitmotiv, and the cyclic process of melody. It revolutionizes the opera (by its duration, instrumental power…), and is at the origin of the Tetralogy: “one of the tops of the German opera”. It creates the “musical drama”, and moreover, the orchestra becomes from now on protagonist of the drama as well as the characters. In 1876 the festival of Bayreuth is created.

The influence of Wagner continued in practically all the operas, until in “Hänsel and Gretel” of Humperdinck. The dominant figure is Richard Strauss, which used an orchestration and vocal techniques similar to those of Wagner in “Salome” and “Elektra” the Knight with the pink became his most popular work.

  • In Italy

The Italian romanticism starts with Rossini (the Barber of Seville, Guillaume Tell); it creates beautiful style the “canto. ” Two large type-setters being at the same period take again also this style: Bellini (which composes Normalized it, and Somnambula), and Donizetti (which composes the Elixir of love, and Lucia de Lammermoor) However, the symbol of the Italian opera, is Verdi: the chorus of the slaves of Nabucco will be an anthem in all Italy. It composes the trilogy “Traviata”, “Rigoletto”, and “the Trouvere”; but also Helped, then the tragedy with Otello, and Falstaff. “It insufflated with its works a dramatic strength and a rhythmic vitality unequalled. ”

With the second part of XIXe, Puccini, uncontested successor of Made green, transcends realism in verism. “Manon Lescault”, “the Bohemian one”, “Tosca”, “Mrs Butterfly” are “melody operas, in charge of emotion”

  • Other national works of inspiration

En Russie, a proper national school develops with Rimski-Korsakov, Glinka (" A life for Tsar".) Russian philosopher's stones: “Prince Igor” (of Borodine), “Boris Godounov” (of Moussorgski), and “Eugene Onéguine”, “the Queen of spades” (of Tchaïkovski)

En Tchèque Republic, is created “Been engaged sold” (Smetana), “Russalka” (Dvořák), “Šárka” (Janáček)…

En Hongrie, Bartok writes “the Castle of Bore-blue”

Late Romanticism, and end of the Romanticism

“The heritage of the romanticism is as complex as are to it the origins of the movement. ” Even if certain type-setters will continue, without claiming itself some, with being romantic (that one thinks for example of Rachmaninov), in a certain way, movements like impressionism (Debussy or Ravel), the expressionnism (Malher and Khatchaturian) and verism (Puccini) are all, heirs with the romantic ideas. One can even find a romanticism “driven back” in works of type-setters as anti-romantic as Igor Stravinski.

The Romanticism will make it possible type-setters to affirm their patriotism; by emphasizing their musical style at their nation, such Grieg in Norway, Elgar in the United Kingdom, and Sibelius in Finland. Lastly, which will put an end to the musical Romanticism, will be the First World War.

Some important type-setters of the romantic period

Bandage original Ghost film, under the name of Unchained Melody (North/Zaret) Is a romantic music, which made the round the world tour

Romanticism, specialized with a musical style

symphonic Music

Type-setters of opera

Opéra allemand instrumental Type-setters (piano, violin, toothing-stone…)

The " Romantisme" patriotism;

Russian Type-setters (one finds of it Groupe of the Five)

French Type-setters

Czech Type-setters

Spanish Type-setters

Other patriotic type-setters

Bibliography; Internal and additional bonds

  • Article of the philosopher François Coadou in connection with the German romantic music on the musicologie.org site.

  • French Chamber music of the XIXe century
  • http://opus100.free.fr/fr/romantiques.html
  • http://poetes.com/romantisme/musique.htm
  • Chorus and Orchestre XIX a unit occurring in Lyon dedicated to the romantic music
  • Study of works of one of the last romantic type-setters, Sergueï Rachmaninov

Simple: Romantic music

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