Assignment in MAPEH The Romantic Era of Music Many date the Romantic Era of Music beginning with the death of Beethoven in 1827 and ending with Gustav Mahler's death in 1911. Generally, it is considered around the time from 1815 until 1910. The Romantic period was a significant one for music because with it came innovation. While the classical era had strict laws, the Romantic period consisted of artistic freedom, creativity, and experimentation. The Romantic period broke all the rules and utilized emotion in its music. It aimed to increase emotional expression to describe deeper truth and feelings. In many ways it preserved, but extended the work of the Classical period. Romantic does not necessarily refer to "love," although it is present in a lot of its work. Romantic music stands out for its emphasis on song-like melodies, richer harmonies, denser textures, and wider ranges of pitch. The music also contains a greater sense of ambiguity, and is known for having used massive orchestras. The birth of the "virtuoso" music occurred in the Romantic Period and today it is credited with influencing modern day rock stars. It was during the Romantic period that most of the band instruments came into being as they are today. The invention and widespread use of valves on brass instruments and new key systems on woodwind instruments made them much easier to play, encouraging composers to write more music for them. The popular pieces during this period included character, concertos, dances, etudes, and variations. The main instrument during the Romantic period was the piano. The sound was unique during this time because a new type of complex rhythms with 2 notes, rather than 3 were used. Melody became the dominant feature. Music composers began to experiment with length of compositions, as well as new harmonies and tones. One of the new forms that came about was the symphonic poem. Symphonic poems are orchestral works that portrayed a story or had some kind of literary or artistic background to it. Additionally there was the art song, which was a vocal musical work with tremendous emphasis placed on the text or the symbolical meanings of words within the text. The romantic era also is credited with increasing the popularity of opera. Operas were a way of expressing issues by telling a musical story. The Romantic symphony differs from the Classical symphony because it is much larger in size and length. Additionally, there are more instruments used, and sometimes more than 4 movements. In order to set a particular mood or atmosphere, overtures were used throughout the Baroque and Classical periods as instrumental introductions to operas. During the Romantic period, composers wrote only overtures without writing operas attached to them. These came to be known as concert overtures.Composers also began to use "syncopation"-a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected that makes an off-beat tune or piece of music. Along with the Romantic Period came a practice called "nationalism." Up until this period, composers borrowed musical styles from Germany, France, and Italy. However, during this time, composers began to practice nationalism, which is incorporating native folk songs and styles into their music. Now all composers regardless of their nationality could represent their home countries. Pyotr Tchaikovsky was a big proponent of this nationalism movement. Composers of Romantic Period Franz Peter Schubert Franz Peter Schubert was among the first of the Romantics, and the composer who, more than any other, brought the art song (lied) to artistic maturity. During his short but prolific career, he produced masterpieces in nearly every genre, all characterized by rich harmonies, an expansive treatment of classical forms, and a seemingly endless gift for melody. He had written more than 100 songs as well as numerous symphonic, operatic, and chamber music scores, before he reached the age of 20. Frédéric François Chopin Although a few major pianists, notably Glenn Gould, have dismissed his music as excessively ornamental and trivial, Frédéric Chopin has long been recognized as one of the most significant and individual composers of the Romantic age. The bulk of his reputation rests on small-scale works that in other hands would have been mere salon trifles: waltzes, nocturnes, preludes, mazurkas, and polonaises (the last-named two groups reflecting his fervent Polish nationalism). These works link poetically expressive melody and restless harmony to high technical demands. Even his etudes survive as highly appealing concert pieces by emphasizing musical as well as technical values.He published his first composition at age seven and began performing one year later. In 1831, he moved to Paris, socialized with high society and was known as an excellent piano teacher. He is considered as Poland's greatest composer, Frédéric Chopin focused his efforts on piano composition and was highly influential. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), Russian composer, the foremost composer of the 19th century. Tchaikovsky is known for his colorful, romantic music and his unusual melodic gifts. Many Tchaikovsky compositions—among them The Nutcracker (ballet and suite, 1891-1892), the Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major (1880), the String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat Minor (1876), and the Trio in A Minor for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1882)—have remained popular with concertgoers. His most popular works are characterized by richly melodic passages in which sections suggestive of profound melancholy frequently alternate with dancelike movements derived from folk music. Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (1857-1934), is the first modern English composer to write important choral and orchestral music.Elgar's work, a late example of romanticism, is notable for its wit, lyrical beauty, and distinctive form. Elgar also wrote the cantatas The Black Knight (1893) and Caractacus (1898); the oratorios The Apostles (1903) and The Kingdom (1906); a concerto for violin (1910) and one for cello (1919); and the five popular Pomp and Circumstance marches (1901-1907, 1930). His orchestral works include the overture Cockaigne (1902); the symphonic study Falstaff (1913); and two symphonies, in A-flat (1908) and in E-flat (1911). He was at work on a third symphony at the time of his death, February 23, 1934, at Worcester. Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), German composer, one of the major composers of the 19th century, whose works combine the best of the classical and romantic schools.Brahms wrote in every medium except opera. His numerous other important works include Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny, 1871), a musical setting of a poem by the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin, scored for chorus and orchestra; the Violin Concerto in D Major (1878), a classic in the violin repertoire; 3 string quartets; 5 trios; a clarinet quintet; numerous other chamber works for various combinations of instruments; and more than 150 songs. Brahms died on April 13, 1897, in Vienna.
