Beethoven
And the Romantic Period
1820-1900
Classical Timeline
BAROQUE
ROMANTIC
CLASSICAL
1756
Mozart’s
birth
1732
Haydn’s
birth
1709
Piano
invented
1750
Bach’s
Death
1791
Mozart’s
death
1770
Beethoven’s
birth
1750
1600
1827
Beethoven’s
death
Haydn 1732-1809
Mozart 1756-1791
Beethoven 1770-1827
1825
Review of periods of Music
History so far...
• 1600-1900 Common Practice Period
• 1600-1750 Baroque (invention of opera
and beginning of Common Practice
Period to death of Bach)
• 1750-1825 Classical (death of Bach to
Beethoven's second period)
• 1820-1900 Romantic (Beethoven's
second period to twentieth century)
Ludwig van Beethoven
• 1770-1827
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770 - 1827)
• Early Period (up to 1802). Follows the
language of Haydn - Classical style
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770 - 1827)
• Middle Period (1802-1815) - Heroic
period, fiery music, dramatic, Symphony
No. 5
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770 - 1827)
• Late Period (after 1815) - introspective,
very complex, intimate performing
forces (piano, string quartet)
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor,
Op. 67
• 1. Psychological Progression - Moves
from the key of C Minor to C Major
• 2. Driving Rhythm - Propells you
forward throughout the form
• 3. Motivic Consistency (Short Short
Short Long - - - – ) is found in each
movement
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor,
Op. 67
• First movement - modified Sonata
Allegro Form
• Compile a list of ways that the
traditional Sonata Allegro form was
changed by Beethoven. Why did he
make these changes?
Sonata - Allegro Form
Exposition
Development
Recapitulation
Coda
Themes broken
into fragments
Theme 1
Transition
modulates
(listen to the
descending
bass line)
Constant
modulation
Polyphonic texture
(Running
out
of
steam)
Theme 1
NO HOME KEY
home key
Pause
and change of mood
Theme 2
newkey
home key
closing section
This Is The End
The Exposition
is then repeated
Big
cadence
Transition
Theme 2
closing section
home key
no change of key
(no modulation)
Second Movement
• Theme and Variations - typically A A1
A2 A3 etc.
• Beethoven: A B A1 B1 A2 B2 etc.
Varying two themes.
• B theme is - - - –
Third Movement
• Typically Minuet and Trio: ABA
• Beethoven replaces the Minuet (moderate
triple meter dance) with SCHERZO, a much
faster triple meter dance (means ‘joke’ or
‘jest’)
• A (Minuet/Scherzo): a a b a1 b a1
• B (Trio): c c d c1 d c1
• A (Minuet/Scherzo):a a b a1
• Notice - no break as we move to the fourth
movement - attaca
Fourth Movement
• Typically a lighter form, easier to listen to
(usually Rondo)
• Beethoven brings back Sonata Allegro Form
for the final movement!!
• C Major - much brighter key (psychological
implications)
• Brings back ‘b’ theme from 3rd Movement
right before the recapitulation
Symphony No. 9
• “Ode to Joy” melody as theme of Fourth
Movement.
• Mentioned in 1793 as interested in
setting An de Freude to music.
• Symphony No. 9 premiered in 1825.
• Added voices to the orchestra.
Implications
• Voices in a symphony?
• Symphony - multi-movement work for
orchestra.
• Last symphony Beethoven composed.
Is this the direction he thought the
symphony would/should go?
Beethoven
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1770-1827
Pianist as well as composer
Studied with Haydn
Lost his hearing
9 symphonies
Bridge between Classical and Romantic
periods
Heligenstadt Testament
• Note from Beethoven to his brothers.
• Believed to be his “suicide note”.
• Introduced revolutionary ideas that
interested and influenced later
composers.
Heligenstadt Testament
• Music is an Art
• Patience as a composer
• Reconciling the world after his death (medical
records of his diagnosis)
• Hasten to meet death
• Artist in isolation
• Suffering
• Forced to become a philosopher
Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
• Considered among the list of
composers from the Viennese School
• Wrote string quartets, piano sonatas,
operas, and symphonies
• Knew each other
• How many symphonies did each
compose? 100+; 50+; 9
Absolute Pitch
Absolute Pitch
• The ability to identify a pitch (note) with
no other reference.
• Rare in most people.
• Rare in musicians! 10% have this
ability.
Relative Pitch
Relative Pitch
• The ability to identify a pitch (note) after
being given an initial reference pitch.
• The pitch is then identified in “relation”
to the reference pitch.
• A skill that is developed (and expected)
in musicians.
Romantic Period
• 1820-1900
• (Beethoven died in 1827, so is really a
“bridge” into the Romantic period)
Romantic Themes
• Themes of nostalgia
• Freedom (Revolutions and upheavals)
• Nature - Industrial Revolution forces masses
to move to cities. Nature is idealized.
• Fascination with the Macabre, Death
• Exoticism - not here and now, foreign
countries, distant times Importance of the
individual and freedom
• Dramatic - emotion and expression
Romantic Themes
Breakdown of Artistic Barriers
Nationalism - pride of larger conquering
nations vs. heritage of the smaller
countries that were being conquered
Endless Search for New Forms of
Expression - after Beethoven, what
more is there to do in composing a
[symphony, string quartet, sonata, etc.]
Romantic Harmony
• Chromaticism - notes other than the
standard notes in the scale that are
added in for “color”.
• Romantic harmony is more full, thick,
colorful, surprising, deep, etc. than
Classical harmony. Tonality (key) is
“stretched”.
Romantic Rhythm
• Rubato - modifying the tempo for
expressive purposes. Speeding up or
slowing down. “Robbed time”
Romantic Miniatures
• Small scale (short works played by 1 or
2 performers)
• 1. Piano character piece - short piece
for piano solo that is not developed. It
just introduces a mood, idea, theme, or
“character”.
Romantic Miniatures
• 2. Lied - a Song - only voice with piano
accompaniment
• Schubert’s Erlkönig (Erlking)
Erlkonig p. 179
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•
•
Text -poem by Goethe (author of Faust)
Mythological/supernatural
Love of nature
Childhood and nostalgia
Unknown
Death
Erlkonig
• 2 performers: Singer and pianist
• How many different roles are played?
• Singer: Narrator, Father, Son, and
Erlkonig
• Pianist: Left hand wind and rustling
leaves, Right hand horse’s hooves or
child’s heartbeat
Setting Text to Music
• 2 primary methods
• 1. Strophic - same music different text
(verse form)
• 2. Through-composed - different music
for different text (changes throughout)
Erlkonig
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•
•
•
Who rides so late through night and wind?
It is the father with his child.
He holds the boy safe in his arm
He holds him safe, he keeps him warm.
•
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•
•
Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?
Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;
Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm,
Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.
Erlkonig
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"My son, why do you hide your face so fearfully?"
"Father, do you not see the Elf king?
The Elf king with crown and robe?"
"My son, it's a wisp of fog."
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"Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht?"
"Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht?
Den Erlenkönig mit Kron und Schweif?"
"Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif."
Erlkonig
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"You lovely child, come, go with me!
Nothing but beautiful games I'll play with you;
Many colourful flowers are on the shore,
My mother has many golden robes."
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"Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!
Gar schöne Spiele spiel' ich mit dir;
Manch' bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand,
Meine Mutter hat manch gülden Gewand."
Erlkonig
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"My father, my father, can't you hear,
What the Elf king quietly promises me?"
"Be calm, stay calm, my child;
It is the wind rustling in the dry leaves."
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"Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht,
Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht?"
"Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind;
In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind."
Erlkonig
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"Do you want to come with me, fine lad?
My daughters should already be waiting for you;
My daughters lead the nightly folkdance
And rock you and dance and sing."
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"Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn?
Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön;
Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Reihn,
Und wiegen und tanzen und singen dich ein."
Erlkonig
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"My father, my father, and can't you see there,
The Elf king daughters in the gloomy place?"
"My son, my son, I see it well:
It is the old grey willows gleaming."
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"Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort
Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Ort?"
"Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh es genau:
Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau."
Erlkonig
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"I love you, your beautiful form entices me;
And if you're not willing, I shall use force."
"My father, my father, now he takes hold of me!
The Elf king has wounded me!"
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"Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch ich Gewalt."
"Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt faßt er mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids getan!"
Erlkonig
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It horrifies the father; he rides swiftly,
Holding in his arms the moaning child.
He reaches the yard with great difficulty;
In his arms, the child was dead.
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Dem Vater grauset's, er reitet geschwind,
Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind,
Erreicht den Hof mit Müh' und Not;
In seinen Armen das Kind war tot.
Large-scale Romantic works
• Wagner Ring Cycle (4 operas
performed on 4 consecutive nights)
• Verdi & Puccini Operas
• Orchestral works
• Large-scale - long works using many
performers on a grand scale.
Symphonie Fantastique
• Hector Berlioz
• Idee fixe, “fixed idea” through each
movement, transformed as needed.
• Notable orchestration
• Romantic symphony
• Program music - autobiographical?
Symphonic Poem
• One-movement programmatic work for
orchestra
• Composed as an “alternative” to
Beethoven’s symphonic works!
Symphonic Poem
• The Moldau by Bedrich Smetana
• pp. 228-229
• Symphonic Poem about a river in Czech
Republic (then Bohemia)
The Moldau
• Source of river: two springs
The Moldau
• River theme
The Moldau
• The hunt
The Moldau
• Wedding dance
The Moldau
• Nightfall and water nymphs in moonlight
The Moldau
• River theme (returns)
The Moldau
• St. John’s rapids
The Moldau
• River theme (after rapids)
The Moldau
• Historic castles
The Moldau
• River fades away
• The Moldau concludes with two forceful
chords (THE END)
Romantic Opera
• Italian vs. German
Italian Opera
• Melody (I) predominant and beautiful
• Role of voice (I) main melody
• Role of orchestra (I) secondary
accompaniment
• Libretto and source(I) pre-existing source
w/librettist
• Subject matter and characters(I) realistic,
human characters, believable
• Language(I) Italian
• Aria and Recitative(I) yes
• Name (I) Opera
• Performed in (I) traditional theatre
German Music Drama
• Melody - polyphonic, and of secondary importance
• Role of voice - another instrument
• Role of orchestra - symphonic w/polyphony &
voice “Leitmotif” are musical clues that are played
to provide additional insight to the drama on stage.
• Libretto and source - creates his own story and
libretto
• Subject matter and characters - fantasy, nonhuman characters - supernatural elements, gods,
etc. unbelievable
• Language - German
• Distinction between Aria and Recitative -no endless melody
• Name - Music Drama