Download European Music, 1870—World War I

European Music, 1870—World War I
A. After Wagner
1. Composers after Wagner were deeply affected by his work. Hugo Wolf, known chiefly as a composer of
lieder, was particularly sensitive to the poetry. His piano accompaniments were symphonic.
2. Mahler's symphonies are long, complex, programmatic, and grandiose. His 8th symphony (Symphony of
a Thousand) is exemplary in its innovative orchestration and its huge instrumentation. His use of vocal
resources in symphonic works follows the example of Beethoven.
3. Richard Strauss's symphonic tone poems were programmatic in either a philosophical or descriptive
sense. His Also Sprach Zarathustra (1896) was composed in response to the writings of Nietzsche, his Ein
Heldenleben (1898) essentially auto-biographical.
4. Strauss's operas Salome and Elektra scandalized Europe because of the provocative themes, the
chromatic harmony, and the polytonality. His Der Rosenkavalier (1911) is his best opera. More Classic in
style, he blends lyrical melodies with sophisticated chromatic harmonies.
5. Reger exemplifies the trend toward extreme chromaticism and mannered modulation after Wagner.
B. Nationalism
1. Composers working outside of Germany sought independent voices.
2. The principal Russian composers around 1900 banded together as "the mighty handful" (The FIVE)
Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Musorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. Used traditional folk melodies and melodies
designed to reflect their spirit.
3. Musorgsky's Boris Godunov (1874) reflects folk tunes, natural speech rhythms, modality, and unique
(crude) harmonies. The opera is episodic, not based on thematic development.
4. Rimsky-Korsakov was a genius with orchestration, his symphonic works are particularly outstanding. His
most famous pupil was Stravinsky.
5. Skryabin modeled his virtuoso piano music after Chopin. Of interest is his use of quartal harmonies.
6. Czech composers Smetana, Dvořák, and Leoš Janáček chose national subjects for program music and
operas, used folk-like melodies and dance rhythms.
7. Grieg used Norwegian folk music in his poetic, sensitive style. Sibelius was particularly eloquent in his
musical references to Finnish literature. His music is said to capture the elements of nature of the northern
countries. His Violin Concerto (1903) is absolutely wonderful.
8. The first distinctively American composer, Charles Ives, would be very influential as a source of
inspiration to the next generations of American composers. His idealism, humor, and rugged individualism
would have a profound effect.
9. Elgar's Enigma Variations is very well-conceived. His "Englishness" may have more to do with his
melodic design than any overt use of folksong.
10. Manuel de Falla was the principal Spanish composer of the early 20th century. His music is steeped in
Spanish popular melodies and rhythms.
C. France after 1871
1. With the founding of the National Society for French Music, Saint-Saens and Faurè would propagate a
French tradition characterized by economy of means, melodic restraint, and formality. Classic elements of
clarity, balance, and serenity are to be found in Faurè's music.
2. Debussy, while traditionally termed an impressionist, scorned the term and preferred to be considered a
symbolist (related to contemporaneous poets). “Impressionism” was first coined by an art critic, Louis
Leroy, who complained of a lack of organization and clarity in Monet's Sunrise.
3. Musical impressionism features moods evoked through harmony and tone color. Atmospheric, the
melodic and harmonic materials are blended, mysterious, ambiguous, and, to a great extent, non-Western.
Cyclic forms are used, as are proportion. Debussy sought to create a new order in his music.
4. Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande (1902) owes a debt to Wagner's endless melody and continuous music,
though Debussy spurned Wagner's rhetoric.
5. Debussy would be incredibly influential. His philosophy and style (particularly his harmonic language)
influenced most of the composers in the subsequent generations.
6. Satie was primarily a musical "dadaist". His was a satirical, anti-sentimental spirit.
7. Ravel's style was that of a Classicist with borrowed idioms from the impressionists. His music features
exemplary orchestration.
8. Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice (1897) was a popular symphonic poem in the tradition of Saint-Saens.
D. Italian opera
1. In the verismo operas of Puccini, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo, Italian opera was further tied to real life
characters, stories, and emotions.