Download 20th Century Music

The Romantic Period
(1810-1900)
Introduction
A romantic element can be found in music of all ages. The word Romanticism was first used to
describe the stirrings of new ideas in painting and literature towards the end of the 18th
century. This word was then adopted by musicians to describe the changes in musical style which
took place at the beginning of the 1800’s. Classical composers endeavoured to strike a balance
between expressiveness and formal structure. Romantic composers turned this on its’ head.
They looked for a greater freedom of form and design and a more powerful and intense
expression of emotion, often revealing their innermost thoughts and feelings, even sufferings
(of which most of these composers had many!) We find emotion to some degree, in almost all
styles and periods of music but we find it expressed most strongly of all in the music of the
Romantic period.
Many Romantic composers took a keen interest in all art forms and had wide circles of literary
and artistic friends. Often a Romantic composition was inspired by a painting, book or poem.
Fantasy, quest for adventure, dreams, moonlight, rivers, forests, nature, the joy and pain of love
were all common themes.
The Main Characteristics of Romantic Music
1. A greater freedom in form and design; a more intense and personal expression of emotion
in which fantasy, imagination and a quest for adventure play and important part.
2. Emphasis on lyrical, songlike melodies; adventurous modulations, richer harmonies, often
chromatic, with striking use of discords.
3. Denser, weightier textures, with bold dramatic contrasts, exploring a wider range of
pitch, dynamics and tone-colour.
4. Expansion of the orchestra, sometimes to gigantic proportions; the invention of the valve
system leads to developments in brass instruments, whose weight and power often
dominate the texture.
5. Rich variety of types of pieces, ranging from songs and fairly short piano pieces to huge
musical canvasses with lengthy time-span structures.
6. Closer links with other arts leads to a keener interest in programme music (programme
symphony, tone poem, concert overture.)
7. Greater technical virtuosity – especially from pianists and violinists.
The Romantic Orchestra
By the Romantic period there was an enormous increase in both the size and range of the
orchestra. The brass section had the addition of the tuba and became a section of great weight
and importance. With the invention of the valve system the range and flexibility of brass
instruments was increased. The woodwind family became larger with an inclusion of more diverse
instruments such as the piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet and double bassoon. The variety of
instruments in the percussion section also increased and became more diverse. As a result of
these 3 sections increasing in size and volume, it became necessary to increase the number of
sting-players in order to maintain balance across the orchestra.
The German Lied
There was an abundant creation of songs during the Romantic period, especially the German Lied
for solo voice and piano (the plural is Lieder – “songs”). With the rise of the romantic school of
poetry (Scott, Goethe, Heine) and the development, perfection and popularity of the piano,
composers brought together the voice and piano in equal partnership so as the piano was not
merely an accompaniment, and they wrote songs closely reflecting the spirit of the poem. There
are two main kinds of Lied. In the first, which is called strophic, the same music is basically
repeated for each verse of poem. In the second type, through-composed (which the Germans
call durchkomponiert) different music is composed to each verse throughout the song. In a
through-composed song, of course, a composer can match the voice-part more to the changing
moods and dramatic events in the poem and also mirror these in some detail in the piano-part.
The first great Romantic composer of Lieder was Schubert, who in his brief lifetime, composed
more than 600 songs, touching on every possible mood and emotion. Among the best known are
the powerfully dramatic “Erlkonig” (The Erlking) composed when he was 18, An die Musik (To
Music), Die Forelle (The Trout), An Sylvia (To Sylvia), and Standchen (Serenade). Other
important Lieder composers were Schumann, Brahms, and later, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss.
Occasionally, a composer might set a whole group of poems linked to the same idea, perhaps even
sketching a story. A sequence of songs linked together in this way is called a “song cycle.”
The Erlking
The Erlking is a through-composed Lied, composed by Schubert in 1815 (poem by Goethe). It is
in G minor, 4/4 simple time and the tempo marking at the beginning is “Schnell” (Quick).
There are four characters in the poem, the Narrator, Father, Son and Erlking. Schubert has
cleverly positioned each character within a different vocal range (tessitura), which enables the
singer to use a different vocal colour for each part, much like telling a story. A fifth character
is implied by Schubert in the piano accompaniment. The rapid, triplet-ostinato mimics the hoof
beats of the Horse.
In the introduction (bars 1-15) the piano sets the scene, G minor, Schnell, the triplets in the
Right hand (almost a tremolo) and the Left hand horror motif (ascending and descending
chromatic notes) inspires a sense of urgency, a fast, galloping horse, a stormy night and
agitation.
The Narrator enters at bar 15 on an anacrusis, using the mid-tessatura (pitch range) of the
voice. It is still G minor and the piano continues with the Right hand triplet/ Left hand horror
motif accompaniment. Appogiaturas are used in bars 26, 28 and 30 to accentuate the words
Knaben (boy), Arm (arm) and sicher (safe). The Narrator’s phrase ends on a perfect cadence
(bars 31-32) and the piano continues with the Right hand triplet/ Left hand horror motif, in the
key of G minor.
The Father makes his first appearance in bar 36. This short melody is still in G minor and is
lower in pitch and ascends chromatically at the end of the phrase as he asks a question. The RH
triplet piano accompaniment remains.
At the end of bar 41 the Son is presented for the first time, still in G minor, still with the same
piano motifs but with the introduction of more complex harmonies (sinister sounding Diminished
7th chords in bars 42, 44, 47 and 49). The melodic line for the Son is at a higher pitch than the
Father.
In bar 51 the Father briefly replies to the son (lower tessitura again), then the piano takes us
into the relative major for bar 58 where the Erlking is presented for the first time, sounding
sweet, smooth and friendly. This is the first time that we have heard the major key. This is
what makes him appear sinister in the overall setting of the poem. The Erlking’s melody
undulates up and down in pitch. He is the only character who gets a real continuous melody. The
piano accompaniment has also changed from the hammering triplet/ tremolo ostinato (which
depicts the racing horse and thumping heart beats). It has relented to a more easy-going
rhythm as if the horse has settled into a comfortable rhythm. Note also the dynamic used for
the Erlking – ppp.
The Son is back again by the end of bar 72 (“mein Vater, mein Vater”) The Right hand piano
accompaniment resumes the hammering triplet ostinato, now an inverted pedal. Observe how the
Left hand piano melody resembles the Erlking’s melody at bar 58. The boys’ melody rises
chromatically towards the end of the phrase, as he is asking a question. The Left hand piano
part mirrors this.
The Father enters again at the end of bar 80, lower in pitch. The tonality is being cleverly
modulated here from Bb to B minor and by bar 87 (the next entry for the Erlking) we have
modulated to C major. The piano accompaniment has altered for the Erlking again into an easygoing arpeggio pattern, ascending and descending, giving almost the soothing effect of a lullaby.
As the song is progressing the tension is mounting by use of a chromatically rising harmonic
scheme. By bar 97 (the next entry of the son) the music has modulated to C# minor. The Son
sings the same “mein Vater, mein Vater” melody, however it is now a tone higher than it was in
bar 72. The Right hand accompaniment (inverted pedal) and Left hand “Erlking” motif is also
rasied by a tone.
At bar 105 the Father again tries to reassure his son but by bar 116 the Erlking is back “Ich
liebe dich” – I love you! – creepy child catcher!) The bass line of the accompaniment remains
static, playing long notes (semibreves) while the Right hand continues the hammering triplet
motif but pianissimo. This gives a great sense of tension. By the end of the phrase (Bar 123),
however the dynamic suddenly changes to fff as the Erlking says he will take the child “by
force”. The Son then screams to his father “mein Vater, mein Vater” rasied by another
semitone, fff, really pushing the boundaries of the singers’ high tessitura.
By bar 131 we are back to the original key of G minor and the Narrator rounds off the story for
us, getting faster (accelerando) and louder (crescendo) at bar 135. The ending of the story is
dramatic in a subtle way. Schubert has saved his use of recitative until the end of the song. This
slows the music down (they have arrived at the destination, the horse is still). The dynamic
dramatically changes to pianissimo and the Narrator almost whispers in his recitative “In his
arms, the child was dead!” The climax of the song has been delivered quietly and simply: the boy
was dead. The tense has been switched for the first time and only time in the poem to the past
tense. By writing “the child was dead” the narrator steps out of the story, as if closing the book
with the final, perfect cadence.
Music for Piano
The piano was modified and improved during the 19th century which gave it a wider pitch range
(the number of notes/ keys was increased), a rounder and richer tone (felt was used over the
hammers instead of leather) and volume (the frame was now made of metal not wood which
enabled greater tension of thicker, longer strings. Composers in the Romantic period started to
explore the full range and colour of the piano, building up rich and varied textures and much
greater use of the sustaining pedal.
Notable Romantic composers who wrote music for the piano included Schubert, Mendelssohn,
Chopin, Schumman, Liszt and Brahms. They composed Sonatas and other more expressive pieces,
e.g. the waltz, mazurska, polonaise, impromptu, romance, prelude, nocturne, ballade, intermezzo
and rhapsody. Many of the pieces would be in ternary form (ABA). Another type of piece was
the etude, or study, which was intended to improve some aspect of a player’s technique. There
was a great advancement in technique at this time, giving rise to the “virtuoso”.
The Concerto
The design and character of the Concerto enabled Romantic composers to challenge the brilliant,
technical ability of their virtuoso performers, making the solo parts increasingly more difficult.
Tchaikovsky made a Piano Concerto and Violin Concerto so difficult that they were regarded at
first as being unplayable. Composers usually wrote concertos for piano or violin, however other
instruments were also used.
The Symphony
The Symphony, which in the Classical period had been written as absolute music (music intended
to be enjoyed purely for its own sake, with no story) now took on a more interesting character.
Many composers opted to write programme symphonies (symphonies that tell a story, describe
and conjure up pictures in the mind of the listener). This was due to the closer relationship
between other art forms; the links between music, literature and painting. The increase in the
size and variety of instruments in the orchestra gave rise to a new tonal palate for composers to
express their stories through sound.
Romantic Composers
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany and was one of the first composers to make a living
without being employed by the church or a member of the nobility. He began as a brilliant pianist
but when he was 30 he started going deaf so concentrated on composing, writing some of his
best music after he became deaf.
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As a boy, Beethoven became a travelling performer so talented that he was able to
support his family with the money he made from it.
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He took the Classical forms he learned from Mozart and Haydn and developed them to fit
the style of the Romantic period
Johannes Brahms was a German composer, conductor and Music Teacher who wrote music in
every musical form except opera. A virtuoso pianist, he premiered many of his own works. His
most famous musical pieces are short compositions, such as his Hungarian Dances.
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To begin with, Brahms did not want to write a symphony because he was afraid it would
not be as good as any of Beethoven’s.
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He was such a perfectionist he destroyed many more pieces of music than he published.
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After the death of two of his close friends as well as the woman he was in love with,
Brahms discovered he had liver cancer. He gave up on life and died a month before his
64th birthday
Frederic Chopin was born in Poland and by the age of 6 was a good pianist and had started
composing. He gave his first concert aged 8. Chopin settled in Paris in his 20s and wrote over
200 pieces of music for piano.
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Chopin was very sensitive and once said, “I don’t like to play in public. The crowds frighten
me, their breath stifles me, their stares petrify me, their strange faces throw me into
confusion.”
Chopin was never healthy and died at the age of 39, after catching tuberculosis
Robert Schumann was a quiet, hard-working and intelligent man. As a child, he taught himself
piano but permanently injured his hand using a device intended to keep his fourth finger
immobile when practising. When his daughter was 7, he gave her a small album of piano pieces he
had written for her – the Album for the Young.
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Schumann had a mental illness and was troubled throughout his life with the thought that
he would become insane, after his father died of a ‘nervous disorder’.
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After marrying, he spent the whole of the following year composing songs, as he was so in
love.
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When Schumann was 44 he attempted suicide by throwing himself into the river Rhine.
He was rescued and voluntarily sent to a lunatic asylum, where he died two years later.
Felix Mendelssohn was a child prodigy who, as well as having an exceptional memory (he could
hear a piece of music once and never forget it) was a superb pianist. He came from a rich family
and was very hard-working; he was a composer, conductor, pianist, teacher, administrator, family
man and traveller.
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His health suffered as he became extremely exhausted but he still worked constantly
and enthusiastically.
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He was very close to his sister so when she died suddenly he was heartbroken and
suffered a mild stroke which left him partially paralysed.
He died at the age of only 38, after having a series of strokes
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Guiseppe Verdi was most famous for composing vocal music. He wrote 28 operas, such as
Rigoletto, Aida and La Traviata. He began playing the keyboard at age 3 and began learning the
organ at age 10. AT the age of 20 he attempted to enrol at the Milan Conservatory but was
rejected for being too old.
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Verdi married one of his pupils when he was 23 and they had two children together.
Sadly, by the time he was 27 both children and his wife had died.
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He remarried when he was 46 and died of a stroke aged 87.
Georges Bizet was a late-Romantic composer who was also famous for writing operas. His
parents were both musicians and encouraged their son to become a composer. Bizet entered the
Paris Conservatoire of Music when he was 10 , wrote his first symphony at the age of 17 and
graduated with awards in composition and piano.
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His final work, Carmen, is one of the most popular and frequently performed operatic
works.
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When Carmen first opened in Paris, the reviews were terrible. Bizet died without knowing
that it had become a hit and audiences came to consider it his masterpiece.