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UNIT 5: ROMANTIC MUSIC

1. INTRODUCTION
2. VOCAL MUSIC
3. INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
4. Musical nationalism in the middle of the 19th Century

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BASIC VOCABULAry
To abolish: abolir.
Damper pedal: pedal sostenuto.
To evolve: evolucionar.
Filter: filtro.
Frame: marco (arpa del piano).
Hammer: martillo o macillo.
Huge: inmenso
To evoke: evocar.
To lead: llevar a
Marriage: matrimonio.
Mature: maduro.
Poetry: poesa.
Program music: msica programtica.
Soft pedal: pedal izquierdo del piano.
Sources: fuentes.
Stanza: estrofa.
Towards: hacia.
To turn: volverse.
Wide: ancho.

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1. INTRODUCTION

Romantic music is a term referring to a particular

period in European music history from about 1815 to 1910.
Romanticism describes the expansion of formal
structures within a composition, making the pieces more
passionate and expressive. During this period composers
turned their attention to the expression of intense feelings
in their music and were also influenced by technological
advances, including the development of the piano and the
greater projection of the instruments of the symphony
orchestra.
Some of the main characteristic of the Romantic era are:

Freedom in form and design; a more intense personal expression of emotion in which
fantasy and imagination play an important part.

Emphasis on lyrical, songlike melodies that are longer, dramatic and emotional. Tempos
are more extreme and tempo rubato is common.

Denser textures exploring a wider range of pitch, dynamics and timbres.

Expansion of the orchestra, sometimes to huge proportions; the invention of the valve
system leads to development of the brass section, whose weight and power often
dominate the texture.

Rich variety of types of piece, from songs and short piano pieces to huge musical
compositions for orchestra.

Music has closer links with other arts. Frecuently composers are inspired by external
sources like poems or landscapes.

Greater technical virtuosity especially from pianists and violinists.

Nationalism: reaction against German influences in music by composers of other

countries (especially Russia, Bohemia and Poland).

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2. VOCAL MUSIC
2.1. THE LIED

The term lieder is the plural form of the German

word lied which means "song." The poetry forming the basis
for lieder often centers upon pastoral themes, or themes of
romantic love. Typically, lieder are arranged for a single
singer and piano. The piano helped to add more emotion
into the Romantic lieder. The accompaniment enhanced the
meaning of the text by harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic
material independent of the voice part. It also provided
harmonic and melodic support to the voice and served to
punctuate the poetic form by interludes between stanzas and
lines of the poem. Poetic structure is responsible for the musical form of a song (two basic forms
are ternary form -A B A- and strophic form -A A A-). The composers Franz Schubert and
Robert Schumann are most closely associated with this genre of romantic music.

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2.2. ROMANTIC OPERA

Romantic opera gave more dimension to the imagination and extreme emotions. Opera
was a marriage of the arts, a musical drama, glorious songs, costume and orchestral music.

-Italy

Gioacchino Rossini initiated the Romantic

period in the Italian opera. His reputation still survives
today through his Barber of Seville. He was one of the
earlier composers of bel canto. The bel canto opera
movement flourished in the early 19th century.
Literally "beautiful singing", bel canto opera derives
from the Italian stylistic singing school of the same
name. Bel canto lines are typically florid and intricate,
requiring supreme agility and pitch control.
Rossini's successors in the Italian bel canto were Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and
Giuseppe Verdi, the most important Italian opera composer in the 19th century. Verdi's operas
resonated with the growing spirit of Italian nationalism in the post-Napoleonic era, and he
quickly became an icon of the patriotic movement. In the early 1850s, Verdi produced his three
most popular operas: Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata.

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-Germany

In Germany, Wagner was one of the most

revolutionary and controversial composers in musical
history. He created a new concept of opera as a complete
work of art, a fusion of music, poetry and painting. In his
mature

music

dramas,

Tristan

und

Isolde,

Die

Meistersinger von Nrnberg, Der Ring des Nibelungen

and Parsifal, he abolished the distinction between aria and
recitative in favour of the "endless melody". He increased
the role and power of the orchestra and developed the
leitmotivs, recurring themes often associated with the
characters and concepts of the drama. Wagner also
brought a new philosophical dimension to opera in his works, which were usually based on
stories from Germanic or Arthurian legend.

3. INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

3.1. Piano music

The piano evolved during 19th century and became in
an extremely versatile instrument. It provided a wide dynamic
range (the ability to distinguish between loud and soft) and a
large capacity for sonority which its predecessors did not have.
The double escapement action, the use of a strong iron frame
and felt hammers coverings and the improvement of the
damper and soft pedals were some of the innovations that
allowed musicians to try new and exciting harmonic effects and
express whatever they wanted. Chopin, Listz, Schumann or Brahms were fundamental piano
composers in the Romantic era.

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3.2. Program music

Program music is a type of composition that is

inspired in an external source (for instance a poem or
image) and try to invoke in the listener a specific
experience other than listening just only music.
Normally, the composers presented their music with an
extensive program text where they explained the
object

of

their

composition.

Hector

Berlioz

(Symphonie Fantastique) and Franz Liszt, the inventor

of the term symphonic poem, were important
composers of program music.

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4. Musical nationalism in the middle of the 19th Century

The increasing importance of nationalism as a political force in the 19th century was
mirrored in music and the other arts. Many composers expressed their nationalism by
incorporating elements unique to their native cultures, such as folk song, dances, and legendary
histories. In addition to these exterior elements, there was an increasing diversification of musical
language, as composers used elements of rhythm or melody characteristic of their respective
nations.
Many composers wrote nationalist music, especially towards the middle and end of the
19th century. Bedich Smetana and Antonn Dvok both used rhythms and themes from Czech
folk dances and songs, and Jean Sibelius wrote music based on the Finnish epic. Chopin wrote in
forms like the polonaise and mazurka, that were derived from Polish folk music. finally, some
Russian composers, for example Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov or Mussorsgsky, shared the common
dream to write music that was inspired by Russian folk music.