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The Romantic Aesthetic Divide

Dane P. Yates
West Australian Academy of Performing Arts | Edith Cowen University
danus.yates.36@gmail.com


Compare and contrast the conflicting aesthetic positions of Hanslick (as expressed in his essay On
the Musically Beautiful) and the New German School (particularly as expressed by Wagner in his
essay on The Artwork of the Future.) Illustrate these differing aesthetic positions by comparing and
contrasting the music of two different composers on either side of the aesthetic divide.



ABSTRACT
This article illustrates the contradicting
aesthetic viewpoints of the latter half of the
nineteenth century. While the more conservative
composers as well as music critic Eduard Hanslick
believed in absolute music
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and that it was beautiful
standing as itself whilst Wagner, and the New
German School believed in the importance of
programme music and an underlying context being
the true art.
1. INTRODUCTION
The 19
th
Century saw an aesthetic divide between
composers based on what they thought was fitting as
the purpose of music. The Romantic era of the arts,
especially music, saw an influx of composers taking
different routes in their musical careers leading to
The War of the Romantics, an aesthetic schism of
the latter half of the 1800s. Eduard Hanslick (1825
1904) a music critic, expressed that music was
absolute and was more conservative towards the
musical practise, being fond of Ludwig Van
Beethoven (1770 1827), and later Johannes
Brahms (1833 1897) and Felix Mendelsohn (1809
1847). The radical and progressive composers of
the New German School ("Neudeutsche Schule")
saw music as programmatic and a tool in achieving
the ultimate art. These composers included Franz
Liszt (1811 1886), Hector Berlioz (1803 1869)
and Richard Wagner (1813 1883). These differing
aesthetic positions are expressed by Richard Wagner
in his Prose Works and especially his essay Das
Kunstwerk der Zukunft (The Artwork of the
Future) (1849) and Eduard Hanslick in his writing
On the Musically Beautiful (1854). Upon review

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Instrumental music in which exists simply as such, i.e. not
programme music, or in any other way illustrative. (Kennedy
and Kennedy, 1952, pg. 2)
of excerpts from Wagners Tristan und Isolde (1865)
as well as Brahms Symphony 3 (Mvt. III) (1883), it is
quite blatant that the two composers approach their
works with their own aesthetic choices in mind and
that they do differ from each other.
2.WAGNER AND THE FUTURE OF
ARTWORK
Wagners view on music, as well as artwork as a
whole is portrayed in his essay The Artwork of the
Future (1849). Wagner, although only a composer
and a writer, believed that the ultimate art had to
utilise every branch of art in order to free the
composer. Artistic Man can only fully content
himself by uniting every branch of Art into the
common Artwork: in every segregation of his artistic
faculties he is unfree, not fully that which he has
power to be; whereas in the common Artwork he is
free, and fully that which he has power to be.
(Wagner, 1849). Music to Wagner was a single tool
in realising the absolute of art as opposed to
Hanslicks views of music being absolute within
itself. Even though this was the case for Wagners
aesthetics, he did not feel that this diminished the
extent of musics power or validity. For Music, in
her solitude, has fashioned for herself an organ
which is capable of the highest reaches of expression
(Wagner, 1849). Wagners writings on his views and
concerns on the arts did not correspond to clarifying
or validating his works. Whoever thinks necessary
to read into this confession the avowal of a weakness
of my artistic works, is welcome to follow such need
to his hearts content; for, in the long run, if my
works do not speak out clearly for themselves
those of my art, by correct performance, and those of
my literary arbour, by being properly understood it
does not really make much difference whether folk
think necessary to lay my weakness in the one
direction or the other. (Wagner, 1849).
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3.WAGNER, PROGRAMME MUSIC
AND LEITMOTIF



Musically, Wagners view on absolute art was
realized through programme music. The subject and
idea of programme music had already been realized
with Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique in 1830.
Berlioz had used his idea of an ide fixe
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in order
for the story to develop and change and give the
context of the relationship between the piece and the
plot. Wagners operas, although contextually
represented through speech and lyrics, was also
represented through Wagners leitmotifs. These
small melodies, which act the same as an ide fixe
would sonically represent certain characters, scenes
and emotions. Unlike the ide fixe, Wagners
leitmotifs would be used consistently and would
have many of them playing, sometimes at the same
time (See Figure I.) Wagner believed that the
ultimate art was the drama, tying in all aspects of art;
music, dance, art song, poem, dance and stage. The
highest conjoint work of art is the Drama: it can only
be at hand in all its possible fullness, when in it each
separate branch of art is at hand in its own utmost
fullness. (Wagner 1849).
4.REALISING THE ARTWORK OF
THE FUTURE
Wagners realization of the artwork of the future
began thus by following his own writings as steps to
create the ultimate and absolute of art. Wagner,
although still working on commissions during the
latter half of his life - Grand Festive March for the
Opening of the Centennial Celebration of the
Signing The Declaration of Independence of the

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for what is in essence a leitmotif or motto theme. Berlioz
borrowed the term from medicine, where it means a delusion
that impels towards some abnormal action. (Kennedy and
Kennedy, 1952, pg. 367)
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Fixed idea. (Kamien, 2011, pg. 295)
United States Of America (1876)
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, chose to write
mainly lieder and opera. These operas became of
epic proportions, Der Ring des Nibelungen (Premiered
1876) in entirety of all four operas has a length of around
fifteen hours. These stage dramas soon became known as
his total artworks or Gesamkunstwerk
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. This piece which
took twenty six years to compose utilizes music, drama,
dance, fashion and poem in order to realize its absolute.
Wagners Parsifal (Premiered 1882), much like Der Ring
des Nibelungen transcended the opera to the point where
it was not labelled as an opera. Wagner
described Parsifal not as an opera, but as "ein
Bhnenweihfestspiel" ("A Festival Play for the
Consecration of the Stage"). (Author Unknown [Seattle
Opera], 2014).
Another branch of art the Wagner used to realize
Gesamkunstwerk was that of architecture. Wagner helped
design and construct the Bayreuth
Festspielhaus or Bayreuth Festival Theatre. This theatre
was constructed in order to realize his compositions in
their ultimate form. Its construction is much different to
that of a theatre built around the same time; the sunken pit
beneath the stage, the Greek styled amphitheater, the
seating, stage and the column which frame the stage.

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Meanwhile, the United States was preparing to celebrate the
100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence and, at Christmas 1875, commissioned Wagner to
compose a commemorative march for the occasion. (Corneolis,
2014)
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Unified work of art. Wagners term for a dramatic work which
drama, music, poetry, song and paintings should be united into a
new and complete art form. (Kennedy and Kennedy, 1952, pg.
290)











Figure I. Annotated excerpt from Wagners Tristan
und Isolde (1865) showing the constant use of
Leitmotif




















Figure II. Floor plan of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus
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Through Wagners use of leitmotif, collaboration of
music, drama, and the construction of the Bayreuth
Festspielhaus, it is blatant that Wagner had successfully
paved the way for Gesamkunstwerk for future composers
to realize their absolute of art which he had first
illustrated in his writing Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft.
5. HANSLICKS MUSICALLY
BEAUTIFUL
"An art aims, above all, at producing something
beautiful which affects not our feelings but the organ
of pure contemplation, our imagination." (Hanslick,
1854, pg. 11) Put simply, Hanslicks views on
music, its purpose, and its absolute. Hanslick claims
that musical beauty cannot derive from the
expression of feeling and that music expresses
nothing other than itself. (Penny, 1998, pg. 39).
Hanslicks view on music may be viewed as in
relation to expression, emotion and nature, but also
they are quite one fold in the sense that music has
the power to emote itself but only itself. Hanslick
feels as they music is itself, exists within itself and
expresses itself within itself, no more, no less.
6. HANSLICK ON BRAHMS
He [Hanslick] was also a personal acquaintance of
Brahms, whose music seemed to him to project the
essentials of beauty without distractions from
programmatic meanings
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. (Author unknown, 1957).
A fond listener, friend and critic of Brahms,
Hanslick reviewed all four of his symphonies and
used him as evidence supporting his claim of
absolute music. The language of prose is not only
poorer than that of music; as far as music is
concerned, it is no language at all, since music
cannot be translated into it. (Hanslick, 1883, pg.
unknown). Hanslick discusses the third movement
from Brahms Symphony Three (1883).
The Scherzo is represented by an
Allegretto in C minor, superficially
reminiscent of Mendelssohn, which
hovers easily in that hybrid,
indeterminate mood which Brahms so
favours in his middle movements. The
piece is simply scored (without trumpets,
trombones, and kettle drums) and is
rendered particularly effective by the
spirited charm of a middle section in A-
flat. (Hanslick, 1883, pg. unknown).


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Taken from abstract from 1957 translation of The Beautiful in
Music.
Hanslick, E., (1957) (Translation) The Beautiful in Music, trans
Morris Weitz Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc: New York





Music is beauty within itself. The beauty lies within
the music itself and no within the context or
programme. "So long as we refuse to include lottery
tickets among the symphonies, or medical bulletins
among the overtures, we must refrain from treating
the emotions as an aesthetic monopoly of music in
general or a certain piece of music in particular."
(Hanslick, 1854, pg. 15)
7. CONCLUSION
Conflicting ideas of aesthetics were seen between
the conservative and the radical segregation of the
latter half of the nineteenth century. Wagner, Liszt
and the New German School believed in context and
a programme being added in order to realize music
in its absolute. Wagner believed in the ultimate of art
needing every branch being used, dance, drama,
music, song, painting, to be used before the
composer could be free to realise this. Hanslick, a
fan of Brahms believed in music being absolute and
beautiful within herself.




"If the contemplation of something
beautiful arouses pleasurable feelings,
this effect is distinct from the beautiful as
such.
(Hanslick, 1954, pg. 9-10)













Figure III. Extract from Brahms Third Symphony.
The horns adding colour by taking over the melody
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References
Corleonis, A., (2014) 2014 AllMusic, a division of All
Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved
http://www.allmusic.com/composition/american-centennial-
march-for-orchestra-in-g-major-wwv-110-mc0002371698

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Criticisms, Penquin Books, 1963, pp. 210-213. [First
published in 1883]

Hanslick, E., (1957) (Translation) The Beautiful in Music,
trans Morris Weitz Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc: New York

Hanslick, E., (1854) The Beautiful in Music: a contribution
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Novello

Kamien, R., (2011). Music: An Appreciation (7th Edition),
McGraw - Hill: New York

Kennedy, M. and Kennedy, J. B., (1952). Oxford Concise
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"Parsifal Synopsis". Seattle Opera House. Archived from the
original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January
2014. http://seattleopera.org/discover/archive/2003-
2004/parsifal/synopsis.aspx

Petty, J. C., (1998), Hanslick, Wagner, Chomsky: Mapping
the Linguistic Parameters of Music
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Published by: Royal Musical Association

Wagner, R., (1964) Wagner on music and drama: a
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Press

Wagner, R., (1892) Richard Wagner's Prose Works, K. Paul,
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Wagner, R., (1849) " Outlines of the Artwork of the Future,
The Artwork of the Future: Multimedia: From Wagner to
virtual reality, 2001 - WW Norton & Company

Wagner, R., (1897) On the Application of Music to the
Drama Translated by William Ashton Ellis

Figure I. http://blackboard.ecu.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-
3251890-dt-content-rid-
3062588_1/courses/MUS2113.2014.1.METRO_ML/2n
d%20year%20history/Classical%20Topic%202%20%2
0Classical-
Romantic%20%282013%29%20Lecture%2009-
2013%20Leitmotifs%20in%20Prelude%20to%20Trista
n%20Analysis%20Page%202/prelude%20with%20leit
motivs%2002.JPG

Figure II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bayreuth-
plan.gif


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