PIANO LIT CONSOL - ROMANTICS

Schumann
Major contributions of Schumann?

- Created cycles of short pieces that relate to each other

- Developed programme music: incorporated literary concepts

- Incorporated codes and riddles

- Piano writing brought about advances in technique and composition

- Modified sonata form: development within the exposition

His nicknames/alteregos? Florestan and Eusebius

- Florestan: bold, passionate, brash, impetuous

- Eusebius: sensitive, dreamy, introspective

3 letter codes of ASCH in Carnaval?

- A S C H: A, Eb, C, B

- As C H: Ab, C, B

- S C H A: Eb C B A

3 stages of piano output?

- early: complex, technically challenging

- middle: retreats into polyphony

- last: Haus musik and didactic music

Important journal that he founded? Neue Zeitschrift für Musik

Schumann pieces and opus numbers consol:

1 Abegg

2 Papillons

6 Davidsbündler

7 Toccata

9 Carnaval

12 Fantasiestücke (8+4)

16 Kreisleriana (8x2)

13 Symphonic etudes

15 Kinderszenen

17 Fantasie in C major

21 Novoletten

26 Faschingsschwank aus Wien

11 Sonata 1

14 Sonata 3

22 Sonata 2

Liszt
Bio notes:

Hungary->Vienna->Paris>Geneva->Weimar->Rome

- Born in Hungary

- Moved to Vienna at young age, studied with Salieri and Czerny, met Beethoven and
Schubert

- Moved to Paris, began to earn living as piano teacher

- Met: writers like Hugo, G Sand and Heine, composers and performers Berlioz, Paganini,
Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Contesse Marie d’Agoult

- Famous Thalberg duel in Paris

- Moved to Geneva

- Moved to Weimar: center of “New German School”

- Moved to Rome, became Abbée and teacher

- spiritual music of this era

Legacy:

- Leader of New German School (supports progressive musicians -> Wagner)

- new approaches to:

- form (1 long multimovement),

- sonatas, tone poems: 4 mvt in 1

- harmony
- thematic transformation

- programmatic music

- Diverse output: From bravura music to music leading to Wagner, Strauss and impressionist

- Important piano teacher

- Philanthropist: Bonnument, schools

Comp language:

- Nationalist language: Hungarian elements, gypsy

- Programmatic inspiration

- Harmony: striking chromaticism, dim/aug triads, tritone, whole tone scale, aug 2nd intervals,
enharmonicism, delayed resolution

- Suspending tonality

- Later, impressionist colours

Etudes:

Versions? Dedicated? How many etudes? Key Titles

/ Year? scheme?

études 3
Czerny 12 in final version Co5 All have titles except
d’exécution Last one: descending
no.2 (Am) and no.10
transcendante 1851 w/ relative (Fm)

known minors - no.5 Feux follets:

study in double
notes)

Ricordanza, Chasse-
neige, Mazeppa
 Versions? Dedicated? How many etudes? Key Titles
/ Year? scheme?

Grandes 2
Clara 6
no.3: La Campanella
études de Last one: Schumann - on Caprices (theme from
Paganini 1851 concerto 2 rondo)

known no.5: La chasse

(study in double
notes)

Ab irato 1852 Single etude “in rage”

études de 1848 3 1. Il lamento

concert (3) 2. Leggierezza
3. Un sospiro

études de 1862 2 1. Waldesrauschen

concert (2) 2. Gnomenreigen

WHAT IS THEMATIC TRANSFORMATION?

- changing theme to a degree hardly recognizable, only melodic outline might be preserved

- can change ornamentation, rhythm, harmony

Purpose:

1) alternative device pioneered by Liszt, to traditional thematic variants (ex: PT and ST)

2) unifying technique: monothematic composition, everything based on one theme

The process of resolution:

- a narrative for composition

- opening material that introduces tonal tension needs resolution of some kind

- takes precedence over traditional narratives (thematic return)

Liszt’s program depictions:

- in line with comp. narrative (of an opening problem, seeking to resolve it)

- emphasis on human and divine elements, nature

THE SONATAS
- 1 multimovement form

- open with unstable motive

- sustained dissonance for prolonged time

- resolution and tonal stability comes much later

Previous sonata form:

Exp - stable

Dev - unstable

Recap - stability returns

New Lisztian form:

unstable,

stable (slow segment) in development,

unstable again until stable comes in recap,

then climax comes later

 Program? Opening Main thematic Form Harmony

conflict and materials
process of res.

Dante - from Hugo’s - story: - the tritone - exposition

- lots of
sonata poem, based resolving the motive - andante (slow chromatic
(1849) on Dante’s tritone, new (unifying movement)
and
divine conflicts set element)
- development on diminished
comedy
up between - 2 themes:
tritone motive -> P4 harmonies,
- Program: Ab and D, - diatonic/ in Ab
constantly
Dante going ultimately chromatic - recap in D: both shifting
through 3 resolve to P5 theme 1
themes
keys
realms of the in D - stable/ - coda: theme 1 and
dead, unstable tritone motive -> P5
ultimately theme 2 resolved, in D

journey
towards God

Sonata - not prog.

- downward - the scale - exposition
- dim, aug,
in Bm - preceded by scale: tone/ motive - dev 1
WT
(1852) Dante sonata semitone
(unifying - dev 2: andante slow harmonies
and großes - story: element)
movement, new
konzert solo
another scale - Theme 1 theme

- dedicated to introduced, introduces 3 - recap: contains

Schumann
with aug2s
motives: a, b fugato (like a 3rd
- ultimate and c
mvt)

scale: A - Theme 2: - coda: climax arrives

combination grandiose
here, themes 2 and 3
of the two - Theme 3: and all motives
andante
presented in reverse
order (c, b, a)

- delayed tonal
stability, arrival of
climax at the end

- slow movement
Andante in
development

Character pieces

- Apparitions

- Consolations

1st important set: Harmonies poétiques et religieuses

- 10 pieces

- Some are transcriptions of earlier choral works

- No.7 Funerailles: written to commemorate deaths of leaders of Hungarian revolution,

1849, possible tribute to Chopin who died in 1849

- No.3 Benediction de Dieux dans la solitude: strides towards impressionistic music

Album d’un voyageur: Large set of early works that got revised into Années de Pel.

Impressions à poesies -> AdP I

Fleurs melodiques des Alpes: AdP II

Added Venezia e Napoli (Supplement to AdP II)

Années de Pèlerinage
1855-58-61/83

Final versions:

1855: 1re Suisse: 9 pieces

- natural scenes and places (Vallée)

- Quotes Byron (English poet), Schiller, Senancour

- The Chapel of William Tell “One for all, all for one”

1858: 2e Italie: 7 pieces

- art and literature

- Raphael painting,

- Michaelangelo (Il Penseroso),

- Petrarch (Sonneto 104 del Petrarca)

- Dante

1861: 2e Supplement: Venezia e Napoli: 3 additional pieces *Gondoliera, Tarantella, Canzone

1883: 3e année: 7 pieces

- mainly religious or connected with Rome (Les jeux d’eaux à la villa d’Este)

- emphasis on spiritual journey

General:

- rare CPT writing

- traditional forms like sonata, rondo, minuet are absent (except Dante sonata)

Two Legends:
- religious pieces, pub 1866

1. St Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds

2. St Francis of Paola walking on the waves

~~~

Other programmatic pieces:

Mephisto Waltzes
- 1 and 2 composed for orc, piano, arranged for piano duet

- 3 and 4 for piano

#1: “the” Mephisto Waltz: most popular

Real title: “The Dance in the Village Inn”, based on Lenau’s Faust

- two alternative endings

- ABA’coda structure, thematic transformation

- slow seductive B section

~~~

Rhapsodies (20)
- 19 Hungarian

- 1 Spanish

- First 15: 1853, last four are late works and less virtuosic

Structure: based on czardas (Hungarian folk dance), predecessor verbunkos

- slow songlike section (lassu)

- cadenzas

- lively dance section (friska)

- closing sections virtuosic

- sometimes a 3rd section between the two: ornamented recitative (czifra)

lassu/czifra/friska

Imitation of Gypsy/Hungarian elements:

- 2/4 meter

- tremolos imitate cimbalom, dulcimer-like instrument used in Gypsy orchestras

- Gypsy sounds: aug 2 interval, modal scales and mixture, ornaments and grace notes

- phrasings in three groupings

- dotted rhythms

Descriptive titles:

no.5: Heroic Elegy

no. 9: Carnival at Pest

no.15: Rakoczy March

Transcriptions and paraphrases

1. Arrangements: straight transcriptions from one medium (orc, chamber, choral, organ,
song) into piano, or v.v.

Important ones:

- symphonies of Berlioz and Beethoven

- Beethoven Septet

- Mozart Requiem

- Bach Preludes and Fugues

- Song cycles by Chopin, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt

- Wanderer Fantasy for piano and orchestra

2. Fantasias/paraphrases: original works based on other composer’s themes

- Orchestra: Beethoven

- Opera themes: Bellini Norma, Mozart Don Gio, Verdi Rigoletto

- *LARGEST part of output for piano :O

Late works: more impressionist, expressionist, less triadic

- Nuages gris: ascending 4ths

- La lugubre gondola

Brahms

1853: Schumann praises Brahms in Neue Zeitschrift

Settles in Vienna 78

Studied counterpoint, kbd skills, developed deep interest in Schubert, baroque music

Part of Conservative Leipzig camp with Clara and Joachim:

Wrote absolute music, not programmatic

Revived old classical genres

Stylistic features
- Contrapuntal writing!!!

- Special features

- delay/avoidance of tonic and satisfactory resolution

- displacement/misalignment

- symmetry

- complex notation

- Synthesizes multiple styles: old and new

- Old:

- functional harmony,

- forms (sonatas, variations),

- Baroque techniques, counterpoint,

- motivic development,

- no program music

- New (modern/Romantic):

- cyclic unification

- complex texture

- developing variations

- symmetry and polyphony

- incorporating Folk sources

- lyrical melody, dark colours

Developing variation

constant modification of motives and thematic ideas in the music of Brahms

Article written by Schoenberg, describing Brahms as progressive: using repetition with

variation (over literal rep)

Periods:

- Early: sonatas, scherzo

- Mids: variation sets

- between 54-78: ONLY variations - wrote many for chamber/orc too!

- after 78: op.76 and 79

- no solo piano between 79-91

- op.116-119 after 91

Works:

- 3 sonatas op.1,2,5

- 5 sets of variations op.9 (Schumann), 21a, 21b, 24 (Handel), 35 (Paganini)

- Scherzo op.4 * FIRST PUBLISHED WORK

- Ballades op.10

- 8 Klavierstücke op.76 (intermezzi/capriccios)

- 2 Rhapsodies op.79

- 4 last Sets of short pieces: 116-119

Variations
- 5 sets for piano

Theme Variations Notable

op.9 Schumann Albumblätter op.99 no.3 16 variations. Sad. - signatures Brahms/

Kreisler

- 4 canons
op.24 Handel First Suite in Bb Aria + 25 variations + Baroque elements:
Fugue canon, sicilienne,
couperin,

Orchestral elements

Hungarian

op.35 Paganini Caprice 24 28 Variations (2 sets of titled ‘etudes’

14)
1. Variations on a theme of Schumann, op.9

- based on piece by Schumann: Albumblätter op.99 no.3

- other refs: Clara’s ‘Romanze’ op.3 in 10th variation, Schumann’s Toccata texture

- signatures of ‘Brahms’ (E feeling) or’ Kreisler’ (F feeling) (like F and E)

- 4 canons, contrapuntal tour de force

2. Var on Original Theme in D, op.21/1

3. Variations on Hungarian Song op.21/2

4. Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, op.24

- theme from Handel’s 1st Suite in Bb

- Aria + 25 variations, concluded w/ Fugue

Features:

- Baroque elements:

- 6. strict Canon

- Couperin-style music box

- Sicilienne

- Orchestral treatment of piano

- Fanfares, hungarian style, chromaticism, tonal ambiguity, unexpected harmonies (D in Bb)

5. Variations on a Theme of Paganini op.35 I and II

- two sets, 14 variations each

- Theme from 24th Caprice by Paganini

- titled ‘etudes’

SONATAS
- Old and new: expansive movements in traditional sonata form, but new idea of developing
variation (not complete themes manipulated, but extracted motives transfigured)

1st sonata op.1 in C: dedicated to Joachim

1. sonata form, repeat

2. Andante: loose variation form in four sections.

“nach einen altdeutschen Minnelied”

3. Scherzo and trio

4. Rondo

2nd sonata op.2 in F#m: dedicated to Clara

1. sonata form, no repeat

2. Andante, based on Winterlied. loose variation form in four sections

3. ATTACA W/ SECOND. Scherzo

4. Finale:

- Slow intro transformed into PT

- Slow sections in between main sections of sonata form

- Ends with cadenza-like improv section

3rd sonata op.5 in Fm:

- classical form and developmental technique

- 1st mvt leads to climax in 2nd: transformation to a goal

1. sonata form, repeat

2. Andante. Lied-like. Espressivo theme: in dolce development section of 1st mvt

3. Scherzo

4. Intermezzo: Rückblick. Based on Andante theme

5. rondo form. F, A, E (freie, aber einsam)

Sonata chart

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

op.1 Sonata form w/ Minnelied Scherzo and rondo

repeat loose variation trio
form

op.2 Sonata form

Winterlied
Scherzo and - Slow intro +
no repeat loose variation trio sonata form
form. Attaca to w/ slow
-> sections in
between

- Cadenza
ending

op.5 Sonata form w/

Lied-like
Scherzo and Rückblick rondo

repeat Espressivo trio intermezzo

theme in dev of F, A, E theme
1st

Small scale pieces:

- op.10: 4 Ballades
- no.1: Edward poem: dark poem about death of the father

- op.76: 8 Klavierstücke (4 intermezzi/4 capriccios) -> musical economy

 - no.4 Intermezzo: starts off tonic

- no.8: Capriccio: metric conflict with harmonic rhythm

- op.79: 2 Rhapsodies
- 4 last sets of short pieces:

- 116: 7 Fantasies (intermezzi/capriccios) -> inspired by Hoffman and Kreisler character

- no.4 Intermezzo: imitative counterpoint, mirror symmetry

- no.5 Intermezzo: reversed placement strong/weak downbeat (like Schumann)

- 117: 3 Intermezzi “Cradlesongs of my sorrows”

- 118: 6 Klavierstücke (Int/Int/Ballade/Int/Romance/Int) <- no caps

- 119: 4 Klavierstücke (Int x3/Rhapsody)

Types of pieces:

- Rhapsodies: larger in scale, more powerful and energetic

- Capriccios: shorter, vigorous, extroverted

- Intermezzi and Romances: slow, romantic

- Ballades

Small scale pieces

Title Pieces Notable

op.10 4 Ballades 1st: Edward Ballade

op.76 8 Klavierstücke 4 Intermezzi, 4 musical economy.

capriccio no.4 Intermezzo: starts

off tonic

no.8: Capriccio: metric

conflict with harmonic
rhythm

op.79 2 Rhapsodies 1. in Bm

2. in Gm

op.116 7 Fantasias Int/Caps inspired by Hoffman

and Kreisler character

no.4 Intermezzo:
imitative counterpoint,
mirror symmetry

no.5 Intermezzo:
reversed placement
strong/weak downbeat
(like Schumann)

op.117 3 Intermezzi 1. Eb Lullaby

“cradlesongs of my
2. Bbm why?
sorrows”
3. C#m 123,232

op.118 6 Klavierstücke 1. Intermezzo Am

Ints, ballade, romance
2. Intermezzo A (<3)

3. Ballade in Gm

4. Intermezzo in Fm

5. Romance in F (<3)

6. Intermezzo in Ebm
(3231)
 Title Pieces Notable

op.119 4 Klavierstücke 1. Int in Bm

Ints, rhapsody
2. Int in Em

3. Int in C

4. Rhapsody in Eb
(heroic)
Comp features:

- delaying resolution and tonic

- Durchführung: constant pulling forward

- imperfect resolutions, obtained at the end

- harmonic, metric, rhythmic instability

- motivic economy: restricted economical language -> leads to second Viennese school

~~~

General overview of sonatas of 19th c:

- Schubert

- Chopin

- Schumann

- Liszt

- Brahms

Schubert sonatas: (D. number)

Early Sonatas: 12

Middle to late: nos 13-20

Last 7 sonatas: most are 4 mvts

1) sonata allegro.

1) 3 distinct groups of themes, subjects appear 2 or 3 times,

2) Subsidiary themes are variants of PT

3) All 1st mvts have codas

2) slow, 3 or 5 part song

3) Minuet and trio, except for D.784 (3 mvts)

4) varied

Last 3 sonatas: written in final months of his life (D.958-960)

Chopin sonatas: 3

What important modification did he do to a sonata?

PT is not recapped in first movement (both 2nd and 3rd sonata)

2 and 3 mvt swapped

Structure of sonatas:

1) sonata allegro

2) scherzo

3) slow

4) allegro

-> so 2 and 3 swapped from trad. structure

Sonata 2 op.35 in Bbm:

- PT not recapped

- 4th movement is unorthodox: almost like short prelude, rather than full allegro movement

^ Diff from finale of Sonata 3

Most influential on structure: Beethoven op.26, Ab w/ Funeral march 3rd mvt

Sonata 3 op.58 in Bm:

- PT not recapped

- 2nd mvt scherzo

- 3rd: slow

- 4th: brilliant sonata-rondo form

Schumann sonatas: form back to normal order

Sonata allegro/song/scherzo and trios/rondo

no.1 in F#m op.11 - Dedicated to Clara

*1st mvt: modified sonata form: themes developed WITHIN exposition

no.2 in Gm op.22

no.3 in Fm op.14 (Concerto without orchestra)

Liszt sonatas:

- Dante, B minor

- one movement encapsulates 4 within

^ influence: Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy

Brahms sonatas:

no.1 op.1 in CM

no.2 op.2 in F#m

no.3 op.5 in Fm: 5 movements

What are the 19th century small scale character pieces?

Chopin: Ballades (Mickiewicz), nocturnes (John Field), etudes, preludes op.28 (24 in Co5),
berceuse. Dance music: Mazurka (polish dance), polonaise, waltzes

Mendelssohn: Songs without words (art song and character piece)

Grieg: Lyric pieces

Schumann: cycles (Papillons, Carnaval, DB, Kinder, Kreisleriana, Faschings), toccata,

Fantasiestücke, symphonic etudes, Novoletten

Russian School:
mid-19th century

Glinka: ‘Spiritual father’ of Russian music

- wrote operas

- carrying nationalistic spirit of Russia

Mighty 5:
Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky

- Balakirev: leader of 5, most musically educated

- wrote orchestral music and lyric song

- opened free school of music, emphasis on choral singing -> for Russian orthodox church

Mussorgsky:
- met and studied with Balakirev, wasn’t professionally trained before

- Pictures: 1874, based on paintings of Hartmann

Promenade in between portraits at museum, 5/4 and 6/4 time.

Gnomus

Il Vecchio Castello

Tuileries

Bydlo

Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells

Samuel Goldberg and Schmuyle

Limoges, The Marketplace

Catacombae, Sepulcrum Romanum

Con mortuis in lingua mortua

The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga)

Great Gate of Kiev