Transcript Introduction to Music: Musical Forms

Introduction to Music:
Musical Eras
 Romantic Period:
 The impact of the French Revolution (1789-1794) set the stage for free thinkers and encouraged
men of action to independent endeavors. The Romantic period was ushered in by artists who
expressed themselves freely and personally. The desire to release emotion and achieve freedom is
succinctly expressed in the watchword term “Sturm und Drang” (“storm and stress”) which comes
from a play (1776) by the German author Friedrich von Klinger. Literary works such as
Goethe’s Faust (1808), about a man who defies convention, and novels by E.T.A. Hoffmann (17761822) and others, inspired musicians to new emotional heights.
 Romantic music developed over the course of a hundred years. During this time, many
new forms emerged: the art song, (lied) which combined Romantic poetry with voice
and piano; stylized piano music such as the waltz, mazurka, polonaise, and etude (study
piece); piano music in free form such as the fantasy, arabesque, rhapsody, romanza,
ballade and nocturne; and symphonic works such as the tone poem (descriptive piece).
Programmatic content was expressed in tone poems by Liszt and others, and in
symphonic works such as Berlioz’s Symphony Fantastique, and in piano music such as
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (later orchestrated by Ravel in 1923).
Nationalism is prevalent in works like Chopin’s polonaises and mazurkas. Other examples
are Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies, Smetana’s The Bartered Bride and The Moldau,
Borodin’s Prince Igor and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
 Romantic Period Cont.
 The music of the Romantic period mostly contained warm, personal melodies; expressive
indications (espressivo, dolce, con amore, con fuoco,) implied interpretive freedom
(rubato) and harmonic color (new chords such as the ninth) Color was intensified by
improvements in instruments, particularly the piano. Performers carried the new music to
great heights with the new improved versions of their instruments. During this period
exaggerated emotional response was displayed.
 Beethoven (1770-1827) bridged the Classical and Romantic periods in both his life and
works reflecting the Classical influence in his early work and the Romantic in his later
years. Significant Composers of this time were Schubert, Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Chopin,
Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, Verdi, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Grieg, RimskyKorsakov and Puccini.
 Romantic Harmony and Chromaticism:
 Romantic harmony uses seventh chords frequently. Composers include greater
complexity in use of dissonant chords - particularly diminished sevenths, halfdiminished sevenths, augmented triads, augmented sixth chords, and Neapolitan
chords The style is highly chromatic, and milder dissonances are elevated to
consonances (particularly diminished sevenths)
Its ambiguity (lack of a tonal center) is exploited by Liszt and other composers and it is
used extensively for modulation.
 The use of higher dissonances, a more innovative treatment of chromatic harmony, and
a greater interest in modal techniques are the other characteristics of Romantic
harmony. The use of chromatic chords without a resolution or cadence may result in
'chromatic frustration’
 Elements of the Romantic Period:
 Melody
Melody receives the greatest emphasis and its style is chiefly "melody with
accompaniment". Melodies are more disjunct and have wider ranges, particularly in R.
Strauss's music. Long, lyrical melodies with irregular phrases; Wide, somewhat
angular skips; extensive use of chromaticism; vivid contrasts; a variety of melodic
ideas within one movement.
 Rhythm
meters,
Rhythms are more complex than in Classic period and include use of compound
changing meters, and time signatures, cross rhythms (especially in Chopin and
Schumann), greater syncopation, and use of rubato in Chopin and Liszt. Some
composers (e.g. Chopin, Schumann, Wagner) fixate on one rhythmic pattern
extensively.
 Texture and Timbre
Texture: Almost entirely homophonic. Assimilation of older elements, especially the
revival of polyphony and Baroque forms. Greater interest in modal techniques
returned.
 The Romantic Elements Cont:
 Orchestra
Berlioz and Wagner greatly expanded the orchestra and incorporated new instruments
into it. Program music became common in the music of Berlioz, Liszt, and R. Strauss.
The orchestral instrumentation is expanded greatly to include piccolo, English horn,
contrabassoon, bass and, occasionally, soprano clarinets, trombone, tuba, harp, and a
 Form steadily growing list of percussion.
Forms often take one of two paths, either that of great expansion (symphony) or that of
the miniature (Nocturnes). A new form which runs between these extremes is the Tone
Poem or Symphonic Tone Poem which, springing from some literary or poetic
inspiration, is, in general, a large single-movement work for orchestra with many
contrasting sections of tempi
and
New forms: symphonic poem, song cycle, music drama. New genres emerged,
including piano character pieces (nocturne; ballade; etude; impromptu;
intermezzo; mazurka, polonaise), lieder, song cycles, programmatic overtures,
symphonic poems.
Many forms (e.g. sonata, rondo, variations) were taken from the Classic period, but were
greatly expanded. Sonata form became much longer with emphasis given to an
expanded development section and coda (particularly in Beethoven and Brahms). Unity
on a large
scale: merging of separate movements into a single span (Liszt's Sonata in B minor),
 Romantic Elements Cont:
 Thematicism plays a more important role in a sonata movement than tonality. Thematic
metamorphosis: A programmatic approach to composition often associated thematic
material with a character or idea. Changing circumstances or emotional states were
represented by the transformation of the thematic material
 Study of the folk-heritage in music and imitation of folk-like melodic simplicity. Predilection
for exotic effects through employment of foreign national coloring or the folkloristic
heritage [Chopin's more than 50 mazurkas represent one of the earliest examples of overt
nationalistic sentiments in music],
 Use of a cyclic device: Material from one movement recurs in another (a technique related
to thematic metamorphosis, idee fixe and leitmotiv) (Serenade for Strings by Tchaikovsky;
Mendelssohn's Eb string quartet; Beethoven's Symphony No.9),
 Expression markings become increasingly more numerous and detailed, and extremes of
dynamic contrasts and levels occur from pppp to ffff
 Further Reading:
The essence of musical Classicism revolved around a conservative approach to creativity
with emphasis on balance, control, proportion, symmetry and restraint. Romanticism's response to
Classicism was a more radical kind of expression, seeking out the new, the curious, and the adventurous.
Romanticism is characterized by restless seeking and impulsive reaction. Romantic art differs from classic
art by its greater emphasis on the qualities of remoteness and strangeness. A fundamental trait of
Romanticism is boundlessness. Throughout the Romantic period, the human mind was peculiarly
attracted by disproportionate and excessive features. The tiny piano piece and the brief lyrical song,
forms which had been of no consequence during the Classical period, now assumed the highest
significance. On the other hand, the moderate length of the classical symphony and opera was hugely
extended. Romanticism cherishes freedom of expression, movement, passion, and endless pursuit of the
unattainable. Because its goal can never be attained, romantic art is haunted by a spirit of longing. The
creations of the romantic artist were emotional in character rather than guided by structural rules.
The Romantic movement in music coincides with a general Romantic movement in all arts.
At this period, the arts of literature and painting began to influence music. In the Romantic era, music
acquired poetic or philosophical meaning. Antiquity, folklore, history and exotic cultures were examined
as possible sources of inspiration. Romanticism in literature appears to precede the first signs of
Romantic music (for example Goethe [1749-1832] and Wordsworth [1770-1850]). The romantic movement
was fostered especially by a number of German writers and poets. Their influence on musicians was
pervasive and enduring. Thus, a fertilization of music by poetry, fiction, philosophy and painting took
place, and with it was associated a further fertilization by the spirit of nationalism.
 Further Reading Cont:
Romanticism represent qualities which co-existed throughout the periods of musical history
(1750-1900) [concurrent tendencies] normally assigned to one or the other. The change from Classic to
Romantic is, in essence, a change of emphasis, not a sudden, total transformation. Musical Romanticism
is more style than language characterized by Nationalism, Realism, Impressionism, and Expressionism. It
remained faithful to tonality and to metrical periodicity. Emotion became more urgent and intense as
form became freer and tone color richer. Remaining mainly tonal, Romantic music became more
chromatic, the melodic structure remained periodic but phrase structure became less regular. Music
became more poetic than abstract, more melodic than harmonic and more organic than mosaic.
A few general observations may be made about the technical differences between Romantic
and Classic music. In Romantic music, long sections -even an entire movement- may continue as one
unbroken rhythmic pattern, with the monotony and the cumulative effect of an incantation. A movement
of a sonata in the hands of a Romantic composer is a series of picturesque episodes without any strong
bond of formal unity [expressiveness and lyricism above formal structure and key relationships = in
Classical music form and order come first, in Romantic music expressive content]. A new kind of unity,
however, is achieved by using the same theme in different movements. Romantic music is more
lyrical/programmatic than the dramatic/absolute music of the Classical era.
The massive use of orchestral tone colors is a Romantic trait, i.e., a wide range of
instruments were given solo or combined passages within an orchestral context. The Romantic era was
the golden age of the virtuoso. The emotional range of music was considerably widened, as was its
harmonic vocabulary and the range and number of instruments. The most characteristic orchestral form
is the symphonic poem in which the music tells a story or parallels its emotions. The most characteristic
new genre is the solo song with piano accompaniment (i.e Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf).
Questions &
Discussion
1-True or False: The fundamental trait of Romanticism is boundlessness.
You will have to read the further reading section for the answer
2-. True or False The melodies are short, lyrical melodies with regular phrases; Wide, somewhat
False
angular skips; extensive use of chromaticism; vivid contrasts; a variety of melodic ideas
within one movement.
3-Expression markings of the Romantic Period become:
Increasingly more numerous and detailed, and extremes of dynamic contrasts and
levels occur from pppp to ffff.
4-Which two composers expanded the size of the orchestra and incorporated new
instruments?
Berlioz and Wagner
5-True or False: Almost entirely homophonic. Assimilation of older elements, especially the
revival of polyphony and Baroque forms. Greater interest in modal techniques returned.
True