Bell Ringer

1. Bell Ringer • M.socrative.com – Room 38178 • QUESTIONS: • 1. When is the Romantic period? • 2. Why did artists resist patronage? • 3. What is another name for the “starving artist”? (hint: starts with a B)

2. Romantic Music Introduction

3. Music - introduction • Music provided a medium to express emotion • Romantic music made stylistic changes to classical music • Though Romanticism was mostly a rebellion against neoclassicism, in music it involved a more gradual and natural extension of classical principles

4. Music - introduction • Spontaneity replaced control • More emphasis on a beautiful, lyrical, and expressive melody • Longer and more complex phrases • Traditional rhythms, but new patterns

5. Music - introduction • Colorful harmonies and instrumentation • Any previous “laws” regarding key relationships could be broken to achieve striking emotional effects. • Increasingly complex harmonies • Traditional distinctions between major and minor were blurred with chromatic harmonies • Some composers used key changes so frequently that once you found the key center, the music had changed to another one

6. Chromatic harmonies • The sharps and flats make the notes chromatic – they pull those notes out of the current key (or center) and create more complex harmonies • [this is just a chromatic melody, the accompaniment would include accidentals (sharps and flats) as well] • If you see lots of flats and sharps – it’s probably Romantic music!!

7. Music - introduction • More and more dissonance occurs and eventually becomes the principal focus • Dissonance created emotion • Dissonance is a sound of “incompletion” or being “unfinished.” It wants to go somewhere, but leaves you hanging • Created by playing nontraditional chords – notes right next to each other, or outside the scale • Interest in timbre (tone color) lead to great diversity in vocal and instrumental performance • Tremendous increase in the size and diversity of the orchestra

8. Who Started it all? • Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) • In about 1820, Beethoven began to write passionate compositions which often broke from the classical forms he usually worked in

9. Symphony No. 9 • Symphony No. 9 (1824) is noted for his use of vocal soloists and a chorus into the final movement • The classical symphony could not express all he felt • The trombone and several other percussive instruments are added as well • After No. 9, many composers felt the need to experiment • Symphony No. 9 - Finale

10. More on Beethoven • Beethoven was the first “bohemian composer.” • He did not work for a church or aristocrat, he survived on his own (money from performances and lessons – enough to get by) • Not having a “boss” allowed him to express his extreme individualism • He could write as he pleased and challenge the public to follow him • Mozart, for example, was always writing for someone else

11. The transition • Composers did not fall in Beethoven’s footsteps right away • They experimented first – smaller ensembles before orchestras • Starts with solo voice and piano works • There will be LOTS of AMAZING Romantic symphonies, but we’ll talk about them later

12. Romantic forms/Types • Lieder • Piano Works • Program Music • Symphonies • Opera

13. Lieder • Lieder means “art song”, composition for solo voice with piano • Began the emotional experimentation in music – chromatics and complex harmonies • A poetic text allowed for a variety of lyrical and dramatic expressions and linked music directly to literature

14. Lieder • It was a burst of German lyric poetry that encouraged the growth of the Lieder • Music added deeper emotional implications to the poetry • Some Lieder were complex, others were simple, some structured, some not • Regardless, the piano was an inseparable part of the experience – it explored mood and established rhythmic and thematic materials before they were sung • Occasionally, it had solo passages of its own

15. Franz Schubert • The earliest and most important composer of Lieder: Schubert (1797-1828) • Austrian • His troubled life epitomized the Romantic view of the artist’s desperate and isolated condition • He wrote over 1,000 works – symphonies, sonatas, operas, Masses, choral compositions, and Lieder • None were performed until the year of his death • We’ll look at his symphonies later

16. Franz Schubert • “Scubertiads” – a group of Schubert’s friends who would gather for evenings of music • Numbers of his songs were only privately viewed by his friends until after his death • Died of syphilis at the age of 31

17. Schubert’s DerElkonig • Der Elkonig (The Erlking, 1815) is an excellent example of Schubert’s work and Romantic music in general • The Erlking • What is the song about? • Listen to it FIRST and then we’ll sum it up

18. The Erlking • The piano plays a role in transmitting the mood of the piece – the rapid octaves create tension • The melody in the bass line creates additional tension in its dark minor key • The variety of music allows the soloist to sound like several characters – the father, the song, and the Erlking

19. Another Schubert Lieder... • You’ve probably heard this one... Much happier and prettier than the Erlking • Ave Maria

20. The Piano • Lieder success came with developments and changes in the design of the piano • It was much warmer and richer in tone than earlier pianos • Improvements in pedal techniques made sustained tones possible and gave the instrument greater lyrical potential

21. Piano Pedals • Unacorda (or soft pedal – changes the timbre of the piano) • Sostenuto (can sustain selected notes while others go unaffected) • Sustain pedal

22. (Solo) Piano works • The changes of the piano made it an almost ideal solo instrument • It was popular in the Classical Period, but became even more popular in the Romantic Period • New works were composed solely for the piano, ranging from short, intimate pieces to larger works to show off the player • Pieces were much more difficult to play • Schubert wrote several, but the most celebrated pianist of the 19th century and one of its more innovative composers was Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

23. Franz Liszt • 1811-1886, Hungarian • He enthralled audiences with his expressive, dramatic playing • He taught most of the major pianists of the next generation • His piano works include etudes, concertos, and 20 Hungarian Rhapsodies based on Hungarian urban popular music (rather than folk music)

24. Franz Liszt • The technical demands of Liszt’s compositions, and the rather florid way he performed them, gave rise to a theatricality • The primary focus was to impress audiences with flashy presentation • Fit into the idea of the “artist as a hero” • Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 - Tom & Jerry

25. Frederic Chopin • Chopin (1810-1849), Polish • Wrote exclusively for piano • Several etudes, usually set to a single motif, and explored a single technical problem • Etude: study, a piece not to perform, but to teach you something • His etudes explored the possibilities of the instrument and eventually became short tone poems

26. Frederic Chopin • Wrote intimate works such as preludes, nocturnes, and dances (waltzes, polonaises, etc.) • He also wrote larger works such as scherzos, ballades, and fantasies. • All of his pieces are highly individual • His melodies are lyrical and his moods vary

27. Chopin’s Nocturnes • Chopin’s Nocturnes are his most celebrated works • Nocturnes: “night pieces” • Nocturne in E flat Major Op. 9, No. 2 • The main theme alternates with others, almost rondo form (ABABAC)

28. Opus 9, No. 2 • The melody is very graceful and lyrical over supporting chords • The melody uses notes close together (near by on an instrument) and just a few widely spaced • Each time the main theme is repeated, its more elaborate and ornamented • The work ends in a cadenza, which builds through a crescendo (gradually gets louder) and finishes pianissimo (very softly) • Cadenza: a chance for the performer to show off what they can do. They can play it at any tempo they desire.

29. Recognizing pieces • Again, you’ll need to do music recognition • Should be EASIER than the classical period because pieces are more individual • I will ALWAYS play the obvious melody, I will not always start at the beginning • It will always be the SAME excerpt • All of these links are posted on the website: • http://mrsbsteacherpage.weebly.com

30. What you need to know from today... • Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 • Fast part towards the end • Chopin – Nocturne Opus 9, No. 2 • Beginning

31. Practice! • Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.2 (Beginning) • Franz Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (7:07)