Comparing Schumann And Irving Berlin

Music is a form of sounds. To many people, music is important and used in many ways. Music can speak to anyone in any way that the listener interprets it. Music simply connects people. For some, music is an art and to me, music is an expression that I used whether to motivate me or to relax my brain. Some sees music as seeing through another person’s experience. Music begun during the middle ages to now. Through all the times of music, two eras of music that interests me the most is the Romantic period and the 20th Century. The two artists that I find inspirational during those two periods are Clara Wieck Schumann and Irving Berlin. These two artists are highly talented in their music and each had their own style, but yet, served one purpose:

Not many people are gifted and can learn how to play a piano .However, one talented woman, Clara Wieck Schumann, German Composer, was the first girl that learned how to play the piano taught by her father. She learned to play at age 5 and was a pianist performing from memory and no longer composed after age 36. Clara however considered herself a performing artist rather than a composer. (Oron)

Another composer, who enjoyed the piano as much as Clara is Irving Berlin. An immigrant from Russia, his life became the “classic rags-to-riches story” that he never forgot could have happened only in America. Berlin developed a unique musical style by playing only on the “Black Keys.” He became a legend at age 30 and his music served as social barometer for much of the 20th century. Though these two composers really much enjoyed and were very talented in playing the piano, these two artists had different elements of music used in their music.

The types of music elements that Clara used were tone, expressions, and style. During the Romantic period, the tones of music reveled in rich and sensuous sound, a variety of mood and atmosphere. The expression explored a universe of feeling that capture longing and intimacy. The style of the individual was emphasis on self-expression.