Romanticism

Two songs I used as examples are “As Vesta was from Latmos hill descending” and Justin Timberlake’s “What goes around”. These two examples, expresses a form of word painting. Both songs you can the descending and ascending pitches. During the renaissance period vocal music was popular than instrumental music. Many if not all composers wrote “text” to show emotions and meaning in music.

In addition, musicians developed a nationalist style using folklore as subject for operas, sometimes borrowing folklore from other countries (Miller, 1973 p134-135). Among the major composers of this period are: Beethoven, Von Weber, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Rachmaninoff and others. Even though Romanticism and Classicism are classified as opposites they are deeply related. Even in Classicism's excessive use of structures and formalisms, composers of this period also expressed their feelings through music. On the other hand, Romantic composers had to use some basic structures from Classicism needed to write music.

With warm melodies and long lyrical passages, Romantic composers were able to lead people do love their music. Additionally the rhythm was changed by changing the tempo and time signatures (mostlywind.co.uk). While some composers used elaborate technical performances others utilized intimate forms and delicate textures. Giving their music a sense of unity, the primary goal of the Romantic composers was to convey emotion. Sometimes melting together, the forms of this new music were not as clear as in the Classical Period and musical tension was used for emotional response, such as melodies having long dynamic climaxes (kaulblepianostudio.com).

"Romanticism" derives its name from the romances of medieval times -- long poems telling stories of heroes and chivalry, of distant lands and far away places, and often of unattainable love. The romantic artists are the first in history to give to themselves the name by which they are identified. The Romantic Movement in music co-insides 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.

The classical music period extends from 1740 to 1810, which includes the music of Haydn, Mozart, and the first period of Beethoven. The classical period of music combined harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration more effectively than earlier periods of music. With the natural evolution of music slowly changing with the culture, the baroque era had ended. That era had left a structure, articulation and periodic phrasing of music which would shape classical music. Among the many musical types of the period, the classical period is best known for the symphony, a form of a large orchestral ensemble.

The characteristics of Romantic Music are individu... ... middle of paper ... ...is expressed through emotion, imagination, and individuality. The period of Romanticism opened up a new Era to the world and continued that throughout other time periods. The art of self expression had become a new staple in western countries. The distinct qualities of romantic music made it simple to identify any artist and their work. The characteristics described through romantic music inspired composers to create a new form of the art important to them.

With the Industrial Revolution full force, the inventions of railroads and steamboats satisfied an insatiable desire for speedy travel and transportation of goods. Photography was changing the way in which history was... ... middle of paper ... ...als. The Romantic Period existed as a testament to the epochal changes that occurred between the years of 1825 and 1900. Culture was colored by the changing of ideals and moral principles, music was composed to capture the frailty and fallibility of human emotion, and composers of this age allowed themselves to be guided by their emotions and injected these powerful feelings into their works. Music was no longer a means to convey class and refinement; music had become a vehicle by which composers could rid themselves of sophistication and instead express their deepest feelings and thoughts often cloaked by the twelve, humble semi-tones that make up all Western music ever written.

The term Romantic is “Term applied to music of the 19th century. Romantic music had looser and more extended forms, greater experimentation with harmony and texture, richly expressive and memorable melodies, improved musical instruments, an interest in musical nationalism, and a view of music as a moral force, in which there was a link between the artist’ inner lives and the world around them” (Burkholder, p. A16). With Romanticism, composers looked for ways to express intense emotions through their music. At this time, many people were proud of their countries and wanted to reflect their country in their music and art. During this time, there was war and the inflation caused the aristocracy to decrease and the middle class to increase.

The limits in music composing were pushed with great contrast in the music. There were tempo changes in the music, difference in dynamics that ranged from pppp to ffff, either gradual or sudden, for a great emotional effect. Chromatic harmony was a popular, new way of making dissonance and unstable chords, prolonging the resolution of dissonance, using tones from the chromatic scale to create tension and unpredictability in the music (“OnMusic”). Other traits of the Romantic style of music were individualism and self-expression. Therefore it is possible to hear who the composer of the piece is (An Appreciation 257, 259).

At first, the music was used mainly for background. However, by the end of the century, the drama and the music were equally important. The opera innovation inspired some of the biggest composers known today. In France, Je... ... middle of paper ... ...); and Puccini’s Madame Butterfly (1904); to list just a few. Famous recording opera stars include Enrico Caruso, Maria Callas, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and José Carreras.