Adam Liszt : The Romantic Period Of The Romantic Movement

Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer and piano virtuoso. Most of his music was written for solo piano, although he has some works for piano concerto and chamber music. Chopin often composed using improvisation. Chopin refined the concept of the “nocturne” and introduced the world to Polish folk music. Composers such as Rachmaninoff, and Brahms, among others were influenced by Chopin.

Music of Robert Schumann embodies many of the most characteristic features of German Romanticism – deep psychological insight, aspiration for the ideal, intimacy, irony and bitterness. Advanced aesthetic tendencies of German culture in the period of 1820-40s found vivid expression in his music. In contradictions, which are inherent in Schumann’s music, reflected the complex contradictions of the social life from his time. His music is filled with a restless, rebellious spirit that puts him in the same line with Byron, Heine, Goethe, Wagner and others. However, the theme of rebellion in the music of Schumann has a psychological, but very lyrical representation. Compared to Heinrich Heine, Victor Hugo, and Ludwig Van Beethoven who viewed the world through the prism of social injustice, Schumann did not aim towards social revolt. The greatest part of his diverse heritage was his personal “confession” in music. Schumann’s piano music, for instance, Kreisleriana, Op.16 and the Symphonic Etudes, op.13, are truly a musical encyclopedia of the human soul with many nuances and tones, with shades of colors of joy, sorrow, anguish, doubt and struggle, dreams and anxieties, rush, despair, faith and courage.

With goals of becoming a pianist, he ended up settling as a composer and musical writer due to his paralysis. Although he felt he failed at many things, he “was one of the great composers of the nineteenth century” and “was the quintessential artist whose life and work embody the idea of romanticism in music. His brilliant collections of short piano pieces have attained the elusive union of music and poetry which romantic poets and musicians defined as the ultimate goal of art”

The early piano sonatas of Beethoven deserve special mention. Although his first published examples of concertos and trios and the first two symphonies are beneath the masterpieces of Mozart and Haydn, the piano sonatas bear an unmistakably Beethovian stamp: grandiose in scope and length, and innovative in their range of expression. The sonatas were able to move expression from terrible rage to peals of laughter to deep depression so suddenly. Capturing this unpredictable style in his music, a new freedom of expression which broke the bounds of Classical ideals, was to position Beethoven as a disturbed man in the minds of some of his contemporaries. Furthermore, he was to be seen as the father of Romanticism and the single most important innovator of music in the minds of those after him. (Bookspan 27).

Many prominent musicians produced major works during the romantic period. Among these are Beethoven, Strause, and Bach. But the musician that I think had the most impact, was Franz Schubert. Franz Peter, born on 31 January 1797 was one of fourteen children born of Franz Theodore Schubert and Elisabeth Vietz, four of which survived. He grew up in an apartment that daily converted to a classroom in which his father taught several elementary school classes. He received a thorough basic education; his father being a good teacher, and son being a bright student. From his father Franz also learned to play the violin, and from his

Romanticism brought new ideas and visions for people. Romanticism showed a return to nature and the goodness of humanity. It lead way to many different forms of writings, and made some authors famous, like Emerson, on their thoughts and views of this time period. People loved this idea, because times were changing, and this was somewhat of a gateway for better things to come. Romanticism not only touched literature, but also art and music, where famous composers such as Lizit and Tchaikovsky became well known classical artists, and their works are still played today. The movement of Romanticism helped not only helped people express themselves, but also gave us a new sense of the different forms of

(2) Schubert was one of the most prominent composers in the Romantic era. He was the first composer to live off only the money he got from composing. He wrote many compositions during his short lifetime, especially art songs (“OnMusic”).

Frederic Chopin was a Polish pianist and composer who integrated both the Romantic tradition and technical characteristics of the piano in an innovative and expressive way. (Oxford Music) “Chopin was the Romantic composer most closely identified with the piano” (Textbook) He combined beautiful melodies, inventive chords and harmonies, and virtuosic technique in a natural and eloquent way to create a tremendous collection of piano works throughout his lifetime. (Oxford Music) Of his many prominent works, Chopin’s collection of etudes has been one of the most revolutionary. This paper will delve into the historical and musical aspects of Chopin’s Etudes Op. 10.

Romantic: of, characterized by, or suggestive of an idealised, sentimental, or fantastic view of reality… concerned more with feeling and emotion than with form and aesthetic qualities.

The romantic period of music began in the 1820s and with it came a change of stylistic features. Beethoven largely impacted the new way that the music of the Romantic era was viewed. He made people perceive music as a true form of art made to be taken seriously, rather than just a fun time passer. Another reason for the change of music during that time was due to nationalism and exoticism. Nationalism promoted music, such as folk songs and dances, which was created for the purpose of supporting the nation. Exoticism had the opposite effect as nationalism. It caused audiences to listen to folk music from other nations and it allowed people to have a better understanding of unique qualities and cultures of surrounding nations. These factors led to the music during the Romantic period becoming more personal and emotion than it was in the previous classical era, although it still contained a melody, harmony, tone color, and a form. Much of the music from the Romantic era can be recognized by its melody. The melodies became wider, more irregular, and dramatic during this time. The harmony of Romantic music was further advanced as well. The composers learned how to use harmony to build the melody and intensify its emotionality, while at the same time experimenting freely with new chords. The tone color of music during this time was expanded allowing the quality of the sound of the music to improve. One of the most important changes that were made to the features of music during

Furthermore, memorable melodies, richly expressive harmony, and broad expanded forms characterized Romantic music. The once Classical tradition became heavily influenced by emotional elements, reduced formalism, and the implementation of often non-musical

Artists and paintings can have a significant influence over the general attitude of a time period by spreading a certain sentiment throughout their paintings, and overall these artists played a major role in the spread of romanticism during the late eighteenth century. The romantic movement defined Europe by shifting the focus from rationalism and classicism of the Enlightenment towards emphasizing the expression natural human emotions and imagination in art. Romanticism in general can be characterized as a sort of rebellious reaction to the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, and the movement produced a new aesthetic form of art based around addressing human nature. In this way, romantic works successfully stood as sort of refreshing contrast to the overdone impressions of classicism. In the late eighteenth century, romanticism would continue to emerge as a literary, artistic, and musical movement throughout Europe.

Romanticism came to be in the 18th and 19th centuries which emphasized the imagination and emotions of romanticism. Many people viewed this type of literature as the quality or state of being impractical or unrealistic meaning romantic feelings or ideas. During this time many poets were encouraged to express their true colors and individual uniqueness. The Romantic Era expanded all throughout the world, and reached poets such as Keats, Byron, Shelley, and Wordsworth.

Music in the nineteenth century was starting to become recognized as one of the major arts. No longer seen just as a casual form of entertainment, musicians and composers began to gain respect in artistic circles. One of the key figures to help bring up this new reverence for music was Beethoven, with his sonatas and symphonies impacting the public massively. Not only where his musical works perfect for the Romantic ideals of the time, but his personal afflictions, especially his deafness, fit perfectly into the Romantic archetype of the suffering artist. Beethoven literally became a figurehead of Romanticism in a much admired painting of the time depicting Franz Liszt at the piano, surrounded by other prominent artists, fixated on a bust of Beethoven in the windowsill. This painting perfectly depicts the new respect music had gained within the artistic community of the nineteenth century largely through the life and works of Beethoven.

In the course of the development of music, many great composers have contributed their brilliance towards the revolution of music. To be a great composer does not necessarily mean that they have reached a vast amount of fame. However, it means that their compositions have ingenuity and value. The melodies they have cleverly created have reached a point of worthiness in the world of music. For it is the sweet harmonies a composer creates that defines who he is. One of these gifted composers was Frederic Chopin, born on February 22, 1810 in Zelazowa Wola, Poland. Young Chopin was already composing by the age of eight and as his musical career developed he became known as a master of piano composition. Although he was often misunderstood