Essay about Music of the Romantic Period

The start of the Romantic Age coincided with the start of the French Revolution in 1789. It ends in 1837. Just as the revolution was changing the social order, the romantic poets were taking literature in a whole new direction. The mechanical reason that pervaded the work of the previous era was replaced by strong emotions and a return to nature. Animals and respect for nature were frequently used subjects in works of his period. The first generation of poets included William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Sir Walter Scott. Their primary contribution to literature was with their lyrical ballads. They used the typical romantic themes of respect for nature and all of its creatures. Wordsworth is above all the poet

The 1920’s were an extraordinary time in Paris. The war had ended. Musicians, artist, writers, poets, film-makers and choreographers were friends and influenced one another. There was a sense of optimism and excitement. Composers were finding inspiration in popular sources, circus music and jazz which was being heard for the first time. Les Six were a group of six young French musicians during this time; Arthur Honegger, Darius Mihaud, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric, Louis Durey and Germaine Tailleferre, the group’s only woman. They were brought together by their adverse reactions to the impressionism of French composers such as Debussy and Ravel. The music critic Henri Collet coined the group’s name in 1920. Inspired by the more abstract and unadorned compositions of Erik Sate and the writings of Jean Cocteau they sought to write in a style that was more simple and sophisticated. Their friendship brought them together, however they maintained their own distinctive styles.

Only one man could claim the title as probably the greatest composer in American history for writing so many unforgettable works: Aaron Copland. He lived a life inspired by many things as well as inspiring people all across the nation, and it really led to the opposite of being drawn into himself, as he described in the quote above. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 14 in 1900. He was the youngest of five children to Sarah and Harris Copland. A musical spark came out in Copland already at the age of 11 as he began piano lessons with his sister. His musical talents

The way that this opera illustrates characteristics of Romanticism in music during the 1800’s is by the way that the music serves as a guide to the story. The lyrics clearly tell a story of a solider joining the ranks, but more than that tells about how the solider is in love. The lyrics display the singer’s emotions and how he wants to marry the daughter of the regiment. Sometimes I forget that the lyrics in musicals or in this case an opera are able to tell a story. The opera focuses on the soldier’s feelings and his dreams. There’s instrumental music that adds to the effect of the story and scene. It sounds as if there’s a big orchestra and there’s a range in voices taking on a dynamics of range from soft to loud. The singer seems to hit

When Copland completed his studies in 1924, Boulanger requests him to compose a work for her organ performance (6). Copland composes the Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, which was his first orchestral score. Boulanger played the piece on January 11th, 1925 in New York, United States. Serge Koussevitzsky, who was the conductor of the Boston Symphony, was impressed with Copland’s organ symphony and began to support Copland’s works.

Within a few months he had one his first prize in solfege. Joseph-Guillaume Zimmermann, a professor of piano noticed his talent and offered him piano lessons in conterpoint and Fugue. These lessons went on until Zimmermann’s death in 1853. Bizet eventually met Zimmermann’s son-in-law Charles Gounod. Charles became a strong influence in Bizet’s life although they did not keep a strong relationship. Zimmermann also introduced him to one of his other students, Camille Saint-Saens. He became a strong friend of his throughout his life. Georges became a very strong piano player. He won his second prize for piano in 1851. His first composition was a two songs for soprano. In 1853 he joined Fromental Halevy’s composition class. In here he learned how to create works increasing tone and quality. In this class he published two songs “La Rose et l’abeille” and “Petite Marguerite”. In 1855, Bizet wrote an overture for an orchestra. He also write a four-hand piano version of two of Gounod’s works. After his seventeenth birthday he wrote his very own symphony. It was very similar to Gounod’s. So similar, in some parts it almost seemed as if he were copying him. His symphony was lost but rediscovered in 1933. It wasn’t performed by anyone other than Bizet until 1935. In 1856, Georges applied for the Prix De Rome. He didn’t win. No one had won that year and the prize was not given out. Losing the de Rome inspired him to enter an

The Baroque period of music lasted from approximately 1600 – 1750 AD. It falls into the Common Practice period and was the most predominant style of writing after the Renaissance period and before the Classical period (the Classical period uses many elements from the Baroque period). The word Baroque means highly decorated and essentially gives us an insight into what the music of the time was like. Many pieces in the Baroque style have three or four different parts which work together to produce a melodic melody which modulates to relative keys. The Baroque period developed from the Renaissance period. These two periods shared the same idea of counterpoint, yet Baroque music differed from that of the Renaissance period by having stronger

Ludwig Van Beethoven created many pieces of classical music, entertaining many people during and after the time of his legacy. These people spread the word of a great composer in Germany, and thus, his legend was known throughout the world. He started to compose music at the age of nine under a great teacher, Christian Gottlob Neefe, who was appointed as the Court’s Organist (courtesy of his current position). He taught young Beethoven to compose music, which turned out to be a huge specialty of the young boy’s, letting his imagination become reality, and after many struggles, he became efficient with this art. As Beethoven once said, “Nothing is more intolerable than to have to

In what period was the work composed? List three aspects of the musical style of this period that apply to this work.

He excelled with his characteristic tenderness and subtlety with use of vivid text painting. He composed over 100 vocal pieces, 13 nocturnes, 13, barcaroles, 5 Ballade for piano and orchestra, 2 cello and piano sonatas, and many other chamber pieces. Faure is set apart by his distinct style. He was charmed by audacious harmonic progression and abrupt modulation, unvaryingly executed with the utmost elegance and simplicity.

The genre known as baroque music earns its name from the Portuguese word meaning broken pearl. The phrase “broken pearl” is a way to describe the style of music. Baroque music began in the 1600s through the 1750s. There were many different composers but there a few that stood out more than others. The two that I chose to research and learn more about are Andrea Gabrieli and Anthonio Vivaldi who were both Italian composers. Their style of music was very intriguing to me and it was easy to listen to unlike some music that we have today. Both Vivaldi and Gabrieli’s music are very classical and most cultures that listen to this music are mainly in churches (Baroque Music, 2015).

Ludwig van Beethoven, seen by many as a Classical composer, used the new romantic ideas in his own music. In 1805

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

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.

The beautiful sound of piano music has captured the hearts of people since the early eighteenth century. Since then, many musicians have dedicated their lives to this instrument. Some players even play piano so well that it may seem that this instrument is easy to play. However, to be able to play the piano well isn’t easy; it takes a lot of skill. To become a good piano player, one must love music very much, have good finger techniques, and body flexibility.