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Poe And Chopin: The Age Of Romanticism

Decent Essays

The Age of Romanticism gave birth to a generation of creators, who understood the very basis of wonder and fear. From painter to poet, from pianist to politician, the works of the Romantic era catapulted the rare and exciting—those who offered bare emotion. Like any age, Romanticism was not wholly sound; war, strife, and poverty still existed. And so, it was tragedy and misery that produced the sensitivity and “problems of the heart.” Two of the greatest men to be born out of the Romantic era are Edgar Allan Poe and Frédéric Chopin—each gods of their individual art. Being born just a year apart, these men both died in their early forties. However, their struggle through life lied on opposite ends of the world—Chopin in Poland and France, …show more content…

Poe traditionally stuck to short stories and poems, primarily fiction. He dabbled in a variety of genres such as dark romanticism, horror, pseudoscience, satire. However, one distinct aspect of his compositions and idealogy behind writing was that for art to be art, it must have a clear motif, but not as clear as public pool—rather a film of mystery or the unknown lying just above the meaning of a story. For with too clear a meaning, to him, that work ceases to be art, but, too muddied, and it is useless nonsense. He said, “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” On another hand, his works were the work of either the most insane, tormented man of all time or an omniscient, intense man challenging the mantra of life, the unending enigma of earth. In a letter, he stated, “I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.” Edgar Allan Poe wrotes tales of simple topics, but entwined them in his words’ artistry and his mind’s complexities, yet leaving no room for empty thoughts or extra …show more content…

Chopin composed music primarily for the piano, but, like Poe, gravitated towards shorter pieces such as mazurkas, nocturnes, etudes, and preludes—though he did write a few sonatas and concertos. Chopin’s expression in music was founded on Romanticist ideals with the same subtlety of Poe. He never wrote a confusing motif. Instead, he used simplistic melodies, but dramatized and harmonized and developed those melodies with such gentle gusto that every note was needed. He, like Poe, noted simplicity as key, “Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” As Poe wrote with his aching blood, Chopin composed on keys of crimson and darkness. His work was oft inspired by a longing for his homeland, Poland. To diminish his ache, he wrote in styles and forms of Polish folk music, heard in many of his compositions. Every note written is powerful in emotion and creates the same, painfully evident albeit a bit confusing feeling of passion that Poe could induce with his writing. He used this pain admittedly, “I wish I could throw off the thoughts which poison my happiness, but I take a kind of pleasure in indulging them.” His view of art and how it should be created parallels with

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