Romantic spirit
the idea of "art for art's sake" was born from this...
important changes
occurred in the audience's perception of music and composers during the romantic period included: music was transformed from entertainment to art, the composer was now seen as a demigod rather than a hired employee, certain works were deemed as worthy of
melodic style of the romantic period
characterized by phrases that extend beyond the symmetrical units of classical period melodies and many melodies have been turned into popular songs. also, melodies tend to be vocal in conception, more singable, they tend to start haltingly and then build
character piece
a brief work that last only a minute or two, sought to capture the essence of one single mode, sentiment, or emotion, usually written for piano, often made use of simple binary or ternary form, frequently provided with a title, such as impromptu, romance,
french horn
favored during the romantic period because of its dark, rich tone and associations with the hunt and by extension, nature
conductor
orchestras began requiring a ___________ during the early years of the 19th century because someone was needed to coordinate the efforts of the enlarged ensemble, they clarified the meter and speed of the beat, a larger orchestra required them to be front
100
what was the average size of the orchestra during the romantic period?
literature
what was particularly important to romantic composers?
art song
an accompanied song with artistic aspirations
Franz Schubert
lived the life of a vagabond, was assisted by the generosity of his friends, with whom he lodged when he was broke. although he disastrously contracted syphilis in 1822, he composed some of his greatest works during the last six years of his life. while h
Robert Schumann
determined to become a piano virtuoso, moved to Leipzig to study music, hopes for a career as a virtuoso were dashed when he permanently damaged his right hand. thereafter all his creative energies were poured to musical composition and criticism; he beca
Clara Schumann
a child prodigy on the piano, made her debut performance in Leipzig at the age of 11, a concert tour of Europe soon followed and the Austrian emperor name her "Royal and Imperial chamber virtuoso"--the 1st teenager, Protestant and woman to be given that t
Paganini
the celebrated violin virtuoso whose amazing technical ability on the instrument led to all sorts of fanciful and lurid rumors
absolute music
term for instrumental music that is free of a text or any preexisting program
program symphony
the genre of composition consists of 3, 4, or 5 movements that together tell or depict a succession of specific events drawn from some extra-musical work or story
symphonic poem
Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain and Strauss's Thus Spoke Zarathustra are all examples of this
english horn
low-sounding oboe
Berlioz
known for iconoclastic musical style, his compositions call for an enormous number of musicians, he experimented with new instruments and wrote a treatise on musical instruments that is still used as a textbook in music conservatories around the world
Tchaikovsky
after graduating from St. Petersburg conservatory of music, he was appointed professor of harmony and musical composition at the newly formed Moscow conservatory. before long, however, a wealth, music-loving widow and the tsar of Russia provided him with
Modest Musorgsky
a member of "The Mighty Handful" or Russian Five, a group of young composers who rejected the influence of Western music and composed in a distinctly Russian style, he was the most original and least western in musical style of this group
Frederic Chopin
moved to Paris where he found success and was accepted into the social circle of the rich and powerful, his introverted personality and poor health (tuberculosis) made public performances difficult experiences, but he played at private musical evenings (m
Nocturne
genre: piano music; suggests moonlit nights, romantic longing and a certain painful melancholy
Franz Liszt
this composer established the format of the modern-day piano recital: playing entirely from memory as well as placing the instrument parallel to the stage
Gioachino Rossini
was the most celebrated composer in Europe during the 1820s, far exceeding even Beethoven in fame. This was because opera was the most popular form of musical entertainment.
Verdi
during _______ 's lifetime, he was the most popular opera composer in Europe and even today his operas are performed more than those by any other composer
Alfredo & Violetta
the two characters that have the leading roles in Verdi's opera La Traviata
Richard Wagner
this composer created an operatic tradition that was distinct to Germany, and he exerted enormous influence on the musical style of other composers during the end of the 19th century, he was exiled from Germany and its opera houses, lived in Switzerland f
Leitmotif
the operatic term that describes a melodic gesture associated with a person, object, or idea
orchestra
the most important aspect of a Wagnerian music drama
everyday life
the typical subject matter of realistic opera is...?
Bizet
this composer spent his short life entirely in Paris, the premiere of his masterpiece, Carmen, was a flop because Parisian audiences thought the subject matter too degrading, though now it is considered the world's most popular opera
La Boheme
this is Puccini's most famous opera, there is not much character development in the opera; instead the focus is on the glorious sound of the human voice, the realism of the opera rests in the dreary stage setting of the drama and its character, the lovers
Rent
this Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is a modern adaptation of la boheme, but the protagonist dies of AIDS in Greenwich village, rather than of tuberculosis in Paris