Lecture Notes - 19th Century

7/30/2019 Lecture Notes - 19th Century

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LECTURE NOTES - Semester 2

Composers of the 19th century had more passion for writing literature and reading.Supported themselves with independent occupations.

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

Wrote 13 symphonic poemsDidnt have any talent as a childnot a competent performer.

Conflicting opinions. Lots of passion, lacking moderation, balance or logic.French composer, music critic and conductor.

No prowess in any instrumental field. Caused a lack in technical composition. First time inhistory that a composer couldnt play music.

Under-appreciated during his life. Didnt have a patron.

He wrote the first treatise on orchestration. Remarkable orchestrator. Still in print.

Relatively small output. All of which were ambitious, large scale works - highly distinctiveand individual in form.

Composed virtually no chamber music or piano music. Known mostly for vocal and

orchestral music.

1830 Symphonie Fantastique (130 players at its premiere) 5 Movements. Wrote programnotes to convey to the audience the story of his programme music

Very tenacious personality - Interrupting ballet for mistaken orchestration. From hismemoirs.

Melodies and harmonies werent traditional.

Major Influences:

Gluck, Beethoven, Goethes Faust, Shakespeare (adore), Harriet Smithson (actress, wife)


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Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn

Brother and sister - Fanny music sometimes published under her brothers name tobecome well known Different world and society.

Fanny married Wilhelm Hensel in 1829. Led a flourishing salon.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

A successful life of privilege in a secure domestic environment. Met Goethe a profoundinfluence in 1821.

Excellent pianist, organist, violinist and conductor.

Overture to Midsummer Nights Dream - 1826 Strict classical form, but programme music.

Conducted the first performance of Bachs St Matthews Passion for 100 years. WidelyInfluential event.

1829-35 Travels across Europe. - Italian Symphony, Scottish Symphony

1837 - Married Celine Jeanrenaud, 5 children followed.

Many posts at different conservatories as professor form the age of 21.

Creative Output - Many classical forms

- 5 Symphonies- overtures- 2 piano concertos and violin concerto- chamber music- Piano music- Organ music- Oratorios and choral music- lieder--> No opera

Influenced more on classical values by handel and mozart, rather than his contemporaries


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Johann Brahms

Pianist and Choral Conductor

Interest in early music i.e Bach and Handel

In 1853 Brahms met Schumann who publicly acclaimed his talent. Weeks beforeSchumann attempted suicide.

Much devotion to the Schumann family. Deep friendship with Clara.

Composers certain with the classical period produced a lot of chamber works.

More preoccupied with counterpoint and rhythm. Brilliant rhythmic mind of the 19thcentury.

Symphony No.1 - Showcase the strong appreciation for Beethoven.

Inspried by Clarinetist, Brahms comes out of retirement and composes later works forclarinet

Symphony No.4 - recurring 8 bar. Chaccone. Discipline control and order. Baroqueinfluence. Very Subtle. Logic in emotion. Classical Orchestra. (unlike Berlioz)

Clara Schumann.

Adored by Liszt, Paganini, Chopin and Gothe. Taught be Fredrich Wieck, her father. Verystrict.

Battled to married. Clara was much more famous than husband Robert.

Had 8 children, most died. Looked after mentally ill husband.

Parents divorced.

Husbands creative work took priority, worked around his schedule.

Compositions were intertwined with her husbands. Creative dialogue, secrets.

Creative Output:Classical ValuesMany piano works and lieder.Among first to perform from memory and the concept of solo recitals (Liszt being the first)


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Fredric Chopin (1810 -1849)

Died of tuberculosis, famous, wealthy.

1828-1832 Developed reputation

1830 Lives in Vienna and settles in Paris1831 Schumann discovers Chopin

Gained finances by giving piano lessons to aristocracy and performing in salons.

Romantic association with George Sand (pen name)

More conservative than Schumann. Not as romantic in personal values.

Works include: Piano trio op.8, Scherzi (4), Ballade (4), Sonatas Op. 58 and 65, Baracolle,Berceuse and Fantasy Op.47.

Style: Nationalist qualities. Not interested in programmatic music.

Admired Bach and Mozart. Very scathing to his virtuoso contemporaries. Disparagingattitude.

Balance between emotion and form. Supreme musical craftsmanship.

Influence of Italian opera - loved Bellini - on his melodic style, its embellishments andprobably its performance practise (rubato)

Strict tempo but free melody. Advanced harmony and latent counterpoint, despite thefundamental texture of accompanied melody.

Freedom of improvisation. Hard to attain a definitive edition.

Rubato - Cherished the harmonic changes.

Small details but larger structure is in proportion .


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Nicolo Paganini (1782- 18--)

Very influential to Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt and Berlioz

Toured 1928-1932

Music Critic. Public excitement around Paganini. Some believed to be satanic.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

- Extremes of emotional spectrum- History of Mental illness- Contracted Syphilis- Studied Piano with Friedwich Wieck

Music filled with secret meanings and relationships. Created fictitious names for himselfand friends (i.e Florestan and Eusebius)

1832 - Papillons (Butterflies) Op.2Develops troubles with his fingers,which threatens his pianistic aspirations.

1834 - Founds the musical periodical Neves zeitschrift fur musikComposes Carnival Op.9 --> Lover from ASCH. Schumann re-arranges letters into themelody. Many references to other characters.

1830 - Composed mainly for solo piano. Including;- Davidsbundertanze Op. 6- C major Fantasy Op17- Symphonic Etudes

1840 Marriage to Clara - The year of song

Adored music by Schubert. Drew attention to Schubert as he was a music critic.

Lieder - Text or narrative emphasis or music emphasis (Mendelssohn and Brahms)

Some consider that Schumann and Schubert achieved the ideal balanced Lieder.

1841 - Clara encourages him to be more ambitious. Befriends Mendelssohn who isencouraging of traditional classical values and proportions.

Could sense his own irrationality, and needed balance.

1843 - Serious Breakdown

1852 - Signs of Sickness/ mental instability

1853 - Meet Brahms.


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Franz Liszt

Faust Symphony. Goethe influenced. Best selling novelist.

Love for gretchen is the core of the work. There are 3 movements/three character pieces.

Grotesque parody of itself. 1st movement (12 note theme) - augmentation in latermovements.

Very generous - Supported other artists, never charged for group lessons.

Influenced by gypsy music.

1822 - Czerny and Salieri (moved to Vienna). Beethoven encounter.

1823 - Moved to Paris

1830 - Passion for literature, personal, intellectual and artistic development.

1831 - Hear paganini. Emulation, much technical practise to re-create sound on piano.Torment in those four stringsDalhaus p135

1833 - Several long term relationships. Marie De Agoult - 11 years. (3 Children)

1837 - Italy - etudes, studies, years of pilgrimage.

1839 -1847 Travelling as a concert pianist.

1847 -1861 Conductor in Weimar, which becomes the new hub for classical music.Drops public image and focuses on composing and art.


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Italian Opera in the 19th Century

Akin to cinema in the 19th century - form of popular entrainment.

Italian was the most popular, with German etc being in minority.

Two principles of opera: 1) Appreciation of the human voice and vocal melody (Bel Canto)2) Music organized into sections (arias, ensemble etc)

Gioachino Rossini (1792 -1868)

Meteoric career from 1812, became the most famous composer in Europe.Most famous for his comedy

Characteristics of Rossini

Effortless melodies, rhythmic , notated ornaments (one of the firsts), use of ensembles,subordinate orchestra, the last composer to write for castrati

First to give leading roles to mezzo soprano.

Recitatives accompanied by orchestra.

Gaetano Donizetti (1779 -1848)

Composered over 70 operas including, Anna Bolena (1830), LElisir damore (1832),

Bellini (1801-1835)

10 Operas

Deeply concerned about unity between words and music. Close work with Felice Romani(librettist).

Drama concentrated in the melody - elegiac and melancholic character.

Important influence to Chopin

Re-devised da capo aria --> Cavatina and Cabeletta

Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)

Oberto (1839), Nabucco (1841) - in one bound Verdi had arrived at the front rank of ItalianOpera of his generation.

Very particular about choice of plots, as was Bellini. Unlike predecessors.


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Ernani - 1844 made him an international celebrity.

Macbeth - 1847if we can not make something great, let us at least do something out of the ordinary (pg

40?)

Challenged the idea of Bel Canto, focusing on theatre, drama and characterrepresentation.

Rigoletto - 1851 Boldest and most revolutionary opera to dateLa Traviata - 1853La Tovatore - 1853

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Lecture Notes - 19th Century