Romanticism in the Romanticism in the Lives and Works of Lives and Works of

Romantic ComposersRomantic Composers

Sam K. QRS-EHAPHorace Greeley HS

Sam K. QRS-EHAPHorace Greeley HS

Essential Question:Essential Question:

How were the ideals of Romanticism evident in the lives and works of

composers of the Romantic Era?

Ideals Being Ideals Being ExpressedExpressed

Fascination with exotic landsA growing sense of nationalismThe idea of an individual having unlimited powerIncrease in emotion and drama in artThe emergence of an artist as a true philosopherObsession with the French Revolution and other political uprisings

Exoticism in MusicExoticism in Music

FFélicien Davidélicien David(1810-1876)(1810-1876)

Origin and Travels Origin and Travels AbroadAbroad

Born in Cadenet on April 13th, 1810Interested in music at a very young age– Very religious, first compositions were

church music

Joined a French socialist group named the Saint-Simonians in 1831– The group was outlawed in 1832– David went with some members to Egypt

to preach Saint-Simonian gospel in 1833• Wrote piano music while abroad• Returned in June of 1835 with a fascination

about the Middle East

Influential WorksInfluential Works

Le désert (1844)– Three movements describing a desert

storm, a prayer to Allah, and a traveling caravan

– A long repeated pedal note is used to represent the vast wastes of the desert

La perle du Brésil (1851)– Opera about a storm off the coast of

Brazil

Lalla-Roukh (1862)– Opera set in India

Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Verdi(1813-1901)(1813-1901)

Origin and Origin and Involvement in Italian Involvement in Italian

UnificationUnificationBorn in Roncole on October 10th, 1813– Always spoke of his humble “peasant”

beginnings in Roncole

Became a member of the Chamber of Deputies (the newly formed Italian parliament) in 1862– His fellow revolutionary, Count Camilo

Benso di Cavour, dies in June of 1861• The pain of his friend’s death is too much to

bear and he resigns from office in 1865• Cavour’s death makes Verdi turn back to

music and change his focus away from Italy

Influential WorksInfluential WorksNabucodonsor (1841)

– First example of Verdi having non-Italian inspiration

– Fascinated by the chorus of the Hebrew exiles

Aida (1871)– Written for the first season of Khedvial

Opera House in Cairo• NOT for the opening of the Suez canal as

commonly thought– Makes aspects of old Egyptian images

into major spectacles• Uses the pyramids, temple of Isis, gate of

Thebes, and the Nile river as settings

– Adapts Egyptian characters to an old Italian love story

Georges BizetGeorges Bizet(1838-1875)(1838-1875)

Origin and Origin and Involvement in the Involvement in the

Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian WarBorn in Paris on October 25th, 1838Won the Prix de Rome in 1857– France’s highest honor in music– Winner gets to study in Rome for 3

years

Enlisted as a national guard during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870– Ended up deserting the army– Happy that France was losing the war

• Marks the beginning of Bizet’s search for inspiration outside of France

Influential WorksInfluential WorksChants de Pyrénées– About the Pyrenees mountains– First sign of interest in Spanish culture

Carmen (1875)– Opera about a gypsy named Carmen

that seduces a soldier– Bizet refused to visit Spain

• Uses the harmonic, rhythmic, and instrumental procedures of flamenco music as well as old Spanish folk songs for musical inspiration as a substitution to visiting

– Exotic aspects of the score were put in only for dramatic effect

Conclusions on Conclusions on Exoticism in Exoticism in

Romantic MusicRomantic MusicImperialistic desires to westernize foreign lands

– Félicien David’s trip to Egypt to spread Saint-Simonian gospel

Fascination with the newly colonized and explored regions

– Verdi’s interest in the Middle East and desire to distance himself from his simple past

Looking towards other places for inspiration

– Bizet and Verdi’s desire to look away from their own respective countries

Adapted these foreign stimuli to their own classic European operatic style

Nationalism in MusicNationalism in Music

FrFrédéric Chopinédéric Chopin(1810-1849)(1810-1849)

Origin and Origin and Personality Personality

Born in Zelazowa Wola on March 1st, 1880Considered the greatest Polish nationalist composer but was half FrenchDidn’t want to be showy and only performed for small audiencesLived in constant misery due to a lifelong chronic lung condition

– Contemporary composer Hector Berlioz said that Chopin was, “dying all his life” (213).

Had a long, turbulent relationship with author Aurore Duderant née Dupin

– Ended in pain and made his work more intense

Revolutionary ÉtudeRevolutionary Étude (1831)(1831)

The November Uprising in Warsaw in 1830 broke out three weeks after Chopin left Warsaw– The November Uprising was in response

to Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich ignoring Polish Constitution by agreeing to help put down revolts in France

– Polish government took over the region and declared war on Russia in 1831

– The war ended in disaster with the deaths of thousands of Poles and no improvement in the situation with Russia

Revolutionary ÉtudeRevolutionary Étude (1831)(1831)

(continued)(continued)Chopin wanted to go back and protect his family and his country– Couldn’t because of his lung condition

Instead, he used music to support the efforts in WarsawThe piece caused many in Poland to join the cause– Contemporary composer and music

critic Robert Schumann said that:“Beneath the flowers in Chopin’s work, there are hidden cannons” (217).• Refers to the nationalistic passion this

piece evoked in its listeners

Peter Ilyich Peter Ilyich TchaikovskyTchaikovsky

(1840-1893)(1840-1893)

Origin and Origin and PersonalityPersonality

Born in Votkinsk on May 7th, 1840Studied at the St. Petersburg conservatory for 3 yearsHad trouble interacting with people and got upset easily– Tchaikovsky was quoted saying:

“Every new acquaintance, every fresh meeting with someone unknown, has always been for me a source of suffering” (354).

Was a very shy person– Couldn’t conduct his own works– Let his music speak for him

Closet homosexual

Tchaikovsky’s Tchaikovsky’s HomosexualityHomosexuality

Source of Tchaikovsky’s insecurity– Was afraid anyone would find out

Married Antonia Ivanova Miliukova in 1877 to try to hide his homosexuality– Angst from trying to hide his

homosexuality led to a failed suicide attempt

Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality comes out in his music– His ballets are very aesthetically

pleasing and delicate

Slavonic MarchSlavonic March (1876)(1876)

Tchaikovsky was asked to write a piece in memoriam of Christian slavs that had recently been murdered by Turkish soldiersOnly took five days to writeTchaikovsky uses Serbian folk songs as inspiration for different movementsThe Slavonic March unified a nation over a tragedy– This sense of nationalism is foretelling

of the Russo-Turkish war of the following year

1812 Overture1812 Overture (1880) (1880)Based on Russia’s defeat of Napoleon’s army at the Battle of Borodino– Battle occurred on September 7th, 1812– Napoleon’s army had lost its supply lines

and was unable to defeat Russia troops

The piece follows a story, starting with the battle and ending with the return of the troopsTchaikovsky scored parts of the piece for a cannon to simulate the feeling of being on the battlefield

Conclusions on Conclusions on Nationalism in Nationalism in

Romantic MusicRomantic MusicTragic events inspired composers to write pieces honoring the victims and rallying their country of origin to stop any injustice present– Chopin’s Revolutionary Étude and

Tchaikovsky’s Slavonic March

Painful personal lives made their music have even more passion– Chopin’s lung condition and

Tchaikovsky’s insecurity about his homosexuality

Let their music express their opinions

Individual Power Individual Power and Revolutionary and Revolutionary

Fervor Fervor in Musicin Music

Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven(1770-1827)(1770-1827)

Origin and Personal LifeOrigin and Personal LifeBorn in Bonn, baptized on December 17th, 1770Went to Vienna in 1787 to pursue his music career– Left immediately to tend to his ailing

motherHad trouble with women and never marriedBegan going deaf in 1802– Wrote a will-like manuscript thinking

that he was going to die– Along with his naturally belligerent

personality, going deaf made him focus more on his music

Sketchbook MethodSketchbook Method

Beethoven was very meticulous when writing his music

– Wrote all his music in sketchbooks where he would constantly cross out work, making him work into the wee hours of the night and lengthening the composition process by a significant amount

Beethoven vs. Beethoven vs. AristocracyAristocracy

Beethoven relied heavily on noble patronage– These patrons were horrible people– Resented the nobles because he felt

that he was more talented and more deserving of their wealth• Knew he would never reach their status

Would do many things to disrespect his benefactors– Made them beg him to play– Dressed and acted inappropriately

Beethoven vs. Beethoven vs. AristocracyAristocracy(continued)(continued)

Frau von Bernhard, one of Beethoven’s piano students, had this to say about an encounter between Beethoven and one of his patrons:

“I myself saw the mother of Princess Lichnowsky, countess Thun [one of Beethoven’s patrons] go down on her knees to him as he lolled on the sofa, begging him to play something. But Beethoven did not…”(78)

Beethoven and Beethoven and NapoleonNapoleon

Beethoven admired many aspects of Napoleon’s traits and accomplishments including:

– His endorsement of the merit system– His talent, determination, and strength– His belief in equality and democracy

Beethoven felt hurt and betrayed when Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in 1804

– This act dissolved all of Napoleon’s positive qualities that Beethoven admired

Beethoven’s work output dramatically decreased with the exile and eventual death of Napoleon

Beethoven and Beethoven and NapoleonNapoleon

(continued)(continued)When asked in 1802 to write a sonata about the events and ideas of the French Revolution, Beethoven said:

“…you suggest I should compose such a sonata? …Well, perhaps at the time of the revolutionary fever… [but] now that Bonaparte has concluded his Concordat with the Pope…to write sonata of this kind? …you won’t get anything from me” (184).

Shows his frustration and disappointment with his once beloved Napoleon

Symphony No. 3: Symphony No. 3: Sinfonia Eroica Sinfonia Eroica (1806)(1806)Originally dedicated to Napoleon– Beethoven tore up the dedication

when Napoleon crowned himself emperor

Subtitle of the symphony was, “composed to celebrate the memory of a great man”– Written as a funeral march– Supposed to symbolize the death of

the egalitarian Napoleon• Beethoven wanted it to seem like

Napoleon sealed his own fate by crowning himself emperor

Richard WagnerRichard Wagner(1813-1883)(1813-1883)

Origin and Personal Origin and Personal BeliefsBeliefs

Born in Leipzig on May 22nd, 1813Had strong anti-Semitic opinions– Said to be rooted in his relationship with

composer and benefactor Giacomo Meyerbeer, who was Jewish• Meyerbeer’s career flourished while Wagner

suffered in political refuge in Zϋrich – Wrote a pamphlet entitled Des

Judenthum in der Musik (Judaism in Music)• Wrote it under a pseudonym• Talks about the excessive control Jews had

over the music scene during that time

Hitler and Wagner’s Hitler and Wagner’s MusicMusic

Hitler would play some of Wagner’s music during his speeches to his Nazi followers

Involvement in Involvement in Revolution: Student Revolution: Student

Revolt in LeipzigRevolt in LeipzigWagner was obsessed with the French Revolution from reading history booksThis student uprising in Leipzig was inspired by the July Revolution that was occurring in Paris at the same time– Jumped at the chance to participate in his

own revolt and joined the Leipzig students on a march to the city hall

– In his autobiography, Wagner said that, “the world of history came alive for me from that day on; and naturally I became a fervent partisan of the revolution” (39).• Shows his obsession with revolutions

Involvement in Involvement in Revolution:Revolution:

Uprisings of 1849 in Uprisings of 1849 in DresdenDresdenAn abandonment of a constitutional

monarchy under Fredrich Wilhelm IV caused riots all over PrussiaAlmost got arrested and had to flee to Zϋrich for ten yearsWagner was even more involved this time around– Would lead people into the town

square screaming, “To the barricades!” (393)

– Put up anti-government propaganda posters all around Dresden

– Ran through gun fire to be able to watch battles from atop a tower

Wagner and Wagner and NietzscheNietzsche

Nietzsche admired Wagner, believing he embodied his “superman theory” (society reaching perfection under a gifted leader)

– Believed this because of Wagner’s ability to evoke emotion amongst those around him

– Eventually lost respect for Wagner, realizing that his dramatic personality was superficial, later saying that:

“[when] viewed from close proximity and without bias, Wagner’s life appears in many ways as a …grotesque comedy” (878).

Wagner’s anti-Semitism as well as his connection to Nietzsche’s “superman theory” would later be used by Hitler and the Nazis

Lohengrin Lohengrin (1850)(1850)Opera based on an old medieval story of a knight of the holy grail named Lohengrin and his conquests

– Famous for its Bridal Chorus (“Here comes the bride”)

The knight is supposed to symbolize the rise to power of one man

– Some compared the knight and his conquests to Bismark and his efforts towards German unification• Another example of Nietzsche’s “superman

theory”• Possible explanation for the 2nd Reich’s

superiority complex

Conclusions on Conclusions on Individualism in Individualism in Romantic MusicRomantic Music

Obsession with revolutions affected the way in which composers operated– Beethoven’s belief in Napoleon’s merit

system when dealing with aristocracy and Wagner’s confidence from participation in revolution

Contradictory idea of individual power mixed with an assimilation with a mob– Wagner’s integration with the process of

German unification

Personal opinion more present– Beethoven’s Sinfonia Eroica and

Wagner’s Judenthum in der Musik (Judaism in Music)

The EndThe End