Romantic Era Composers (ARCT History)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

• A transitional composer from the Classical to Romantic eras, the fourth of the great Viennese composers

• Taught by Salieri and received a music scholarship at age 11

• Vogl brought him to Vienna where he made significant connections and played for aristocratic parties

• Was never famous while alive, but was made so largely through Liszt’s transcriptions of his work, as well as through the efforts of Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Schumann to bring his works out of obscurity

• Was buried next to Beethoven

• Is known for his prolific output of compositions

Franz Schubert (contributions)

• 600+ Lieder (paving the way for Romantic-era composers to write shorter compositions)

• Broke rules slightly at a time, all in service of the music

• Long, lyrical melodies

• Combined Classical traits (formal structures, forms and genres, symmetrical phrase structures, and size + makeup of orchestra) with Romantic traits (chromatic harmony, juxtaposition of major + minor tonalities, unexpected modulations, cultivation of Lieder and lyric piano pieces- impromptus and moments musicaux, choice of forms; interest in the supernatural, nature, and folk elements; and melodic lyricism)

• Mozart influenced his lyrical melodic style

• Beethoven influenced his symphonic writing

• Close connection of text and music in art songs (word painting)

• Wrote with a new psychological intensity

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

• Born in Hamburg to a well-off and very Jewish family that converted to Lutheranism

• Child prodigy of music, studying at age 7 with Marie Bigot in Paris, and studying theory at age 10 with Carl Friedrich Zelter

• Composed early masterpieces in teen years

• Met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe at age 12, and Franz Liszt and Luigi Cherubini at age 16

• Studied law and aesthetics in 1827 at the University of Berlin

• Organized a historic revival of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in 1829 (simplifying some elements and having it performed in a Romantic style)

• Revived other Baroque works in a more Baroque manner (including Handel’s)

• Appointed music director in Düsseldorf in 1833, until 3 years later he became conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra (1835-46)

• Appointed Royal Kappelmeister in Berlin in 1841

• Was in great demand as a conductor for both historic and contemporary works, and made numerous appearances in Europe and England (even Buckingham Palace, in 1842, where he performed for Queen Victoria)

• Founded the Leipzig Conservatory in 1843, seen as the finest music school of its kind

• Died after a series of strokes and the death of a close family member

Felix Mendelssohn (Classical style)

• Encouraged to emulate Bach, Handel, Haydn, and Mozart

• Loved studying Bach for his counterpoint and part writing

• Influenced by choral techniques in Handel’s oratorios

• Preferred symmetrical phrases and clarity of texture (as per the Viennese Classical school)

• Transitional forms, clear harmonic function, sonata form, moderately-sized orchestra (~40)

• Linking movements (like Beethoven)

Felix Mendelssohn (Romantic style)

• Programmatic elements (descriptive titles, nature, literary references), memorable melodies, unexpected modulations, virtuosic writing

• Helped develop the formal structure of the Romantic concerto

• New Romantic idioms, including the concert overture, incidental music, short, lyric piano pieces

• Wrote vivid and colourful orchestration, rapid leggiero string passages, chordal texture in the winds

• Often wrote with a light, scherzando style

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

• Was inspired at an early age by Moscheles, developing a great interest in music

• Decided to forego law school in favour of composition and piano classes

• Studied piano under Friedrich Wieck in 1830 in Leipzig, and studied theory and counterpoint with Heinrich Dorn (conductor of the Leipzig opera)

• Injury led him to devote himself to composition and music journalism, rather than become a concert pianist

• Composed music in chunks/phases, such as solo piano works in 1830 (and for the following decade) and songs in 1837

• Signed his works as “Eusebius” and “Florestan” to reflect the two parts of his personality (he showed early signs of emotional instability in 1833)

• Co-founded with Friedrich Wieck the Neue Zeitshrift für Musik (New Journal of Music) in 1834

• Appointed professor of the new Leipzig Conservatory in 1843

• Fled to Düsseldorf in 1850 due to political unrest, where he was named municipal music director

• Promoted 20-year-old Brahms after meeting him

• Attempted suicide in 1854, then spent 2 years in an asylum until he died

Robert Schumann (style + contributions)

• Was inspired by early masters: Bach’s counterpoint and Beethoven’s structural innovations

• Admired contemporaries, including Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn, and Berlioz

• Was influenced by literary writers, including Heinrich Heine, Jean Paul (Papillons), and E.T.A. Hoffman (Kreisteriana)

• Romantic style of intensely subjective viewpoint, heightened emotionalism, and underlying sense of pathos

• Experimented with formal structures; employed thematic transformation and a masterful use of syncopation, hemiolas, ans cross-rhythms; used a moderate amount of chromaticism

• Programmatic elements include descriptive titles (identifying specific extramusical associations)

• Did NOT embrace virtuosity for its own sake (even though the other pianist-composers of the time did)

Clara Schumann (1819-1896)

• Performed from 8 years old, and was admired by Goethe, Paganini, Liszt

• Received the title of World Imperial Chamber Virtuoso

• Hosted musicians from across Europe, including Joseph Joachim, Felix Mendelssohn, and Johannes Brahms

• Lived as a solo pianist and chamber musician

Clara Schumann (style + contributions)

• Absorbed many currents of the time, but with conservative restraint

• Harmonic language embraced mixed modes, progressive harmonies, and modulation

• Champion of absolute music, rather than program music, and understatement rather than hyperbole

• Contributed to the development of the German art song (using the poetry fo Goethe, Heine, Riickert, and Rollett) which included idiomatic piano accompaniments that played a role equal to that of the singer

• Virtuouso performer (to please the public) in early years, but avoided bravura displays later on

• Shaped the solo recital, including the performance of works from various eras, and playing by memory

• Showed contempt for the music of Wagner, Liszt, and Bruckner (the German school)

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

• Child prodigy at the piano and in composition (first composing at age 11)

• Became famous early on as a “young eagle” and the “saviour” of music

• Was gruff but generous, and lived a modest life, survint primarily from composition sales

• Was often set in opposition to the opposing German School (especially Wagner), and was seen as a traditionalist who upheld the standards of Beethoven (writing what is nicknamed “Beethoven’s 10th Symphony”)

• Composed until death (from cancer)

Johannes Brahms (style + compositions)

• Respected the Classical tradition, writing sonatas, theme and variations, and passacaglia

• Inherited the legacy of the German symphonic tradition

• Choral music reflects love of polyphony and lifelong interest in historical styles (ex. Handel and Haydn)

• Greatly utilizes counterpoint, which features imitation, intricate voice leading, well-crafted bass lines, and frequent pedal points

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Franz Liszt (style + contributions)

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Giuseppe Verdi (style + contributions)

Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

Richard Wagner (style + contributions)

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (style + contributions)