romantic era - level 9 history

romanticism

• origins can be traced to late 18th-century literature that served as inspiration for art and music

• reaction against classicism

• emphasis on creative imagination and expression of emotions

exoticism in music

• important element of 19th-century musical style

• fascination with foreign lands and cultures

• evoked through melody, rhythm, harmony, and orchestration

nationalism in music

• important element of 19th-century musical style

• patriotism expressed through music

• influence of folk song and dance, myths and legends, landscapes, and historical events

program music

• significant trend in 19th-century music, instrumental music with extramusical associations (literary, poetic, visual)

• descriptive title identifies the connection

• some works include a written text or "program" provided by the composer

chromatic harmony

• from the Greek word for color, khroma

• extensive use of notes outside the prevailing key signature

• increasingly used for heightened expression in 19th-century music

Leid

• the musical setting of a German poem

• for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment

• flourished in the 19th century

• plural: lieder

rubato

• Italian for "robbed time"

• rhythmic flexibility – speeding up or slowing down

• an expressive device for interpreting music

idee fixe

• French for “fixed idea”

• devised by Berlioz

• a recurring theme that undergoes transformation

• serves as a unifying thread in a multi-movement composition

• in Symphonie fantastique, it represents “the beloved”

col legno

• Italian for "with the wood"

• novel string effect used by Berlioz

• players tap on the strings with the wooden parts of their bows

Dies irae

• Latin for "day of wrath"

• a monophonic chant melody dating from the late Middle Ages

• drawn from the Roman Catholic Requiem (Mass for the dead)

• 19th-century audiences would have associated the tune with funeral services

libretto

• the text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata

• usually written by someone other than the composer

aria

• Italian for "air"

• a solo song with accompaniment, heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata

• highly emotional and often virtuosic

• may have lyrical or dramatic qualities

• often serves to reveal the character's most intimate emotions

recitative

• a speech-like style of singing used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas

• follows the inflections of the text, resulting in rhythmic flexibility

• usually used to advance the plot or storyline

• moves through text quickly

ostinato

• Italian for "obstinate" or "persistent"

• a rhythmic or melodic pattern repeated for an extended period

habanera

• Cuban dance-song

• characteristic rhythmic motive, often used as an ostinato