The Romantic Era (Level 9 History)

Romanticism

A reaction against Classicism by focusing on creative imagination and expression of emotions, dating to the late 18th-century literature with served as an inspiration for art and music.

Exoticism in Music

A fascination with foreign lands and cultures, evoked through melody, harmony, and orchestration. This is an important element of the 19th-century musical style.

Nationalism in Music

Patriotism expressed through music by the influence of folk song and dance, myths and legends, landscapes, and historical events. This is an important element of the 19th-century music style.

Program Music

Instrumental music with extramusical associations (literary, poetic, visual), with a descriptive title identifying the connection-some works even including a written text or “program” (provided by the composer). This is a significant trend in 19th-century music.

Chromatic Harmony

Greek, “khroma,” colour. An extensive use of notes outside the prevailing key signature, increasingly used for heightened expression in 19th-century music.

Art Song

The musical setting of a poem, for solo voice and typically a piano accompaniment.

Lied

The musical setting of German poem, for solo voice and typically with a piano accompaniment. This flourished in the 19th century.

Song Cycle

A collection of art songs united by a central theme or narrative thread, and intended to be performed together.

Strophic

A song structure where the same music is performed for each verse of the poem (meaning there is little connection between the words and music).

Modified Strophic

A song structure that allows for some repetition of music, but with some changes to the melody, harmony, and accompaniment to reflect the text.

Durchkomponiert (through-composed)

A song structure that does NOT repeat entire sections of the music, allowing the melody, harmony, and piano accompaniment to reflect the meaning of the text as the story unfolds.

Polonaise

A stately Polish dance in triple metre (3/4), often proud and majestic in character, and which Chopin transformed into a virtuosic piano composition.

Rubato (robbed time)

A rhythmic flexibility (speeding up or slowing down) used as an expressive device for interpreting music.

Program Symphony

A 19th-century multi-movement orchestral work modeled after the 18th-century symphony but with programmatic elements, including a descriptive title and with accompanying text outlining the program.

Idée Fixe (fixed idea)

A recurring theme that undergoes transformation, serving thereby as an unifying thread in a multi-movement composition. This was devised by Berlioz; in Symphonie fantastique it represents “the beloved.”

Portamento (carrying)

A technique of sliding from one note to the next, originally a vocal technique but adapted by Berlioz as an (unusual) instrument technique.

Ophicléide

A brass instrument, now obsolete, preceding the tuba.

Col Legno (with the wood)

A novel string effect used by Berlioz where players tap on the strings with the wooden parts of their bows.

Dies irae (day of wrath)

A monophonic chant melody dating from the late Middle Ages (Requiem Mass), which 19th-century audiences heard would associate with funeral services.

Opera

A sung drama, originating in Italy (~1600), where vocal and instrumental music is combined with drama (staging and acting), visual arts (costume and scenery), and often dance. Components include recitative, arias, ensembles, and choruses.

Habañera

A Cuban dance-song in 2/4, where its characteristic rhythmic motive is often used as an ostinato.