ARCT - Associations and Composers

Franz schubert (romantic)

- 1797-1828

-symmetrical phrase structures

-combines classcial and romantic traits

-cultivation of over 600 lied

-increased role of piano in art songs

-influenced by romantic poets (johann wolfgang von goethe)

-close connection between text and music in art songs (word painting)

Mendelssohn (romantic)

1809-1847

-converted to Christianity before was jewish in hamburg germany

- composed earliest masterpieces in his teens

-organized historic revivial of J/s bach's st matthew passion

-appointed director of music in dusseldorf

-conductor of leipzig gewandhaus orchestra

-founded leipzig conservatory

-encourged to emulate proven models of bach, handel, haydn and mozart

-structural innovations such as linking movements (beethoven)

-influenced by choral techniques in handel's oratorios

-contributed to the development of the formal structure of the romantic concerto

Marie bigot

Mendelssohn's piano teacher in paris

carl friedrich zelter

mendelssohn's music theory teacher

Ferdinand David

violin concerto in e minor dedicated for him

Robert schumann

-born in zwickau germany (1810-1856)

-father was an author and bookseller

-attraction to music sparked after listening to pianist Ignaz moscheles

-entered law school but his interest in music become stronger than law

-began piano lessons with friedrich Wieck in leipzig

-met clara wieck as he stayed in the Wieck household

-studied theory with hienrich dorn

-got a hand injury that ended his concert career

-first publication abegg variations

-early signs of emotional instability

-co-founded (new journal of music) with friedrich wieck

-fell in love with clara wieck but father rejected their love and tried to keep them apart

-appointed professor at Leipzig conservatory founded by Mendelssohn

-met Brahms and published enthusiastic article on him

-attempted suicide by jumping of a bridge

-died two years later.

schubert (muscial style and contributions) (ESLVR)

drew inspiration from early master (bach and beethoven)

-embodied spirit of romanticism (heightened emotion)

-experimented with formal structures

-strongests influences were literary (jean paul aka jake paul dad)

-unlike other pianists, did not embrace virtuosity for its own sake

-composed orchestra works (spring)

-composed concertos (piano, cello, violin)

-composed piano works (abegg variations and carnaval op.9)

robert schumann (relation)

clara's wife

Clara schumann (romantic)

-shaped aspects of 19th century conventions such as performing from memory and promoting solo recital

- the high priestess of music

-championed absolute music over program music

-contributed to the development of German art song

Johannes brahms (romantic)

-respected classical tradition and used sonata form, theme and variations

- choral music reflects love of polyphony

-showed little interest in program music and no interest in opera

-German nationalism is evident in his folk-song settings

-writing not always idomatic

Franz Liszt (dates)

1811-1886

-born in raiding hungary

-father was a clerk in court of prince esterhazy

-first lessons with father at early age

-liszt studies piano with carl czerny and composition with salieri

-torn between life as a concert pianist and his desire to enter priesthood

Early years

-greatest pianist of his era

-presented a historic solo piano recital in london

-had many female admirers and romantic affairs

-contributed to many charities

Weimar years

- appointed grand ducal directory of music extraordinary

-worked as conductor and music director

-helped berlioz and wagner in their ccareers

-retired from performing career as a teacher and developed master class format

Late years

-attained minor orders in catholic church

-continued to travel extensively in final years

-appointed president of music academy

died in 1886

liszt contributions (MALEFH)

-wrote and performed piano transcripitons of symphonies

- musical works display his personal life; virtuosic but inspired by religious beliefs

-changed piano performance by playing from memory and sat profile to audience

-developed romantic idioms such as concert etude

-works display freedom and innovation in terms of form

-advocate of "music of the future"

-elements of hungarian folk and gypsy evident in his works

-composed orchestra works such as (dante)

-composed orchestral with piano works (hungarian fantasy

-composed chamber works which were organ compostions

Verdi (contributions)

born in roncole, italy

-acknowledged as the greatest Italian composer of opera

-operas feature conventional "numbers approach"

-unity and flow achieved through signature themes

-colorful orchestration use of special effects to heighten drama

- favored traditional harmonic language with moderate use of chromaticism

-10 operas based on librettos by Piave

-composed operas (rigoletto)

ferdinado provesi

chruch musician that taught lessons to verdi on his spinet

margherita

verdi's wife

giuseppina streppoini

verdi's (2nd wife)

alessandro manzoni

composed a requiem in honor of the writer

giulio ricordi

verdi's publisher

arrigo boto

librettist

ludwig geyer

stepfather of wagner and an actor

wilhelmine (minna) planer

wife of wagner but had numerous other romantic affairs

dresden hoftheater

grand opera rienzi accepted by him

Wagner (contributions) romantic

-advocate of music of the future

-drew inspiration from norse mythology and celtic legends

-one of few opera composers to write his own librettos

-paid careful attention to language

-influenced by ancient greek dramatic practice

-required an expanded orchestra over one hundered players (wagner tuba invented)

-significant influence on successive generations of composers such as mahler and schoenberg

tchaikovsky (contributions) romantic

-balanced russian nationalism with western traditions

-inspired by russian folk music dances and fables

-achieved unparalleled lyricism in his symphonies and operas

-taught theory at moscow conservatory published two harmony books

-conducted inaugural concerts at carnegie hall

Schoenberg

born in 1874 and died in 1951

-born in vienna

-family struggled financially after father died

-principal instrument was the cello

-von zemlinsky was his only composition teacher

-sturggled with poor health and poverty throughout his life

-he married mathilde

-he then obtained a teaching position at the stern conservatory with the help of strauss

- attracted many private students such as berg and webern

-earned little money as a teacher and composer

- Pierrot lunaire work created commotion with its unorthodox instrumentation and new sprechtimme technique

-served in WWI slowing down his musical output

-He left germany due to the rise of the nazi party

-moved to LA and lectured to many students such as john cage

-died in Los Angeles

Musical style and Contribution

Post romatnic period,

- influenced by wagner and mahler

-drawn to programmatic elements

Expressionist period

-rejected tonality

-developed Klangfarbenmelodie and invented sprechstimme

-example pierrot lunaire

Twelve-tone period

-composed using 12 tone method

-returned to classical forms like sonata

American period

-more liberal approach to 12 tone composition

-works have religious themes

Wrote orchestral works :variations for orchestra

-concertos

-songs cycles: pierrot lunaire

-chamber music

Sergei Prokofiev Family

1891-1953

-born in ukraine

-father was an engineer

-had piano lessons with mother at 4 years old

-piano lesson with rienhold gliere

-youngest student ever admitted to st. petersburg conservatory and know as an enfant terrible

-nicolai rimsky-skorsakov and alexander glazunov were composition teachers

-awarded rubinstein prize upon graduation

Prokofiev Life and musical career

-visited london and met sergei diaghilev who commissioned a ballet for ballets russes

-american audiences were thrilled with his playing but critics described his playing a savage

-earned an international reputation as a pianist and composer

-settled permanently in moscow with his wife lina llubera

-divorced lina and married his assistant mira mendelssohn

-died hours before stalin

Prokofiev Musical style

Classical elements

-used classical forms such as sonata and rondo

Lyrical elements

-used sweeping melodies and lush harmonies

ex. romeo and juliet

Motoric elements

-constant rhythmic drive demonstrated in toccata

Search for innovation

-abrupt changes of key and percussive effects

Other characteristics

-used polytonality

-demonstrated Russian nationalism

wrote orchestral works

wrote concertos

chamber works

piano works such as sarcasms

ballets including romeo and juliet