Q3MUSIC9 MUSIC OF THE ROMANTIC PERIOD (1820-2000)

romantic music

emerged having different characteristics than the previous musical periods

romantic period

golden age of program music

timbre

richer and denser

tonality

tonal

texture

homophonic

melody

warm and expressive

dynamics

uses extremes (fff) (ppp). frequent use of crescendo and diminuendo

tempo and articulation

use of accelerando and ritardando

harmony

use of dissonances and complex harmonies

form

more flexible and varied

program symphony

it is written in several movements. some of the examples are Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, and Symphonie Fantastique

concert overture

an independent single-movement work, which is usually written in sonata form. some examples are fingal’s cave overture, academic festival overture, 1812 overture and romeo and juliet overture-fantasy

symphonic poem

also called tone poem. some of the examples are Les Preludes, Night on bald Mountain, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Danse Macabre, On the Steppes of Central Asia, Isle of the Dead, Till Eulenspiegel, and The Moldau

Incidental Music

performed before and during a play. It is intended to add atmosphere to the action. Some examples are Wedding March and A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Nocturne

a musical composition for the solo piano

etude

a composition for piano that contains technical difficulties

dances

includes waltz, mazurka, polonaise, polka, and gallop

character pieces

short instrumental piano piecesp

piano sonatas

a sonata written for a solo piano

Frederick Francois Chopin (1810-1849)

the most distinguished nationalistic composer of piano music in the nineteenth century and a child prodigy

peter Illych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

he studied composition with anton rubenstein at St. Petersburg Conservatory

peter Illyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

after graduating, he became a professor of harmony at the Moscow Conservatory

Franz Liszst (1811-1886)

the “king of pianist”. His father instructed him to play piano at the age of seven

charles - camille saint - saens (1835-1921)

“The Greatest ORganist in the World”. He was born in Paris, France on October 9, 1835