Romantic Era – Great Pianists, Nationalists & Ballet (Exam 2 Prep) 7/15

Exam & Course Logistics

• Week 4; exam scheduled for Thursday
  • Instructor will skip the usual listening exercise to focus on content review.
  • Final review promised either Wednesday or immediately before the test on Thursday.
• Listening-ID section of the exam
  • Chopin – “Military Polonaise” (only solo-piano work on the list).
  • Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor (watch Sarah Chang performance; dazzling cadenza at 7{:}50).
  • Brahms – Symphony No. 3, 3rd movement (minor key, lilting triple meter).
  • Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture (Part 2; unmistakable cannon fire ending).
  • Additional excerpts may include Liszt’s symphonic poem “Mazeppa,” Smetana’s “The Moldau,” etc.
• Common test-question themes
  • Definitions (rubato, symphonic poem, ballet).
  • Nationalism and program music.
  • Institutional founders/directors (Leipzig Conservatory, National Conservatory NYC).
  • Biographical triggers (e.g., Liszt inspired by Paganini; Tchaikovsky’s patroness; Dvořák in America).

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

• Pronunciation: “Sho-PAN,” not chopping.
• Rank: High Romantic master but placed below the textbook’s “demigods.”
• Creative focus
  • Output centered exclusively on the piano (no symphonies, string quartets, etc.) ⇒ direct exam item.
  • Childhood prodigy—dubbed “the next Mozart” at \approx9.
• Nationalism
  • Born in Warsaw; moved to Paris at 20.
  • Evoked Polish heroes, marches, folk dances in works (Mazurkas, Polonaises).
• Style term – Rubato (“to rob” the beat)
  • Flexible speeding up/slowing down to heighten emotion.
  • Demonstrated in the Juilliard jury performance of the Nocturne (dream-like, left-hand beat 1\,2\,3 subtly distorted).
• Listening ID: Military Polonaise
  • Only solo-piano selection on the entire playlist – a giveaway clue on the test.

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

• Reputation
  • Considered the greatest pianist of the Romantic era—some say of all time.
  • Virtuoso stunt performer, celebrity, womanizer; “Elvis/Michael Jackson” of the 1800s.
• Musical significance
  • Early avant-garde; fearless dissonance → paved road toward 20th-century atonality.
  • Composed in every genre; not limited to piano.
• Symphonic (Tone) Poem – invention & definition
  • One-movement orchestral work.
  • Programmatic: depicts a story, poem, artwork, landscape, etc.
  • Liszt supplied audience synopses; composed >12 such works.
  • TEST FLAG: Know definition + inventor.
• Example: “Mazeppa”
  • Story of a page punished by being tied naked to a wild horse galloping across Ukraine before Cossack rescue.
  • Illustrates Liszt’s dissonance, brass power, and cinematic drive (pre-Hollywood soundtrack feel).
• Other iconic piece: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
  • Pop-culture fame (Tom & Jerry); showcases Liszt’s muscular hands and transcendental technique.
• Paganini influence (exam)
  • At ≈14 Liszt heard violinist Niccolò Paganini, vowed not to perform publicly again until equally astounding on piano.
  • Practiced 5–8 hours daily; result → “superhuman feats.”

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

• Stylistic stance: Conservative Romantic
  • Classical forms + Romantic lyricism.
  • Recommended “gateway” composer for new listeners (pleasant, melodic, polished).
• Child prodigy
  • Composed symphonies, concertos, and sonatas by 13.
  • Author Harold C. Schonberg: “Closest to equaling Mozart’s natural gifts.”
• Violin Concerto in E minor (on exam)
  • Exciting virtuoso writing; famous cadenza at 7{:}50; easy to recognize.
• Revival of Bach
  • At 20 conducted a large-scale version of Bach’s St Matthew Passion → sparked modern Bach renaissance.
  • Consequently, Bach’s works became core curriculum for music theory and counterpoint study.
• Institutional legacy (exam)
  • Founded & directed the Leipzig Conservatory of Music (model for later European & U.S. schools).
• Personal backdrop
  • Born to affluent Jewish family; family baptized Christian upon moving to Berlin, adding social acceptance.
  • Frequent salon “Musikabends” at home nurtured talent.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

• Placement: One of the “Three B’s” (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms) – textbook labels him a Romantic demigod.
• Conservative Romantic of the late 19th century; heavily indebted to Bach & Beethoven.
• Early life
  • Played piano in taverns, bars, possibly brothels.
  • Touring accompanist for a violinist who supplied two letters of introduction:
  • To Liszt → meeting crashed (Liszt avant-garde; Brahms nodded off!).
  • To Robert Schumann → warm welcome; Schumann’s journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik hailed Brahms as a “musical messiah.”
• Relationship circle
  • Lifelong friendship with Robert and Clara Schumann.
• Compositional milestones
  • Took \sim20 years to finish Symphony No. 1; conductor dubbed it “Beethoven’s Tenth.”
  • Favored persona: gruff, cigar-smoking, wry humor (“If I haven’t insulted anyone here, I beg your pardon.”)
• Listening ID: Symphony No. 3 – III. Poco Allegretto
  • Warm minor-mode melody, gentle triple pulse; student favorite in prior surveys.

Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)

• Czech nationalist composer & conductor; later director of Czech National Music.
• Deafness struck at 50 (parallels Beethoven).
• “The Moldau” (Vltava) from Má Vlast (“My Country”)
  • Symphonic poem portraying the river’s journey: springs → calm flow → rapids → majestic Prague.
  • Vivid orchestral painting; excellent beginner piece for Romantic nationalism.

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

• Czech, humble roots (butcher/innkeeper father).
• Violin/viola in Smetana’s National Theatre Orchestra; rose slowly as composer.
• Champion: Johannes Brahms (paid-forward mentorship via publisher intro).
• Key American episode (exam)
  • At 51 became Director of the National Conservatory of Music, New York City.
  • Urged U.S. composers to base works on native materials: spirituals, folk songs, jazz precursors.
• Masterwork: Symphony No. 9 in E minor “From the New World.”
  • Written during 1st year in America.
  • Combines Czech “gypsy” theme with African-American spiritual reference (“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”).

Ballet & Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Ballet Basics

• Highly technical stage dance; traditionally accompanied by orchestra.
• Before mid-1800s, ballet music was considered low-status.

Tchaikovsky’s Profile

• Only non-German in textbook’s demigod section; often called “Father of the Ballet.”
• Raised in law career; detested it → entered St Petersburg Conservatory, earned master’s in theory.
• Mental & emotional turmoil
  • Closeted homosexuality; sudden marriage to a conservatory student (described as “not very bright” & nymphomaniac) collapsed after 9 weeks.
  • Attempted suicide (wading into the Moskva River to catch pneumonia).
  • Subsequent nervous breakdown.
• Patronage oddity
  • Wealthy widow Nadezhda von Meck paid his debts & annual stipend with condition: never meet in person (they once accidentally stood back-to-back at a gala).
• Output spectrum
  • Three landmark ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker (e.g., “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy” – pointe technique marvel).
  • Late symphonies #4,5,6, concertos, overtures, operas.
• Listening ID: 1812 Overture (Part 2)
  • Programmatic about Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia; ends with real or simulated cannon blasts—unique aural clue.

Key Vocabulary & Concepts

• Rubato – expressive timing fluctuation; “stealing” and “paying back” beats.
• Nationalism – music drawing on composer’s homeland (folk tunes, legends, landscapes).
• Program Music – instrumental music intended to evoke narrative or pictorial ideas (tone poems, ballets, overtures).
• Symphonic Poem / Tone Poem – Liszt’s one-movement programmatic orchestral piece.
• Ballet – codified concert dance form; elevated by Tchaikovsky’s dramatic orchestral scores.
• Neue Zeitschrift für Musik – Robert Schumann’s critical journal; king-maker publication.

Chronological Connections & Implications

• Bach forgotten → Mendelssohn’s revival → modern music theory pedagogy anchored in Bach.
• Paganini’s virtuosity → Liszt’s piano revolution → future emphasis on solo superstar culture.
• Schumann’s advocacy → Brahms’ rise; Brahms’ advocacy → Dvořák’s rise → American nationalist school.
• Liszt’s dissonant palette + Wagner’s later experiments (next lecture) → early steps to atonality and 20th-century modernism.
• Tchaikovsky’s ballets turned functional stage accompaniment into independent concert classics, influencing film scoring aesthetics.

Quick Reference Cheat-Sheet for Test

• Chopin = Piano only; rubato; Polish nationalism; “Military Polonaise.”
• Liszt = Symphonic poem inventor; Paganini inspiration; avant-garde; “Mazeppa,” “Hungarian Rhapsody #2.”
• Mendelssohn = Bach revival, Leipzig Conservatory; Violin Concerto (E minor).
• Brahms = Schumann boost; Symphony No. 3 III; Beethoven spiritual heir.
• Smetana = Deaf Czech; river portrait “The Moldau.”
• Dvořák = NYC Conservatory director; urged U.S. nationalism; “New World” Symphony.
• Tchaikovsky = Father of ballet; patron von Meck; 1812 Overture cannons; Nutcracker.