Romantic Era

1. Romantic Era 1800’s-1900’s

2. Title and Content Layout with List • Romantic Era General Information (Music, Instruments, Composers, and Audiences) • Chopin (the tragic Romantic) • Schubert (He put the leader in lieder) • Beethoven (transition man)

3. General Characteristics Identify the Music, Instruments, Composers, and Audiences of the Romantic Era

4. General Characteristics of the Romantic Era

5. Chopin The tragic Romantic

6. Chopin • Frederick Chopin (1810-1849) • Chopin was from Poland, and traveled Europe as a child-prodigy pianist. As an adult, he performed rarely, instead making his money from teaching and selling compositions. • He lived in Warsaw, Poland until a failed revolution against Russian suppression in 1830. He then moved to Paris. • The majority of his composition are written for solo piano. He made major innovations in the structure of multiple piano compositions, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Romantic composers of all time. • Chopin died at the age of 39, after years of chronic lung problems.

7. Minute Waltz, Opus 64, No. 1 • Composed in 1847 • Waltz in D flat major • Piano • Minute meaning “small”—only a minute and a half long • Like all waltz tunes, this is in 3/4 time signature (3 beats per measure)

8. “Revolutionary” Etude, Opus 10, No. 12 • Composed in 1831 • Written in c minor • Piano • Composed in reaction to Russia’s oppression of Poland—specifically the uprising that occurred in 1830 • Etude: A musical exercise meant to focus on developing a specific musical technique. • The technique addressed in this piece is the long, loud descending runs played by the left hand

9. Schubert He put the leader in lieder

10. Schubert • Franz Schubert (1797-1828) • Schubert was born in Vienna, Austria—a hub for “great” music since the Baroque period. He played violin, piano, and sang. • In his life, he wrote 9 symphonies, chamber music and opera. He was best known for his 600 lieder. • Schubert died at the age of 31. His final request was to listen to Beethoven’s String Quartet in No. 14. He was buried next to Beethoven’s grave in a Vienna cemetery.

11. Lieder • The term lied is German for “Song.” • Lieder: A setting of Romantic German poems to music. The songs were typically arranged for piano and a solo vocalist. The poetry generally centered upon pastoral themes or romantic love.

12. Gretchen am Spinnrade • Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel (Op. 2, D. 118) • Composed in 1814, for a Soprano voice. It was Schubert’s first lied and one of his most famous. • The song is written in Rondo form (ABACADA), and the piano accompaniment mimics the movement of the spinning wheel. • The text is taken from Goethe’s Faust, an early German Romantic play about a man (Faust) who sells his soul to the devil. Gretchen is Faust’s love interest in the story.

13. Gretchen am Spinnrade- “A” Section My peace is gone, My heart is heavy I will find it never And never more. MeineRuhisthin, Mein Herzistschwer, Ichfindesienimmer Und nimmermehr.

14. Beethoven The Transitional Composer

15. Ludwig van Beethoven Identify 3 items for each column, beginning with the K & W. Complete the L column after reading the biography.

16. Symphony No. 9, mvt. 4 • Beethoven’s final complete symphony—it was composed in 1824 • While Beethoven was universally considered to be a genius, and the piece was automatically received as brilliant, the first performance was not considered to be successful. • This was the first symphony to feature singing • Where symphonies in the Classical Era were viewed as “wallpaper,” Beethoven helped bring symphonies to prominence in the Romantic Era • The choral theme of mvt. 4 later became the hymn “Ode to Joy”—lyrics meaning “All Men Are Brothers”