Instrumental Music of
Romantic period
Historical and Cultural
Backround
THE ROMANTIC MUSIC PERIOD IS KNOWN FOR ITS
EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIVENESS AND EXPANSION OF
MUSICAL STRUCTURE, INFLUENCED BY ARTISTS
LIKE SHAKESPEARE. NATIONALISM IS A KEY
FEATURE, WITH COMPOSERS LIKE CHOPIN
INCORPORATING FOLK ELEMENTS. BEETHOVEN
SIGNIFICANTLY BRIDGED THE CLASSICAL AND
ROMANTIC ERAS. THIS PERIOD SAW THE GROWTH
OF ORCHESTRAS AND MUSIC EDUCATION, WITH
COMPOSITIONS OFTEN FOCUSING ON THEMES OF
NATURE, LITERATURE, AND HUMAN FEELINGS,
An important feature of the Romantic
era was the innovation of piano music.
While the Classical era saw significant
contributions to piano composition from
composers like Beethoven, Romantic
composers such as Frederic Chopin and
Franz Liszt further developed the
instrument's capabilities. Their works,
like Chopin's etudes, not only enhanced
the enjoyment of piano music but also
presented challenges for learners,
showcasing the piano's evolving role in
music.
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Fredric Chopin and his Piano
music
Frederic Chopin, known as
the "Poet of the Piano," was
born on March 1, 1810, in
Zelazowa, Poland. He was a
renowned pianist and
composer, primarily creating
music for the piano, with
notable works including the
"Fantaisie in F minor,"
"Revolutionary Etude," and
"24 Preludes."
lick icon to add picture Chopin began playing
piano at age 4 and
composed his first
polonaise at 7. He
studied at the Warsaw
Conservatory and was
influenced by Polish
folk music. After
completing his
education in 1829, he
toured Europe,
performing in cities
like Vienna, Paris, and
London.
In 1831, he moved to
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Paris, where he mingled
with other composers
and formed a relationship
with writer George Sand,
who became an
important source of
inspiration for him.
Chopin's health declined
in his later years due to
pulmonary tuberculosis,
and he passed away on
October 17, 1849, in
Paris.
•Piano works of Frederic Chopin
•
BALLADES- A verse form usually consisting of three stanzas of eight or ten lines each along with a brief envoy, with all three
.
stanzas and the envoy ending in the same one-line refrain.
ETUDES- A piece composed for the development of a specific point of technique.
MAZURKAS - A Polish dance resembling the polka, frequently adopted as a ballet form
NOCTURNES - An instrumental composition of a pensive, dreamy mood, especially one for the piano.
POLONAISES - A stately, march like Polish dance, primarily a promenade by couples.
PRELUDES - An introductory performance, event, or action preceding a more important one.
WALTZES - A piece of music for this dance
IMPROMPTUS - A short composition, especially for the piano, performed in an offhand or extemporized style.
SCHERSOS - a musical movement of playful character, typically in aba form
SONATAS - composition for one or more solo instruments, one of which is usually a keyboard instrument, usually consisting of
three or four independent movements varying in key, mood, and tempo.
•
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Franz liszt and his
symphonic poem
FRANZ LISZT IS BEST DESCRIBED BY THE WORD "VIRTUOSITY," AS
HE WAS A RENOWNED VIRTUOSO PIANIST AND ONE OF THE
BUSIEST MUSICIANS OF THE ROMANTIC ERA, PERFORMING AND
STUDYING IN VIENNA AND PARIS WHILE TOURING EUROPE. BORN
IN DOBORJAN, HUNGARY, HE SHOWED EXCEPTIONAL TALENT
FROM A YOUNG AGE, LEARNING SIGHT READING WITH THE HELP
OF HIS FATHER. A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN HIS CAREER CAME WHEN
HE WAS INSPIRED BY VIOLINIST PAGANINI, LEADING HIM TO
DEDICATE HIMSELF TO PIANO MUSIC.
Franz liszt and his
symphonic poem
LISZT WAS ALSO KNOWN FOR HIS GENEROSITY, OFTEN
SUPPORTING ORPHANS, DISASTER VICTIMS, AND TEACHING
MUSIC TO STUDENTS FOR FREE. HE IS RECOGNIZED AS A
"MUSICAL ARCHITECT" FOR HIS SYMPHONIC POEMS THAT
TRANSLATE LITERARY WORKS INTO MUSIC. HIS NOTABLE
COMPOSITIONS INCLUDE THE "PIANO SONATA IN B MINOR" AND
TWO PIANO CONCERTOS, ALONG WITH CHALLENGING
TRANSCRIPTIONS OF OPERAS AND SYMPHONIES, SOLIDIFYING
HIS LEGACY IN THE WORLD OF PIANO MUSIC.
Liszt's Piano works LISZT WORKS FOR PIANO AND
Grand Etudes after Paganini
ORCHESTRA
12 Transcendental Etudes
2 Concertos (E-Flat and A Major)
Sonata in B Minor
Years of Pilgrimage (3 Volumes) Totentanz (Dance of Death) which adapts
Operatic Fantasies (after Bellini, Mozart, Verdi a Gregorian chant known as the Dies Irae
and Wagner, among others) (or Day of Wrath)
Arrangements of the 9 Beethoven Symphonies Malediction for Piano and Strings
Transcriptions of Lieder by Schubert
Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsodies" were originally
written for solo piano, but many were arranged for ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITION
orchestra or other combinations of instruments. Symphonic Poems (Hamlet, Les
The Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 is the most Preludes)
popular and was the basis for the Tom & Jerry Faust Symphony
cartoon called the Cat Concerto
Dante Symphony
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.
PROGRAM MUSIC HECTOR BERLIOZ and his program music
1. One of the distinct
characteristic of romantic music is Hector Berlioz is a French romantic composer born on
the unique feature of instrumental December 11, 1803. At his young age, he learns to play guitar
forms called “Program music”. It
and flute but never became skilled in any musical instruments.
is an instrumental music that
His father was a physician and he sent to a medical school to
conveys image or scenes, music
be like his father but it ends up in studying music.
that tells a short story without text
or lyrics and imaginative ideas
fully developed through the One of the famous musical composition made by hector
imaginative effort of a `great and Berlioz is a five movement symphony called “Symphonie
genius composer Hector Berlioz. Fantastique”.
2.
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Ballet according to dictionary.reference.com is a theatrical Click icon to add picture
entertainment in which dancing and music often with scenery
and costumes combine to tell the story and establish an
emotional atmosphere.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, born on
May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia,
is renowned for his ballet music,
which combines dance and
music to create emotional
narratives. Initially studying law,
he shifted to music at the St.
Petersburg Conservatory, where
he studied composition under
Anton Rubinstein.
o Tchaikovsky's early works were not
well-received due to his anxiety about
His music is his teacher, but he gained fame with
characterized by
haunting melodies compositions like "Fatum" and "Romeo
and the and Juliet." Despite personal struggles,
incorporation of
folk music, known including a troubled marriage, he
for its beauty and found success in New York and
emotional depth.
Tchaikovsky was
conducted his works during the last
critical of his own decade of his life. He died from
compositions, often
destroying his
cholera after drinking unfiltered water.
manuscripts,
leading to few
surviving works.
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Tchaikovsky’s Famous Compositions
* Swan Lake * 1812 Overture
* Sleeping Beauty * Symphony No. 2
* The Nutcracker * Symphony No. 6
“Pathetique”
* Romeo & Juliet * Piano Concerto No. 1
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prodigious musician who began
piano lessons at the age of two
and started composing by three.
He was known for creating
elegant, polished music,
exemplified by his piece "The
Swan." As a distinguished
organist and pianist, he played
with grace and composure. During
the height of his career, France
saw the construction of many
beautiful buildings, including the
iconic Eiffel Tower.
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Best known music of Camille Saint Saens
Carnival of the Animals
DanseMacabre and his Symphony
No. 3
The swan
Over 300 works, unusually in all genres, including
- 13 operas (Samson Delilah the only one remembered)
- 5 Symphonies (best known No3 the Organ symphony )
- 3 concertos for violin and orchestra
- 5 concertos for piano and orchestra
- 2 concertos for cello and orchestra
- organ music
- numerous pieces for the piano
- approximately 100 songs
- chamber music
- sacred music including a Requiem
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BRITA TAMM
502-555-0152
m
www.firstupconsultants.com
