Romanticism in the Lives and Works of Romantic Composers

Sam K. QRS-EHAP Horace Greeley HS

Essential Question:
How were the ideals of Romanticism evident in the lives and works of composers of the Romantic Era?

Ideals Being Expressed

Fascination with exotic lands A growing sense of nationalism The idea of an individual having unlimited power Increase in emotion and drama in art The emergence of an artist as a true philosopher Obsession with the French Revolution and other political uprisings

Exoticism in Music

Flicien David
(1810-1876)

Origin and Travels Abroad

Born in Cadenet on April 13th, 1810 Interested in music at a very young age

Joined a French socialist group named the Saint-Simonians in 1831

The group was outlawed in 1832 David went with some members to Egypt to preach Saint-Simonian gospel in 1833

Very religious, first compositions were church music

Wrote piano music while abroad Returned in June of 1835 with a fascination about the Middle East

Influential Works
Le dsert (1844)
Three movements describing a desert storm, a prayer to Allah, and a traveling caravan A long repeated pedal note is used to represent the vast wastes of the desert
Opera about a storm off the coast of Brazil Opera set in India

La perle du Brsil (1851) Lalla-Roukh (1862)

Giuseppe Verdi
(1813-1901)

Origin and Involvement in Italian Unification

Born in Roncole on October 10th, 1813
Always spoke of his humble peasant beginnings in Roncole

Became a member of the Chamber of Deputies (the newly formed Italian parliament) in 1862
His fellow revolutionary, Count Camilo Benso di Cavour, dies in June of 1861
The pain of his friends death is too much to bear and he resigns from office in 1865 Cavours death makes Verdi turn back to music and change his focus away from Italy

Influential Works
Nabucodonsor (1841) Aida (1871)
First example of Verdi having non-Italian inspiration Fascinated by the chorus of the Hebrew exiles

Written for the first season of Khedvial Opera House in Cairo Makes aspects of old Egyptian images into major spectacles Adapts Egyptian characters to an old Italian love story
Uses the pyramids, temple of Isis, gate of Thebes, and the Nile river as settings NOT for the opening of the Suez canal as commonly thought

Georges Bizet
(1838-1875)

Origin and Involvement in the Franco-Prussian War

Born in Paris on October 25th, 1838 Won the Prix de Rome in 1857
Frances highest honor in music Winner gets to study in Rome for 3 years

Enlisted as a national guard during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870

Ended up deserting the army Happy that France was losing the war
Marks the beginning of Bizets search for inspiration outside of France

Influential Works
Chants de Pyrnes Carmen (1875)
About the Pyrenees mountains First sign of interest in Spanish culture
Opera about a gypsy named Carmen that seduces a soldier Bizet refused to visit Spain

Exotic aspects of the score were put in only for dramatic effect

Uses the harmonic, rhythmic, and instrumental procedures of flamenco music as well as old Spanish folk songs for musical inspiration as a substitution to visiting

Conclusions on Exoticism in Romantic Music

Imperialistic desires to westernize foreign lands Fascination with the newly colonized and explored regions Looking towards other places for inspiration
Verdis interest in the Middle East and desire to distance himself from his simple past Bizet and Verdis desire to look away from their own respective countries Flicien Davids trip to Egypt to spread SaintSimonian gospel

Adapted these foreign stimuli to their own classic European operatic style

Nationalism in Music

Frdric Chopin
(1810-1849)

Origin and Personality

Born in Zelazowa Wola on March 1st, 1880 Considered the greatest Polish nationalist composer but was half French Didnt want to be showy and only performed for small audiences Lived in constant misery due to a lifelong chronic lung condition
Contemporary composer Hector Berlioz said that Chopin was, dying all his life (213).

Had a long, turbulent relationship with author Aurore Duderant ne Dupin

Ended in pain and made his work more intense

Revolutionary tude (1831)

The November Uprising in Warsaw in 1830 broke out three weeks after Chopin left Warsaw
The November Uprising was in response to Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich ignoring Polish Constitution by agreeing to help put down revolts in France Polish government took over the region and declared war on Russia in 1831 The war ended in disaster with the deaths of thousands of Poles and no improvement in the situation with Russia

Revolutionary tude (1831)

(continued)
Chopin wanted to go back and protect his family and his country Instead, he used music to support the efforts in Warsaw The piece caused many in Poland to join the cause
Contemporary composer and music critic Robert Schumann said that: Beneath the flowers in Chopins work, there are hidden cannons (217). Couldnt because of his lung condition

Refers to the nationalistic passion this piece evoked in its listeners

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840-1893)

Origin and Personality

Born in Votkinsk on May 7th, 1840 Studied at the St. Petersburg conservatory for 3 years Had trouble interacting with people and got upset easily
Tchaikovsky was quoted saying: Every new acquaintance, every fresh meeting with someone unknown, has always been for me a source of suffering (354).
Couldnt conduct his own works Let his music speak for him

Was a very shy person Closet homosexual

Tchaikovskys Homosexuality
Source of Tchaikovskys insecurity
Was afraid anyone would find out

Married Antonia Ivanova Miliukova in 1877 to try to hide his homosexuality

Angst from trying to hide his homosexuality led to a failed suicide attempt

Tchaikovskys homosexuality comes out in his music

His ballets are very aesthetically pleasing and delicate

Slavonic March (1876)

Tchaikovsky was asked to write a piece in memoriam of Christian slavs that had recently been murdered by Turkish soldiers Only took five days to write Tchaikovsky uses Serbian folk songs as inspiration for different movements The Slavonic March unified a nation over a tragedy
This sense of nationalism is foretelling of the Russo-Turkish war of the following year

1812 Overture (1880)

Based on Russias defeat of Napoleons army at the Battle of Borodino
Battle occurred on September 7th, 1812 Napoleons army had lost its supply lines and was unable to defeat Russia troops

The piece follows a story, starting with the battle and ending with the return of the troops Tchaikovsky scored parts of the piece for a cannon to simulate the feeling of being on the battlefield

Conclusions on Nationalism in Romantic Music

Tragic events inspired composers to write pieces honoring the victims and rallying their country of origin to stop any injustice present
Chopins Revolutionary tude and Tchaikovskys Slavonic March

Painful personal lives made their music have even more passion
Chopins lung condition and Tchaikovskys insecurity about his homosexuality

Let their music express their opinions

Individual Power and Revolutionary Fervor in Music

Ludwig van Beethoven

(1770-1827)

Origin and Personal Life

Born in Bonn, baptized on December 17th, 1770 Went to Vienna in 1787 to pursue his music career Had trouble with women and never married Began going deaf in 1802
Left immediately to tend to his ailing mother

Wrote a will-like manuscript thinking that he was going to die Along with his naturally belligerent personality, going deaf made him focus more on his music

Sketchbook Method

Beethoven was very meticulous when writing his music

Wrote all his music in sketchbooks where he would constantly cross out work, making him work into the wee hours of the night and lengthening the composition process by a significant amount

Beethoven vs. Aristocracy

Beethoven relied heavily on noble patronage
These patrons were horrible people Resented the nobles because he felt that he was more talented and more deserving of their wealth
Knew he would never reach their status

Would do many things to disrespect his benefactors

Made them beg him to play Dressed and acted inappropriately

Beethoven vs. Aristocracy (continued)

Frau von Bernhard, one of Beethovens piano students, had this to say about an encounter between Beethoven and one of his patrons:
I myself saw the mother of Princess Lichnowsky, countess Thun [one of Beethovens patrons] go down on her knees to him as he lolled on the sofa, begging him to play something. But Beethoven did not(78)

Beethoven and Napoleon

Beethoven admired many aspects of Napoleons traits and accomplishments including:
His endorsement of the merit system His talent, determination, and strength His belief in equality and democracy

Beethoven felt hurt and betrayed when Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in 1804
Beethovens work output dramatically decreased with the exile and eventual death of Napoleon
This act dissolved all of Napoleons positive qualities that Beethoven admired

Beethoven and Napoleon (continued)

When asked in 1802 to write a sonata about the events and ideas of the French Revolution, Beethoven said:
you suggest I should compose such a sonata? Well, perhaps at the time of the revolutionary fever [but] now that Bonaparte has concluded his Concordat with the Popeto write sonata of this kind? you wont get anything from me (184).

Shows his frustration and disappointment with his once beloved Napoleon

Symphony No. 3: Sinfonia Eroica (1806)

Originally dedicated to Napoleon Subtitle of the symphony was, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man
Written as a funeral march Supposed to symbolize the death of the egalitarian Napoleon
Beethoven wanted it to seem like Napoleon sealed his own fate by crowning himself emperor

Beethoven tore up the dedication when Napoleon crowned himself emperor

Richard Wagner
(1813-1883)

Origin and Personal Beliefs

Born in Leipzig on May 22nd, 1813 Had strong anti-Semitic opinions
Said to be rooted in his relationship with composer and benefactor Giacomo Meyerbeer, who was Jewish Wrote a pamphlet entitled Des Judenthum in der Musik (Judaism in Music)

Meyerbeers career flourished while Wagner suffered in political refuge in Zrich

Wrote it under a pseudonym Talks about the excessive control Jews had over the music scene during that time

Hitler and Wagners Music

Hitler would play some of Wagners music during his speeches to his Nazi followers

Involvement in Revolution: Student Revolt in Leipzig

Wagner was obsessed with the French Revolution from reading history books This student uprising in Leipzig was inspired by the July Revolution that was occurring in Paris at the same time
Jumped at the chance to participate in his own revolt and joined the Leipzig students on a march to the city hall In his autobiography, Wagner said that, the world of history came alive for me from that day on; and naturally I became a fervent partisan of the revolution (39).
Shows his obsession with revolutions

Involvement in Revolution: Uprisings of 1849 in Dresden

An abandonment of a constitutional monarchy under Fredrich Wilhelm IV caused riots all over Prussia Almost got arrested and had to flee to Zrich for ten years Wagner was even more involved this time around
Would lead people into the town square screaming, To the barricades! (393) Put up anti-government propaganda posters all around Dresden Ran through gun fire to be able to watch battles from atop a tower

Wagner and Nietzsche

Nietzsche admired Wagner, believing he embodied his superman theory (society reaching perfection under a gifted leader)
Believed this because of Wagners ability to evoke emotion amongst those around him Eventually lost respect for Wagner, realizing that his dramatic personality was superficial, later saying that: [when] viewed from close proximity and without bias, Wagners life appears in many ways as a grotesque comedy (878).

Wagners anti-Semitism as well as his connection to Nietzsches superman theory would later be used by Hitler and the Nazis

Lohengrin (1850)
Opera based on an old medieval story of a knight of the holy grail named Lohengrin and his conquests
Famous for its Bridal Chorus (Here comes the bride)

The knight is supposed to symbolize the rise to power of one man

Some compared the knight and his conquests to Bismark and his efforts towards German unification
Another example of Nietzsches superman theory Possible explanation for the 2nd Reichs superiority complex

Conclusions on Individualism in Romantic Music

Obsession with revolutions affected the way in which composers operated
Beethovens belief in Napoleons merit system when dealing with aristocracy and Wagners confidence from participation in revolution

Contradictory idea of individual power mixed with an assimilation with a mob Personal opinion more present

Wagners integration with the process of German unification Beethovens Sinfonia Eroica and Wagners Judenthum in der Musik (Judaism in Music)

The End