THE GREAT COMPOSERS
written by Wendy Thompson
published by Hermes House
The Romantic Era (c.1815-1910)
Music Sets #351 - 366
Key features of Romantic music:-
* strong association with poetry and drama of the great literary figures of the time, expressing ordinary human emotions - love, happiness, sorrow; e.g. Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther.
* a response to nature, especially in its wilder aspects.
* its emphasis on the individual - either the composer or the performer.
Italian opera in the early 19th century was dominated by 3 composers: Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini.
* These three laid the foundations for the work of Verdi.
* These three were great bel canto composers; bel canto, meaning "beautiful singing", was the great vocal tradition of 19th-century Italian opera
Syphilis, together with tuberculosis, put a premature end to many a flourishing Romantic talent.
Source: The Great Composers
“The Romantic era was one of extremes,
with composers not only looking back to the past
but also abandoning classical conventions and
experimenting with new and daring harmonic language and form.”
“Most Romantic composers composed not only concert music
but also music for amateur use.”
“Far more homes now owned a piano.
There was a consequent demand for music
that could be played in the home,
and many orchestral and operatic works were arranged for the piano.
The piano is one instrument that symbolizes the Romantic period.”
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