Romanticism in Western European music
Although romanticism touched all the arts, it found its most vivid and imaginative embodiment in music. Romantics literally created a cult of music, which from now on was declared a model, the norm of artistic creativity. They raised music to the highest rung of the “ladder of the arts.” FW Schelling (1775-1854) declared music to be the voice of the deepest essence of the universe. Tik, Novalis, Hoffmann, Schlegel argued that thinking in sounds is much higher than thinking in concepts. Music, leading to the spheres of spontaneous feeling, comes into its own where no poetry can embrace and express the true depth of feelings. The great German writer and musician E. T. A. Hoffmann wrote:
“Music is the most romantic of all arts, perhaps, one might even say, the only truly romantic, because it has only the infinite as its subject.”
In the history of world culture, the music of romanticism is represented by a brilliant galaxy of names: Franz Schubert (Austria), Karl Maria von Weber, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms (Germany), Frederic Chopin (Poland), Franz Liszt (Hungary), Hector Berlioz (France), Niccolo Paganini (Italy).
If classicism considered vocal music based on the word as a priority (for example, operatic art), the romantics defended the absolute advantage of instrumental, symphonic music. From their point of view, only it reveals its true essence and depth. The composer should not slavishly follow the rhythm and intonation of the verse. Relying on a literary source, he can create a completely independent musical form.
Romanticism in European music should not be understood as an instant change of directions and styles. As already noted, in the work of the late Beethoven, features of the new romantic style were clearly manifested, and the influence of Viennese classicism was felt in the works of Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Moreover, there was no insurmountable wall of alienation and misunderstanding between the composers of romanticism and classicism. On the contrary, romantics continued to successfully develop the best traditions of classical music.
Like other forms of art, the music of romanticism exclusively emotionally conveys the richness of a person’s inner world. In contrast to classicism, which sought to recreate lofty social and civic ideals, romantic composers turned to the sphere of human feelings and experiences. The complex and contradictory world of the human soul, the uniqueness and originality of each individual personality, the romantics understood like no other. They were convinced that only in the language of music it is possible to convey what is happening in the depths of the human soul. Robert Schumann wrote: “Reason is wrong, feeling never.” In these words of the great composer, the key to understanding the music of romanticism, the essence of its program requirements.
The hero of romantic music is a lonely and disappointed person who is able to express “world sorrow”. Despite the misunderstanding, often despite the circumstances, he is looking for his life ideal. Not finding him in the surrounding reality, where violence, deception, cruelty and deceit reign, he has to seek happiness in the bosom of nature or in distant exotic countries. But nature is also often hostile to his searches, does not sympathize and does not empathize with him. Dignified and calm, she turns out to be cold and indifferent to human suffering.
The new romantic style in music had quite definite, only inherent features. They are visible in a special philosophical view of the world around us, in the choice of themes and in the specific musical means of its expression. Romantics had the idea of a synthesis of all the arts, in which music was assigned a universal role. Music, in their opinion, just has the property of connecting, bringing together all types of arts. She can, like painting and sculpture, paint and sculpt. Like literature – to convey the content of a novel or tragedy. In the work of romantics, the boundaries of verbal and musical depiction have expanded. The realization in practice of the idea of the synthesis of arts turned out to be the most fruitful in the art of romanticism.
The ties between music, literature and painting were especially close. Many romantic composers were the creators of the so-called program music, which sought to associate themselves with certain literary or pictorial images. This connection suggested an explanation of the composer’s intention in the title of the work, in the epigraph or in the preface to the score (musical notation of a polyphonic piece of music). Thanks to the idea of being programmed, its plot and pictorial principles were strengthened in music. Thus, Richard Wagner (1813-1883), working on the creation of the operas Tannhäuser and Lohengrin based on old German legends, wrote a libretto for them himself, in which he explained the essence of the musical work.
However, relying on literary or pictorial sources, romantics created completely new artistic images, using specific musical means. That is why none of the musical compositions can be regarded as an illustration to a literary or pictorial primary source. The music of romanticism knows many examples of such a fruitful community of arts. In his work, Schubert turned to many poets: Goethe (ballad songs), Heine (mournful monologues), Müller (vocal cycles “The Beautiful Miller Woman” and “Winter Way”). Schumann (1810-1856) created song cycles “The Love and Life of a Woman” on the verses of the German poet Chamisso and “The Love of a Poet” on the verses of “Lyric Intermezzo” by Heinrich Heine. His cycle of piano pieces “Butterflies” was inspired by the works of J. Paul, and “Kreislerian” – by the works of Hoffmann.The work of the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz has inspired Chopin more than once. The prototype of Liszt’s After Reading Dante (1811-1886) sonata was The Divine Comedy, and Petrarch’s Sonnets were inspired by the works of the Italian poet of the Renaissance. Berlioz (1803-1869) is the creator of a kind of musical Shakespearian (Romeo and Juliet symphony), he also owns the Harold in Italy symphony based on Byron’s poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and the dramatic cantata The Condemnation of Faust on the plot of Goethe’s tragedy Faust “. This list could be continued.Berlioz (1803-1869) is the creator of a kind of musical Shakespearian (Romeo and Juliet symphony), he also owns the Harold in Italy symphony based on Byron’s poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and the dramatic cantata The Condemnation of Faust on the plot of Goethe’s tragedy Faust “. This list could be continued.Berlioz (1803-1869) is the creator of a kind of musical Shakespearian (Romeo and Juliet symphony), he also owns the Harold in Italy symphony based on Byron’s poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage and the dramatic cantata The Condemnation of Faust on the plot of Goethe’s tragedy Faust “. This list could be continued.
For the first time, romantics had the idea to express images of painting and sculpture in music, to turn them into a “program” of a piece of music. Liszt’s famous piano pieces The Betrothal (based on Raphael’s painting The Betrothal of Mary) and The Thinker (after Michelangelo’s sculpture) from the Years of Wanderings cycle are a prime example of program music. So, Raphael’s painting, which became for Liszt a kind of symbol of purity of feelings, enlightened humanity and harmony, determined the essence of the musical image. The music he created is full of a quiet, light and reverent feeling, its movement is calm, smooth and unhurried. Only at the most climactic moments does she become pathetic and enthusiastic. The elements of the chorale used by the composer here remind of the solemn sound of the church choir. Certainly, not knowing the content of Raphael’s painting,it is impossible to understand the image created in music. The pre-sent title allows the listener to “finish” it without much difficulty, it provides a deep and full-fledged perception of the work.
The beauty and originality of folk art have become one of the most important “eternal values” discovered by romantics. Interest and attention to folklore distinguish the work of many composers who used intonations, rhythms, motives of folk songs and dances. They are not uncommon in Schubert’s vocal cycles – “The Beautiful Miller Woman” (1823) and “Winter Path” (1827), in the piano miniatures “Songs without Words” (1829-1845) – by Mendelssohn. Melodies and rhythms of Hungarian and Gypsy tunes and dances are heard in nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies (1847-1885), composed by Liszt. The music of “Hungarian Dances” (1869-1880) by Brahms is imbued with incendiary rhythms of folk melodies. Chopin repeatedly turned to the rhythms of Polish folk dances – mazurka, polonaise and waltz.
In the music of romanticism, there have been significant changes in the genre system. If the composers of classicism preferred symphony, sonata, opera and instrumental concerts, the romantics actively developed lyrical miniatures, which opened unlimited possibilities for expressing the innermost feelings and movements of the human soul. The genres of song and romance were especially popular with listeners. The cycles of musical miniatures by Schubert “Impromptu” and “Musical Moments” are well known, and the etudes by Chopin, Schumann and Liszt are the best achievements of this genre.
In addition, the traditional genres of classicism were renewed in the music of romanticism. In Schubert’s Eighth Unfinished Symphony (1822), violent romantic feelings are organically combined with a clear and harmonious classicist composition. Instead of the usual four movements for this genre, Schubert’s symphony consists of two – dramatic and lyrical.
New features bring romance to the sonata genre as well. For example, Chopin writes a Piano Sonata in four movements with an ominous scherzo, a funeral march and an unusual dark whirlwind ending. Liszt creates a fantasy sonata “After Reading Dante”, consisting of only one movement.
The genre of prelude has also undergone significant changes. Well-known are Bach’s preludes to fugues, preparing the performance of a large and complex piece of music. And Chopin composed impromptu preludes, under the impression of a certain mood.
As you can see, romanticism in music is a rather complex and multifaceted phenomenon. One of its later branches at the end of the 19th century. became verism (Italian verismo – true, truthful), which manifested itself in Italian operatic art. Unlike realistic works, works in the style of verism portrayed exaggerated, exceptional feelings of the heroes, pushing them to risky actions, and sometimes even to crimes. The most prominent representative of verism in European music is Ruggiero Leoncavallo (1857-1919), who created the well-known opera Pagliacci (1892).
Another branch of Western European romanticism was realism, coming from Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) and Georges Bizet (1838-1875). Realist composers strove to convey the drama of seemingly ordinary life situations. In their musical works, they paid special attention to the truthful reproduction of the psychological state of the characters. Their characters were no longer divided into positive and negative. Each was presented in all the complexity of character and contradictory relations with society.
The complication of the language and forms of music in late romanticism, and then in other trends, gave rise to neoclassicism, which appeared in European music in the first quarter of the 20th century. Neoclassical composers strove to return to the simplicity of melodies and forms, clarity and clarity of harmony. They again turned to polyphony, revived the harpsichord music of the 18th century. Once again, an interest arose in the old concert genres – suite and concert grosso.
