Composers in the 19th Century - Essay Example

Composers in the 19th Century Some of the greatest music ever produced came from composers in the 19th century. It was a period of renaissance and change throughout the globe brought about by numerous events both political and cultural. Nationalistic movements and the sweeping tide of romanticism were just two of the major events that influenced musical output during the time. The period of romanticism acted as a counter to the dawning age of enlightenment where truth through the process of scientific deduction became the new way towards modernity. During the 1848 revolution, music critics defined Romanticism as a political and philosophical matter (Bent p.58). It had very little to do with what was happening in society among the common folk. Most romantics were viewed as embracing romanticism, not to avoid the real world but to deal with the new age of enlightenment where rationality was threatening to sweep away religious and arcane beliefs. Romanticism was concerned with feeling, emotional expression, imagination and boundlessness rather than rationalistic thinking or subject matter. The movement was exemplified in the arts – literature, music and paintings, with emphasis on the aesthetic experience and the wonderment in the magnificence of nature. Among the other attributes of Romanticism were a profound appreciation of all things natural, a heightened praise of emotion over logic and the human senses over the intellectualism; a rather introspective examination of oneself and personality with all its facets, including moods, emotional attachment and cognitive potential; also a obsession with the inner self where the hero lies and the awakening of the genius; a call to action from the extraordinary individual; attention to the passions and internal struggles; a fresh look at the artist as the gifted originator of the art forms be it literature, paintings or music; an artist who demonstrates that his passion for his art form is far more important than adherence to established convention or set of laws that the rest of society follows; a greater importance to the imagination as the access door towards inspirational experience that is uplifting and spiritual in nature; an imagination that is employed for the quest of truth and higher learning; also an unusual interest in the occult, the mystic and folklore; study of native and ethnic development, also of medieval practices; a penchant for all things exotic and outlandish, isolated and far away, the mystifying and bizarre, the horrifying and devilish. Romanticism served as a reaction to classicism which was characterized by order, harmony, balance and rationality. Classicism had its roots in historical beliefs and practices founded on Greek and Roman philosophy of life and the universe, particularly referring to the period when both the cultures were at their pinnacle. Classicism speaks of the art or music that was created in olden times while neoclassicism speaks of the artistic work prior to the present time but after antiquity. The term romanticism is attributed to a group of individuals - artists, actors, writers, musicians and thinkers. One of the most famous composers who was part of the romantic movement was Ludwig van Beethoven. Others include Chopin, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Weber, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. Many of them expanded their orchestra and experimented with atypical orchestrations to convey other worldly influences. These composers were a product of their time, swayed by the political and nationalistic events occurring around them. The year 1809 was marked by significant shifts in political and economic landscape that pushed Beethoven’s political views in a new direction (Rumph 2004). The French Revolution that successfully toppled the French monarchy in favour of republicanism is generally believed to have inspired the movement of romanticism. One of the heroes of this movement was Napoleon Bonaparte who inspired national unity and self determination amongst his people. It was this that led France to victory over her battles with other nations. Napoleon was an inspiration to many artists, stimulating a surge of both literary and musical output. Beethoven was swayed by and became part of the Romantic Movement because of Napoleon. He dedicated his most famous work, his third symphony the Eroica, to the leader, with emphasis on the hero or the person who surpassed all troubles. But when Napoleon abandoned the principles that embodied the French Revolution, crowning himself emperor instead, Beethoven was angered and proceeded to obliterate the name of Napoleon from the title page of his work. This act highlights the emphasis the composer put on the ideals of the French Revolution and what it meant to him and the people of France. The Congress of Vienna in 1814 became an important political event that gave new life to the movement of romanticism. After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, the Congress sought to shape a new Europe. Numerous territorial changes occurred. In some instances land was restored to the original states while in others, kingdoms were created under new rule. These widely accepted changes were initiated with diplomacy and consent and Beethoven and other composers attempted to exemplify these events into their compositions and operas. Fidelio was another of Beethoven’s work that emphasized the heroism of the time. Much of it was inspired by playwright Jean-Nicolas Bouilly’s story which had elements of valour and gallantry. Many of Beethoven’s musical scores were inspired from the struggle for political freedom which motivated the depth and variety of his work. His operas are clearly distinguishable as being romantic, dealing with the contemporary issues of the time with more emphasis on the individual and heroism whereas classical music as exemplified by Mozart and the like dealt with gods, rulers and people. In essence Beethoven had constructed a musical bridge between the classical music of the 18th century and the romantic music of the 19th century. Another great was German composer Richard Wagner whose dimension of musical performance was extensive. He had an extended orchestra which gave his compositions a wider range, employing the use of more instruments and allowing him to experiment and be creative with various combinations. His bearing on performance was both revolutionary and evolutionary. Like Beethoven, Wagner too was influenced by French revolutionary ideals. It was his involvement with Junges Deutschland - a literary movement and social reform which resisted all radical types of the prevailing themes of nationalism and romanticism, that instilled a political theme within Rienzi, his first large scale opera (Evensen 2005). Wagner also made his anti-Semitic views clear, proclaiming his disdain towards Jewish music which he claimed had no connection to the German people. The Russian composer Tchaikovsky was stimulated by a more general borderless worldly romanticism while the romantic movement in Russia, had nationalistic inclinations. One of the works that illustrated this is that of Mukhail Glinka. Others who articulated nationalistic romanticism were Czech composers Smetana and Dvorak and Norwegian composer Grieg. The end of the romantic period is known as post romanticism and is characterized by the musical compositions of Richard Strauss, Holst and Elgar. Even though the period of romanticism was coming to an end during the late 19th century, the city of Vienna continued to witness some serious music from various composers. Gustav Mahler, enlarged his orchestra size, adding a chorus, vocal soloists with inspiring music. Anton Bruckner created nine symphonies while Hugo Wolf recreated some aspects of the German lieder using his song cycles. The Nationalistic movements evolved in the 19th century when nations across the world endeavoured to modernise their society and economy. The threat of revolution and invasion from outsiders prompted nation states to expand their armies and this involved the practice of conscription and taxation. The movements encouraged the common man to participate in nation building activities through various channels. Art, literature and music became a part of this nationalism process. Nationalistic music basically involved rejoicing and holding the nation in veneration. Songs emboldened a spirit of unity and nationalistic pride among the citizens as well as their military forces. Although romantic nationalism is most commonly identified with European states and their struggles, this movement was also depicted in music across the Atlantic. The American Civil War which occurred from 1861 to 1865 had patriotic songs glorifying the greatness of the nation. Romanticism as a movement was not as coherent as the Enlightenment. The latter aimed to disperse rationality and scientific knowledge whereas romanticism in music had no real goal. Nevertheless the movement did inspire and influence great composers into producing lasting and memorable music in the 19th century. References 1. Bent, Ian. 1996. Music Theory in the Age of Romanticism. Cambridge University Press. 2. Brians, Paul. 1998. Romanticism. 9th Nov 06. 3. DiSilvio, Rich. 2005. Tchaikovsky. 9th Nov 06. 4. Evensen, Kristian. 2005. Richard Wagner Website. 10th Nov 06. 5. Rumph, Stephen. 2004. Beethoven after Napoleon: Political Romanticism in the Late Works (California Studies in 19th Century Music). University of California Press. p.93 Read More