In this blog I’ll go over some of the popular genres of the Romantic Period.
Lieder
What It Is - A German art song
Accompanied by - Piano
Form - Strophic or Through-composed
Composed by - Schubert, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, R. Strauss.
Example - Der Erlkönig, D328 (Schubert)
Nationalistic Music
What It Is - Music inspired by folk melodies and dance rhythms of the homeland
Form - Various
Composed by - Many composers!
Brazil - Villa-Lobos
Czech Republic - Smetana, Dvorák
Finland - Sibelius
France - Franck, Massenet, Saint-Saëns
Germany - Wagner
Hungary - Bartok
Italy - Verdi
Norway - Grieg
Poland - Chopin
Russia - Borodin
Spain - Albéniz, Granados, Rodrigo
United Kingdom - Vaughan Williams
United States - MacDowell, Copland
Example - Vaughan Williams Folk Song Suite
Opera
What It Is - Similar to opera that came previously, but bigger, louder, and longer
How It Developed - Extended melodies, broader ranges of tone, pitch and tempo, sophisticated harmonies.
Composed by - Wagner, Verdi, Strauss, Rossini
Example - Die Fledermaus - Johann Strauss II
Program Music
What It Is - Music telling a story through instruments
Form - Tone Poem, Symphonic Poem
Composed By - Grieg, Sibelius, Mussorgsky…
Example - Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite
Song Cycle
What It Is - A group of songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit
Accompanied By - Nothing, or instruments
Composed By - Schubert, Britten, Weber
Examples - Die schöne Müllerin (Schubert)
Symphony
What It Is - A large instrumental work for orchestra
How It Developed - Lyrical melodies, longer motifs, more imagery. Larger orchestra. Different instrumentation.
Composed By - Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn
Example - Beethoven’s 6th Symphony
Symphonic Poem/Tone Poem
What It Is - See program music
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