A Brief History of Western Music
The Romantic Era
Romanticism was a reaction against the classicism of the classical era. Whereas classicism emphasises balance, proportion, and symmetry, romanticism emphasises creativity and emotion. Composers of the 19th century embraced romanticism, and many new forms of music emerged, as we will see in this article.
Hector Berlioz and Symphonie Fantastique
During the classical era, composers primarily created absolute music; that is, music for the sake of music. Absolute music does not convey any particular story or situation. On the other hand, it was common for composers of the romantic era to write program music; music which is based on a specific story or idea.
The composer Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869) created a significant piece of program music titled Symphonie fantastique. Berlioz was inspired by one of Beethoven's symphonies, the Pastoral symphony. Beethoven depicted a specific set of feelings in the Pastoral symphony; Berlioz did the same in his Symphonie fantastique.
Symphonie fantastique tells the story of an artist who is infatuated with with a woman; the artist attempts suicide by taking opium, and experiences vivid dreams and hallucinations instead. The artist experiences several dreams, including a ball and a
Hector Berlioz
tranquil countryside. The artist's beloved appears recurrently in his dreams, and is represented by an idée fixe (recurring theme) in the music. Eventually, the dream turns into a nightmare: the artist kills his beloved in a fit of rage, and is subsequently executed. The final movement of the symphony depicts a witches' Sabbath. Dies irae, a Greogrian chant from the Mass of the Dead, is used in the last movement. The ideals of romanticism are seen clearly in Symphonie fantastique: Berlioz's music is expressive and tells a dramatic story.
The Works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) was a Russian composer. He wrote many famous works, including ballets (e.g. The Nutcracker and Swan Lake), symphonies, and piano concertos. A concerto is a type of piece where an orchestra accompanies a solo instrument, such as a piano. One of Tchaikovsky's best works is his First Piano Concerto. In a break from
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
tradition, Tchaikovsky employs a huge three-minute introduction at the beginning of the concerto, and does not repeat the theme from the introduction at any other point in the concerto.
Another piece by Tchaikovsky is 1812 Overture. Ironically, Tchaikovsky himself expressed extreme distaste for this piece, even though it is very popular amongst ordinary people. The Overture is based on the historical events of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. The music retells the story of Napoleon's invasion: Tchaikovsky incorporates La Marseillaise (the French national anthem) into the music, in order to represent the French troops. He also wrote a separate theme to represent the Russian forces. These two themes are used throughout the piece to symbolise battle. Extraordinarily, the score calls for actual cannons to be used as percussion.
The Works of Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) composed music almost solely for piano. Although Chopin
lived in Paris for a large portion of his life, he expressed nationalism for his native country, Poland, in his music. In particular, Chopin's love for Poland is seen in his mazurkas and polonaises (both of these are types of Polish dances). Chopin's music
is often written in an improvisatory style, and is emotional and introspective. His works greatly exemplify romanticism. Below, you can listen to a few examples of Chopin's music.
Frédéric Chopin