Music & Pop Culture
Romanticism
1. What is Romanticism?
Those are some ideas about the Romanticism:
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The Romanticism era started at the beginning of the 19th Century
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Its name isn't related to love as today, but to death and overcoming.
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It was a time were first trains were invented, and at the end of this period, electricity will appear.
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It was also a time for literature and painting.
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Medieval stories and fantasy legends were in fashion.
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Europe was at war because revolutions got place during the century.
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Horror literature began at this time, with the publish of "Dracula" and "Frankenstein"
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First street lamps appeared in Paris, France.
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First photographs appear at the middle of the century.
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2. How can I know when a music piece is romantic?
Normally, romantic music uses these caracteristics:
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It seems like music tries to tell a story without words.
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The piano is the most important instrument.
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Orchestral pieces were also very famous.
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Each country will use a different kind of music: The zarzuela was really popular in Spain, but the waltz was popular in Austria.
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Piano pieces were really hard to play!!
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Taste for small and lonely music pieces, specially for piano.
Strauss - In the Blue Danube
3. The Greatest romantic composers
Franz Schubert
Musical moment Nº3
David Fray, pianist
He was an austrian composer.
He only lived 30 years.
He wrote more than 600 songs!!!
He was a bit insecure with his work, that's why he couldn't finish a lot of symphonies.
Frederik Chopin
Revolution study
Tae-Seung Park
He was an polish composer.
He also died very young.
All his work was written for the piano, and it's really hard to play.
He wrote a lot of "studies", pieces to improve piano skills
Franz Liszt
He was an hungarian composer.
He was a Chopin's close friend.
He also wrote a lot of piano music, as well orchestral music.
He based his music on folk tunes.
Niccolo Paganini
La Campanella
Tae-Seung Park
He was an italian composer.
His instrument was the violin.
He composed some concertos for his instrument, but he's well-known by his "Caprices"
He composed a very hard music to play
Johannes Brahms
He was a german composer.
He wrote a lot of different works.
He is considered one of the best composers after Beethoven.
Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker
Nina Kaptsoba, ballerina
He was a russian composer.
He was very shy.
He is well-known by his ballet work, like "The Nutcracker" and "The Swan Lake".
Caprice Nº5
Sumina Studer, violin
Piano Quartet Nº3
Charmillon Piano Quartet
4. Opera
Opera became from lyrical to spectacular, using all kind of visual effects, to made it more realistic.
Some composers were:
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George Bizet: he wrote opera "Carmen", based on a spanish story and included a bailaora and a toreador.
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Giuseppe Verdi was an italian composer, well-known for his operas: "Rigoletto", "La traviata" and "Aida"
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Richard Wagner, german, was known as a great and fantastic composer. Most of his work is based on folk tales and mith from North Europe. He composed "Tannhausen" and "The Ring of Nibelung"
Romantic opera
5. Spain was trending topic!!
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During late romanticism, Spain and its culture were on fashion.
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It was very common the use of popular tunes to compose works.
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In Spain, the Zarzuela appeared , with composers like Federico Chueca, Tomás Bretón or Ruperto Chapí.
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Composers tried to use musical traditions, so works were filled with jotas, pasodobles, chotis and habaneras.
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The guitar became one of the most fancy instruments
Bretón - Duetto from "La verbena de la Paloma"
María Rodríguez & Carlos Marín
Chapí - Guajiras from "La Revoltosa"
Rosa Martín
Francico Tárrega -Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Ana Vidovic, guitar
6. Instruments
Saxophone
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The saxophone (also referred to as the sax) is a single reed woodwind musical instrument.
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Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single reed.
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It was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846.
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The saxophone has proved very popular in military band music, and is commonly used in jazz and classical music.
Glazunov - Sax Concerto in Eb
Joseph Lulloff
Celesta
The celesta is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard.
It looks similar to an upright piano.
The keys connect to hammers that strike a set of metal plates.
It is a member of the percussion family.
Tchaikovsky - Celesta on the Nutcracker