Classical roots of Romanticism (1780-1815)
In literature the "Romantic" period is often said to begin in the 1770's or 1780's with a movement known as "storm and struggle", in Germany. It was also attended by a greater influence of Shakespeare, and of folk sagas, whether real or created, as well as the poetry of Homer. Writers such as Goethe and Schiller radically altered practice, while in Scotland Robert Burns began setting down folk music. This literary movement is reflected in the music of the "classical" era composers in a variety of ways, including Mozart's work in German opera, choice of songs and melodies to set for commercial works, and a gradually increasing violence in artistic expression. However, as long as composer worked in and for court and royal patronage, their ability to engage in "romanticism and revolt" was carefully limited. Mozart's troubles in staging "The Marriage of Figaro" are a case in point, the play had been banned as revolutionary.
But even in purely musical terms, romanticism drew its fundamental substance from the structure of classical practice. The classical era increased playing standards, created standardized forms and bodies of musicians, and set the expectations. It was not without reason that E.T.A. Hoffmann called Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn the "three Romantic composers". One of the most crucial undercurrents in the classical era is the role of chromaticism and harmonic ambiguity. All of the major classical composers used harmonic ambiguity and rapid movement through keys with out "establishing" the key. Among the most famous examples include the "harmonic chaos" at the opening of Haydn's The Creation, and Beethoven's open fifth opening of the D Minor Symphony. However, for all of these excursions - the tension in the music was based on articulated sections, movement towards the dominant or relative major, and a transparency of texture.
By 1810 however, the chromaticism, use of the minor key, desire to move through more and more keys and a deeper range to music had been combined with a need for more operatic reach. While Beethoven would later be regarded as the central figure, at the time composers such as Clementi and Spohr represented the taste by incorporating more and more chromatic notes into their thematic material. This tension, between the desire for more "color" and the classical desire for structure would create a crisis of sorts. On response was to move to opera, where text could provide structure even where there were no formal models. ETA Hoffman is known as a critic now, but his Undine of 1814 was a radical innovation in music. Another response was to move to shorter forms, including some novel ones such as the nocturne or night piece, where the intensity of the harmony itself was enough to carry the music forward.
In literature the "Romantic" period is often said to begin in the 1770's or 1780's with a movement known as "storm and struggle", in Germany. It was also attended by a greater influence of Shakespeare, and of folk sagas, whether real or created, as well as the poetry of Homer. Writers such as Goethe and Schiller radically altered practice, while in Scotland Robert Burns began setting down folk music. This literary movement is reflected in the music of the "classical" era composers in a variety of ways, including Mozart's work in German opera, choice of songs and melodies to set for commercial works, and a gradually increasing violence in artistic expression. However, as long as composer worked in and for court and royal patronage, their ability to engage in "romanticism and revolt" was carefully limited. Mozart's troubles in staging "The Marriage of Figaro" are a case in point, the play had been banned as revolutionary.
But even in purely musical terms, romanticism drew its fundamental substance from the structure of classical practice. The classical era increased playing standards, created standardized forms and bodies of musicians, and set the expectations. It was not without reason that E.T.A. Hoffmann called Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn the "three Romantic composers". One of the most crucial undercurrents in the classical era is the role of chromaticism and harmonic ambiguity. All of the major classical composers used harmonic ambiguity and rapid movement through keys with out "establishing" the key. Among the most famous examples include the "harmonic chaos" at the opening of Haydn's The Creation, and Beethoven's open fifth opening of the D Minor Symphony. However, for all of these excursions - the tension in the music was based on articulated sections, movement towards the dominant or relative major, and a transparency of texture.
By 1810 however, the chromaticism, use of the minor key, desire to move through more and more keys and a deeper range to music had been combined with a need for more operatic reach. While Beethoven would later be regarded as the central figure, at the time composers such as Clementi and Spohr represented the taste by incorporating more and more chromatic notes into their thematic material. This tension, between the desire for more "color" and the classical desire for structure would create a crisis of sorts. On response was to move to opera, where text could provide structure even where there were no formal models. ETA Hoffman is known as a critic now, but his Undine of 1814 was a radical innovation in music. Another response was to move to shorter forms, including some novel ones such as the nocturne or night piece, where the intensity of the harmony itself was enough to carry the music forward.
