Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) A page from Beethoven's manuscript of the 9th Symphony The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (sometimes known simply as "the Choral"), is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827). Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best-known works of the repertoire of classical music.[1] Among critics, it is almost universally considered to be among Beethoven's greatest works, and is considered by some to be the greatest piece of music ever written.[1] In 2002, Beethoven's autograph score of the Ninth Symphony, held by the Berlin State Library, was added to the United Nations World Heritage List, becoming the first musical score to be so honoured.[3] Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven in 1820. Beethoven was almost completely deaf when he composed his ninth symphony. The Philharmonic Society of London originally commissioned the symphony in 1817.[4] The main composition work was done between autumn 1822 and the completion of the autograph in February 1824.[5]
E. T. A. Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822), better known as E.T.A. Hoffmann, was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist.[1] His stories form the basis of Jacques Offenbach's famous opera The Tales of Hoffmann, in which Hoffman appears (heavily fictionalized) as the hero. He is also the author of the novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppélia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote, while Schumann's Kreisleriana is based on Hoffmann's character Johannes Kreisler. Hoffmann's stories were very influential during the 19th century, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement. Life[edit] Youth[edit] Hoffmann's ancestors, both maternal and paternal, were jurists. The household, dominated by the uncle (whom Ernst nicknamed O Weh — "Oh dear!" The provinces[edit] Warsaw[edit] Berlin and Bamberg[edit] Berlin[edit]
Romantic music Romantic music is a term denoting an era of Western classical music that began in the late 18th or early 19th century. It was related to Romanticism, the European artistic and literary movement that arose in the second half of the 18th century, and Romantic music in particular dominated the Romantic movement in Germany. Background[edit] Romanticism[edit] Traits[edit] Characteristics often attributed to Romanticism, including musical Romanticism, are (Kravitt 1992, 93–94, 107): Such lists, however, proliferated over time, resulting in a "chaos of antithetical phenomena", criticized for their superficiality and for signifying so many different things that there came to be no central meaning. Trends of the 19th century[edit] Non-musical influences[edit] Events and changes that happen in society such as ideas, attitudes, discoveries, inventions, and historical events always affect music. Another development that had an effect on music was the rise of the middle class. Nationalism[edit]
Lied Lied (German pronunciation: [liːt]; plural Lieder [ˈliːdɐ]) is a German and Dutch word literally meaning "song". It usually describes the setting of romantic German poems to music, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert. Among English speakers, "Lied" is often used interchangeably with "art song" to encompass works that the tradition has inspired in other languages. The poetry forming the basis for Lieder often centers upon pastoral themes, or themes of romantic love. History[edit] For German speakers, the term "Lied" has a long history ranging from 12th century troubadour songs (Minnesang) via folk songs (Volkslieder) and church hymns (Kirchenlieder) to 20th-century workers songs (Arbeiterlieder) or protest songs (Kabarettlieder, Protestlieder). Other national traditions[edit] The Lied tradition is closely linked with the Germanic languages. Bibliography[edit] Hallmark, Rufus (1996). External links[edit]
Strophic form Strophic form (also called "verse-repeating" or chorus form) is the term applied to songs in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music.[1] The opposite of strophic form, with new music written for every stanza, is called through-composed.[2] A modified strophic form varies the pattern in some stanzas (A A' A"...) somewhat like a rudimentary Theme and variations. Contrasting verse-chorus form is a binary form that alternates between two sections of music (ABAB), although this may also be interpreted as constituting a larger strophic verse-refrain form. Many classical art songs are also composed in strophic form, from the 17th century French air de cour to 19th century German lieder and beyond. Haydn used the strophic variation form in many of his string quartets and a few of his symphonies employed almost always in the slow second movement. See also[edit] [edit] References[edit]
Through-composed Through-composed is a musical term with a variety of different meanings. Depending on the context the term can mean either music that is completely non-repetitive, music that is not interrupted by dialogue, or music that is composed in linear order. Form[edit] In general usage, a 'through-composed' work is one based on run-on movements without internal repetitions. Many examples of this form can be found in Schubert's "Lieder", where the words of a poem are set to music and each line is different, for example, in his Lied "Der Erlkönig" ("The Erlking"), in which the setting proceeds to a different musical arrangement for each new stanza and whenever the piece comes to each character, the character portrays its own voice register and tonality. Opera and musicals[edit] Compositional technique[edit] Furthermore, the term through-composed applies to a compositional technique. References[edit] ^ Jump up to: a b Webster, James (2004).
Ballad Origins[edit] Ballad form[edit] The horse | fair Ann | et rode | upon | He amb | led like | the wind |, With sil | ver he | was shod | before, With burn | ing gold | behind |.[4] However, there is considerable variation on this pattern in almost every respect, including length, number of lines and rhyming scheme, making the strict definition of a ballad extremely difficult. Ballads usually use the common dialect of the people and are heavily influenced by the region in which they originate. Composition[edit] Transmission[edit] The transmission of ballads comprises a key stage in their re-composition. Classification[edit] European Ballads have been generally classified into three major groups: traditional, broadside and literary. Traditional ballads[edit] Broadsides[edit] An 18th-century broadside ballad: The tragical ballad: or, the lady who fell in love with her serving-man. Literary ballads[edit] Ballad operas[edit] Beyond Europe[edit] Native American Ballads[edit]
Ballades (Chopin) Chopin, 1835 Frédéric Chopin's four ballades are one-movement pieces for solo piano, composed between 1831 and 1842. They are some of the most challenging pieces in the standard piano repertoire.[1][2] The term "ballade" was associated with an old French verse-form used for grand and rhetorical subjects, but may also have connotations of the Medieval heroic ballad, which was sung and danced. The four ballades are among the most enduring of Chopin's compositions and are frequently heard in concerts.[4] They have been recorded many times. Main theme of Ballade No. 1 Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, composed in 1831 during the composer's early years in Vienna, was a reflection about his loneliness in the city far away from home, where a war was happening against the Russian Empire's oppression. In 2010, the editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, dedicated a year to learning the Ballade and produced a book about the experience, Play It Again: An Amateur Against The Impossible.
Frédéric Chopin Photograph of Chopin by Bisson, c. 1849 Frédéric François Chopin (/ˈʃoʊpæn/; French pronunciation: [fʁe.de.ʁik ʃɔ.pɛ̃]; 22 February or 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849), born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin,[n 1] was a Romantic-era Polish composer. A child prodigy, Chopin was born in what was then the Duchy of Warsaw. Both in his native Poland and beyond, Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest 'superstars', his association (if only indirect) with political insurrection, his amours and his early death have made him, in the public consciousness, a leading symbol of the Romantic era. Life[edit] Childhood[edit] Chopin was born in Żelazowa Wola,[1] 46 kilometres (29 miles) west of Warsaw, in what was then the Duchy of Warsaw, a Polish state established by Napoleon. In October 1810, six months after Chopin's birth, the family moved to Warsaw, where his father acquired a post teaching French at the Warsaw Lyceum, then housed in the Saxon Palace. Chopin's Polish residences Education[edit]
Parlour music Parlour music is a type of popular music which, as the name suggests, is intended to be performed in the parlours of middle-class homes by amateur singers and pianists. Disseminated as sheet music, its heyday came in the 19th century, as a result of a steady increase in the number of households with enough surplus cash to purchase musical instruments and instruction in music, and with the leisure time and cultural motivation to engage in recreational music-making. Its popularity waned in the 20th century as the phonograph record and radio replaced sheet music as the most common method of dissemination of popular music. This is the middlebrow and lowbrow music from which European classical music began to gradually and eventually self-consciously distance itself beginning around 1790. (1989, p.4, 17-18, 321) Front cover of "Just Awearyin' for You" (published 1901), a widely selling example of a parlor song. Mediant-octave mode examples[edit] Sources[edit] Hamm, Charles.
Der Erlkönig "Erlkönig" (also called "Der Erlkönig") is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking or "Erlkönig" (suggesting the literal translation "alder king", but see below). It was originally composed by Goethe as part of a 1782 Singspiel entitled Die Fischerin. The poem has been used as the text for Lieder (art songs for voice and piano) by many classical composers, with Franz Schubert's rendition, his Opus 1 (D. 328), being the best-known one.[1][2] Other notable settings are by members of Goethe's circle, including the actress Corona Schröter (1782), Andreas Romberg (1793), Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1794) and Carl Friedrich Zelter (1797). Beethoven attempted to set it to music but abandoned the effort; his sketch however was complete enough to be published in a completion by Reinhold Becker (1897). Summary[edit] An anxious young boy is being carried home at night by his father on horseback. Text[edit] The legend[edit]