This semester started with two weeks of online learning (of which today is the last day before students and teachers return to campus after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), so it’s been an unusually slow start to the already sleepy January term. However, that hasn’t stopped my music classes from listening to great music; indeed, we’re now covering what is perhaps my favorite period in the history of Western music: the Romantic Era.
While I adore Baroque and classical composers and their works, Romantic music builds upon the forms established in those eras, stretching and expanding upon them to reach new heights of emotional intensity and musical expressiveness. The music of the Romantic composers delights with its musical exploration of the supernatural, the mysterious, the Gothic, and the nationalistic.
Romantic music is a study in contrasts: like the Baroque painters with light and dark, Romantic music revels in broad contrasts of mood and emotion. It’s also deeply individualistic—the image of the brooding Bohemian, the infamous “starving artist” so dedicated to his craft he goes without the most basic of necessities and comforts, is a Romantic conceit—for good or for ill. Regardless, that individuality makes generalizing about Romantic music difficult at times, but it also distinguishes composers of the era clearly. One knows one is listening to Frederic Chopin within four measures—or less—because his style is so unique.
We often think Romantic is classical music—indeed, much of it built upon the forms of the classical period—but it truly was a distinct period in the development of Western music. And what music it gave us! The pyrotechnic virtuosity of Niccolo Paganini (an influence on Eddie Van Halen!) and Franz Liszt; the sweeping natural beauty of Felix Mendelssohn; the pastoral scenery of Ludwig Van Beethoven‘s Sixth Symphony (which I wrote about here; Beethoven straddles the line between classical and Romantic; his influence on the Romantics is undeniable); the operatic glory of Richard Wagner (and the operatic playfulness of Giacomo Rossini); the programmatic works of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens: these and more are the myriad gifts of Romantic music.
As I’ve taught Romantic music, I’ve learned more about it; in the process, I’ve learned to appreciate it even more. Many of the Romantics lived, perhaps appropriately, tragic lives—young deaths (Schubert, Chopin), unfortunate love affairs (take your pick—but Mendelssohn was happily married with four children!), persistent financial problems (Schubert), poor health (Chopin)—but despite their struggles and failures, they produced some of the most timelessly beautiful, emotional, and powerful music in the history of Western Civilization.
So I’d encourage you to take a moment this long weekend to absorb some of the great works of the Romantic Era. Click any of the composer’s names above to hear some of their works. Feel free to note your favorites in the comments below!
Happy Friday!
—TPP
Tip The Portly Politico
Support quality commentary on politics, education, culture, and the arts with your one-time donation. ***NOTE: This box is NOT a subscription to my SubscribeStar Page; it is for a one-time donation/tip via PayPal. To subscribe to my SubscribeStar page, use this URL: https://subscribestar.com/the-portly-politico ***
$1.00
The Portly Politico 
Silly me! I thought you meant this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEH3uqbpsm8
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahahaha, well, I personally think that much of popular music—with its emotionality, its individual perspective, and its miniature form—is influenced heavily by the Romantics. Romantic composers either went REALLY BIG—super long symphonies—or very small—shorter piano pieces or songs. With a growing middle-class in the nineteenth century and improvements to the piano, more people could afford pianos than ever before, and with piano ownership grew demand for good, challenging, but achievable piano music to be played at home. Thus, three- or four-minute piano solo pieces and Schubertian lieder (German ballads or songs) became quite popular. Schubert’s songs in particular are full of tragic romances.
Thanks for the Johnny Mathis—a pleasant start to a long day of teaching!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad you got a chuckle; I was afraid you would think I was serious, lol. Margaret Ashworth, on The Conservative Woman UK site, had a Sundays series about classical music – the music you are teaching your students. I tried, I really did, to appreciate it but it became like eating kale because it’s good for you. Unfortunately, the series died from lack of commenter oxygen. She has the same knowledge, appreciation, and love for classical music that you do. (sigh …) I guess I’m admitting another personality flaw – most of classical music goes right over my head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I understand, Audre—it does take some effort to appreciate classical and Romantic music. I think Romantic music offers a good introduction, though, especially program music, which does some of the interpretative heavy lifting for you: the program notes tell you what the music is about, opening your ears to listen for elements of the program or story within it.
I am thankful for a musical upbringing and for the leisure time to study and compose music in my free time, because it’s given me the vocabulary and understanding to appreciate these works in more depth as I learn more about them. I used to lack a firm appreciation for or foundation in classical music, but it’s been a joy and a pleasure learning more about it over the last several years.
LikeLike