In our top-100 consensus list, Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, are statistically solid as the top three composers, and emblematic of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic Eras. The position of the fourth greatest composer, however, is far more tenuous, and statistically came after a significant gap from the top 3. Candidates for number 4 include most prominently Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Brahms, with an occasional vote for Schubert, Chopin, or Debussy. None of these, or any other composer, was found in everyone's top-10. Tchaikovsky won the position statistically, but Wagner and Brahms were quite close. These latter three composers, all titans of the late 19th Century, represent three different musical personalities, essentially splitting the votes for number 4 and the rest of the romantics.
That, in a nutshell, is emblematic of the great Romantic Era, which owned the 19th Century completely, and refused, to this day, to completely die out. While Baroque composers sought to make the best of the musical conventions of their day, and Classical composers did the same with their newer conventions, the composers of the Romantic Era, sought to imbue their music with their own personalities and emotions. They employed long evocative melodies, explicit story-telling, nationalism, ethnic flavoring, and depictions of nature to do so. Conventional forms like the symphony continued, but there were new and structurally freer forms like the tone poem.
Beethoven started off following the Classical models of Haydn and Mozart, but then began imbuing his works with his own sense of power, drama and feeling. Some critics wondered how anyone could top Beethoven. Who could write a better symphony than his magnificent 9th? Some critics declared the symphony to be dead after Beethoven's death, including none other than Richard Wagner (D19), who of course felt that his own form of music drama was the music of the future. No one indeed wrote better symphonies than Beethoven, but by incorporating their own emotional personalities, succeeded in writing very different symphonies. Witness Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, and so many others. Another effort to kill off the symphony after the death of Mahler (D19) also fell flat on its face, as Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Ives, and others revived this venerable form once more. The same can be said for the other inventions of the classical era: the concerto, string quartet, sonatas, etc. It's not about the form, but about the genius and personality of the composer.
Romantic composers otherwise were not attempting to re-write musical theory per se, as modernists of the 20th century would do, but instead gave it new dimensions of often luxuriant expression. Richard Wagner, continued the advancement of chromaticism, harmonic modulation and counterpoint, all present in the Baroque Era, in his lavishly orchestrated music dramas.
Tchaikovsky's music was more focused on long, emotionally charged melody, while Brahms was more restrained and focused on classical structure. These three composers couldn't be more different from each other in their musical personalities. Throw in the other greats, like Verdi, Berlioz, Schubert, Schumann, and Mahler, and you get an even greater array of personalities. One of these may be your favorite, the others you could take or leave, or avoid altogether. It depends on which one most touches your particular soul.
Listeners clearly favor this Era. Romantic composers make up a full half of our top-100, and 28 out of the top 45. By comparison, the Classical Era produced only three of the top 45, the Baroque Era produced only five, and the entire 20th century only seven. So we love romantic music, with its sweeping melodies, drama, ethnic flavors, and human emotion.
There are so many romantic composers in the second-100 that I need to break them into three groups. Here is the first group:
Cherubini was born in Italy, but spent most of his productive life in Paris. A prolific composer of primarily opera and church music, he wrote only one symphony, and seven string quartets, but no piano music or concertos. He spanned the careers of Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, Rossini, and the early careers of Verdi and Wagner, writing over 30 operas. Most have fallen by the wayside, but a few are performed occasionally. Though highly respected in his time, history has judged the operas of his contemporaries to be superior. In his 1791 Lodoïska, he is sounding quite Mozartean (though in French). By his last opera, Ali Baba (1837) he is sounding more like Donizetti or early Verdi. Though he continued to write operas most of his career, major or lasting success eluded him. He gradually turned more to religious music. A gorgeous example is his Requiem in C minor (1816). His very worthy string quartets came in his later years.
Franz Danzi lived in the shadows of Mozart and Beethoven, and consequently, his delightful music is practically unknown. He participated in the transition from the classical period to the romantic, and is particularly noted for his writing for wind instruments.
Piano students will recognize the name of Hummel, as he was a vtrtuoso pianist and wrote much for this instrument. He also wrote pieces for other instrumental combinations, and some operas, but peculiarly, no symphonies.
Piano Concerto No. 5, Op.
113
(1827)
37. John Field (1782-1837)
[Irish] (B24)
John Field was a highly productive and influential composer for the piano and the inventor of the form known as the nocturne. He was widely respected by both his contemporaries and later composers.
Ferdinand Ries was a student of Beethoven, a fact that is very evident in his music. His craftsmanship and style are indeed very similar to that of his master, and with about 300 works to his credit, including 8 symphonies, several operas ,string quartets, and a number of concertos, he had a respectable career as a composer, conductor and music director. His public following was modest, but sufficient to support a career. After his death, however, he was largely forgotten.
Szymanowska has the distinction of being the first professional female virtuoso pianist. She performed extensively in Europe, and has been compared to Chopin, both as a performer and as a composer. She composed mostly for the piano, but sometimes for voice or other instruments and piano. If her pieces remind you of Chopin, remember that she came before him!
A student of Beethoven, Czerny is best known for his instructional works for piano students, but he was a gifted composer in his own right. It was hard to stand out in an age dominated by Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Schumann, but his work is well worth listening to, and with over 1000 catalogued works, there is much to explore.
Farrenc was a brilliant French pianist and composer. Her chamber music is considered her best work, but her three charming symphonies demonstrate a mastery of orchestral writing.
Overshadowed by her younger brother Felix, Fanny Mendelssohn’s
He had a steady career, with seven completed operas in total, but died tragically young, about the same age as Felix Mendelssohn at his death, in fact. Not as precocious as Mendelssohn, his career can be said to have been nipped in the bud, and in that way, he was more like Georges Bizet.
One can hear in his operas the early German romantic style of Weber and early Wagner.
Like many opera composers, much of Thomas’ work has been neglected until recently. Altogether, he wrote 22 operas, along with 3 ballets, and much other assorted music, but is primarily known only for his operas Mignon and Hamlet, which are performed regularly. Among his other operas, one would assume there are some worth performing, but the economics of opera production work against it. Most opera companies can ill afford to stray too much from the tried-and-true favorites, so producing a little-known or new opera is risky and can be costly.
Some, however, like Françoise de Rimini, has been revived in recent decades.
She was overshadowed by the formidable male symphonists of her day and unjustly neglected by history. With a clear influence from Beethoven, her work stands up well against that of at least Mendelssohn and Schumann.
Aside from her symphonies, Mayer wrote much solo music for piano, a piano concerto, songs, chamber music, and one opera, Die Fischerin, which appears to have not been recorded yet.
47. Niels
Wilhelm Gade (1817 -1890)
[Danish]
(B24)
Gade was the most important musical figure of 19th century Denmark, an influential conductor, violinist, and teacher. He was also a gifted composer, whose work, like those of so many, were overshadowed by the German giants of the time. His style is probably most like that of Felix Mendelssohn, with a light, airy feeling to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment