Overview

The Romantic era grew out of the social and political upheavals that followed the French Revolution. The Revolution itself was the result of the inevitable clash between social forces and signaled the transfer of power from the aristocracy to the middle class, or bourgeois society. The new society based on free enterprise, celebrated the individual as never before. The slogan of the French Revolution - "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" - inspired hopes and visions to which artists responded with zeal. Sympathy for the oppressed, interest in simple folk and children, faith in humankind and its destiny, all formed part of the increasingly democratic character of the Romantic period.

The Romantic artists rebelled against the conventional concerns of their Classical predecessors; artists were drawn to the fanciful, the picturesque and the passionate. One of the main traits of all Romantic artists was their emphasis on intensely emotional expression. Another was a heightened awareness of themselves as individuals apart from all others. Despite all this, artists were confronted with a world that was indifferent to artistic and cultural values. Artists felt more cut off from society and a new type of artist emerged - the bohemian, a rejected dreamer who shocked the establishment through peculiarities of dress and behavior.

Yet artist's pessimism was based in reality. It became apparent that the high hopes fostered by the Revolution were not to be realized overnight. Despite the brave slogans, all people were not yet equal or free. The new optimism gave way to doubt and disenchantment, a state of mind that was reflected in the arts and literature. One such example is Victor Hugo's Les misérables "the the unhappy ones of the earth" which focused on themes of conflict between the individual and society.

Romanticism dominated the artistic output of the nineteenth century. It gave its name to a movement and an era and created a of colorful works that still enthrall millions.

Program Music

Music often evokes specific visual images or ideas. Sometimes these are produces of the listener's imagination, but other times they are intended by the composer. Robert Schumann once said, " The painter turns a poem into a painting; the musician sets a picture to music." This genre of evoking images and ideas became known as program music, or instrumental music that has direct connections to visual art and literature. Program music was especially important during the nineteenth century, when musicians became sharply conscious of the connection between their art and the world around them. Adding a programmatic title brought music closer to poetry and painting, and helped composers relate their own work to the moral and political issues of their time.

There are four main types of program music. The first came out of the opera house, where the overture was a rousing orchestral piece designed to serve as an introduction to an opera or play. Many operatic overtures became popular as separate concert piece, thus creating a new type of overture not associated with the opera. The new concert overture might evoke a land or seascape or embody a literary or patriotic idea. Another type of program music was incidental music, usually consists of an overture and series of pieces performed between acts of a play. Incidental music is the predecessor to film music and background music for television we know today. The third form was the program symphony, a multi-movement orchestral work often depicting literary classics (ex: Liszt's Faust and Dante Symphonies). The final form is the symphonic poem. A one movement, orchestral work with contrasting sections to develop a poetic idea, suggest a scene or create a mode.

Program music is one of the most striking creations of nineteenth century Romanticism. This new, descriptive genre inspired composers to express specific feelings creating a direct relationship between music and life.

Exoticism

Opposite of nationalism came the growing interest in exoticism. Exoticism is a genre of music in which the rhythms, melodies, or instrumentation are designed to evoke the atmosphere of far-off lands or ancient times. As composers explored exoticism through music, they often emphasized the musical element of rhythm, chromaticism and varied scales such as the whole tone and pentatonic scales. Exoticism could be seen prominently in the Romantic opera, where composers turned to exotic plots, looking to faraway lands or cultures for inspiration. Such operas include Georges Bizet's Carmen, and Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly.