Defining works of Early Romanticism

(as well as links to their recordings, because listening to a piece will explain it better than any description can)

Daniel Auber - La muette de Portici (1828)                  While this work is not staged often today, it has the distinction of being the first of the grand opera genre, which went on to become the defining operatic style of French Romanticism. Grand opera was defined by a serious libretto that had no spoken dialogue, and typically large-scale and lavish setpieces. 

~

Hector Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique (1830)                                                                                                                                          I generally find it extremely painful to hear my works conducted by someone other than myself.                                                    —Hector Berlioz               The first true Romantic symphony for a multitude of reasons: its extremely personal content, its massive and novel instrumentation, its great length, its cyclical use of the leitmotif, its complete departure from Classical form, and its highly programmatic nature. Note that several of these factors are anticipated by the proto-romantic Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. 

~

Giacomo Meyerbeer - Robert le diable (1831)         Written and first produced in Paris, Robert le diable cemented the grand opera as an enduring and distinctly Parisian genre. Meyerbeer’s innovations in instrumentation to fit the text, along with the exceptional visual elements led to an opera of compelling power the likes of which the public had scarcely seen. The work is perhaps best described as a crossroads between Italian song, German orchestration, and French setpieces. 

~

Hector Berlioz - Harold en Italie (1834)                   My dear friend, Beethoven being dead only Berlioz could make him live again; and I who have heard your divine compositions, so worthy of the genius you are, humbly beg you to accept, as a token of my hommage, twenty thousand francs. —Niccolò Paganini       A four-movement symphony with viola solo, Harold in Italy’s unusual status as a quasi-viola concerto originated when Paganini purchased a Stradivarius viola and, smitten with Symphonie Fantastique, commissioned Berlioz to write him an exhibition for his newly acquired viola. Paganini never performed the work, citing its lack of virtuosity, but he nevertheless was amazed by its musical qualities. 

~

Frédéric Chopin - Études Op.10, Op.25 (1827-1835)   Chopin is the greatest of them all, for with the piano alone he discovered everything.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        —Claude Debussy Before the Romantic era, etudes were hardly more than exercises for building technical skills. Composers like Czerny, Cramer, and  Burgmuller wrote etudes that were closer to real concert pieces, but still lacked a certain element of artistry. Building off of the proto-romantic pianism of Hummel and Czerny, Chopin became the first to elevate the expressive capabilities of the etude as well as the full textural and technical possibilities of the piano. 

~

Robert Schumann - Fantasie (1836)         I feel inhibited to play the third movement, because it is so incredibly deep.                 —Sviatoslav Richter      Schumann wrote this work (originally intending it to be a sonata) in 1836 as a contribution to the appeal for funds to celebrate Beethoven's life with a monument in Bonn. Inspired by Beethoven as well as the rhapsodic virtuosity of Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, Schumann’s Fantasie plumbs the human condition with structures, textures, and harmonies that had never been seen before.  

~

Mikhail Glinka - A Life for the Tsar (1836)                                                                                                                                 ...The first and best Russian opera...                                                                                                    —Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The existence of a Russian school of musical thinking did not exist when Mikhail Glinka wrote this opera; thus it reflects the influence of Italian and French operatic forms by way of his training. However, several distinctly Russian factors give it the distinction of being the first major Russian opera and shed the spotlight on Russian composition for the first time: Use of not direct folk songs but rather melodies imbued with the “sensibility” of Russian folk songs, a recitative style that reflects the idiosyncratic sounds and rhythms of the Russian language, and nationalistic content which spoke directly to the pride and ideals of the Russian people. 

~

Robert Schumann - Symphonic Etudes (1837)   Schumann dedicated this work to the English pianist William Sterndale Bennett, who would tour it all over England. They are written in a novel variation form which, rather than adhering strictly to the elements of the main theme, instead developed the theme in a free way. This transformed the variation form as a means of expression rather than academic prowess. These etudes were highly influential on the Romantic conception of theme and variation, as well as containing a number of novel textures and pianistic ideas. 

~

Felix Mendelssohn - String Quartets No.3, No.4, No.5 (1838)                 This set of three string quartets (Op.44 in Mendelssohn’s oeuvre) are perhaps the chief examples of the Early Romantic string quartet. They were written in a technically perfect, vigorous style, which exhibited Mendelssohn’s mastery of counterpoint. Incredibly refined and balanced, while at times displaying moments of great passion, these string quartets are essential chamber works from this time period. 

~

Robert Schumann - Kreisleriana (1838)           The music of Schumann, which borders naturally upon that of Beethoven and yet at the same time is so distinct from his, opens up for us a whole world of new musical forms and strikes chords which his great predecessors had not yet touched upon.               —Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky         This dark, intimate, and rich piano suite explores emotional boundaries and chromatic depths yet unseen in piano music. Furthermore, it (along with other piano suites by Schumann) establishes the free-form suite as a viable method of composition (influential on later composers such as Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky). Influenced in an abstract way by ETA Hoffmann’s character Johannes Kreisler. 

~

Robert Schumann - Kinderszenen (1838) It’s true, isn’t it, that they belong only to the two of us? I simply can’t put them out of my mind, they are so simple, so heartwarming, so very ‘you’. —Clara Schumann    Whereas Kreisleriana was a intensely dark exploration of the human psyche, its sister piece Kinderszenen conveyed the innocence and nostalgia associated with childhood. Kinderszenen is stylistically characterized by their simplicity, charm, and lyrical expressiveness, as well as a motivic unity that permeates throughout all thirteen pieces in the set. While not overtly virtuosic in nature, these pieces require a mature technical foundation in order to be convincingly performed.

~

Frédéric Chopin - Préludes (1839)               After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed.                                                              —Oscar Wilde                 With his 24 Preludes (the genre lifted from Bach yet presented as a standalone work; that is, without the accompanying fugue or suite of pieces), Chopin revolutionized the idea of the miniature. Musical depth now became meshed with economy of scale, which flew in the face of the typical grandeur seen in Romanticism.

~

Felix Mendelssohn - Piano Trio No.1 (1839)       Mendelssohn is the Mozart of the nineteenth century, the most illuminating of musicians...   —Robert Schumann Mendelssohn’s first Piano Trio is often considered to be the archetypal Early Romantic chamber work. The vigorous balance of musicality and virtuosity was immediately compelling to audiences, and it remains one of the most popular chamber works to this day. 

~

Frédéric Chopin - Piano Sonata No.2 (1839)   ...Four of Chopin's' maddest children under the same roof...   —Robert Schumann    Chopin's Second Sonata is an almost remorselessly dark work containing a number of innovative ideas which confused critics upon its debut. The drama-infused first and second movements, evocation of death in the third movement, and ferociously unabated chromaticism in the fourth movement all serve to push emotional boundaries and cement this sonata as one of the defining Romantic piano works.

~

Franz Liszt - Grandes études (1839)                                                                                                                                                          Later revised into the better-known Transcendental études, it was this earlier iteration of these studies which first challenged the limits of the piano and human athleticism. They also contain a number of harmonic innovations, particularly the sonorities and rapid modulations in No.11.

~

Robert Schumann - Dichterliebe (1840)             In this seminal song cycle, Schumann continued the line of lieder that had begun with Beethoven and Schubert. Setting the intensely romantic poetry of Heinrich Heine to an equally romantic score, Schumann’s Dichterliebe cemented the genre of lieder as one that was foundational to Romanticism.

~

Hector Berlioz - Les nuits d'été (1841)         This song cycle of six poems is significant as the first major contribution to the genre of art song in France (mélodie). The works are more popular in their orchestrated form, as Berlioz was a master orchestrator but found less success on the piano. Nevertheless, they are considered the root of French art song, which would see its heyday with the mélodies of Gabriel Fauré

~

Giuseppe Verdi - Nabucco (1841) Verdi’s first major work and one that rocketed him to national popularity. The themes of oppression and freedom became a collective voice of  The famous chorus Va, pensiero is adopted by Italian nationalists seeking to liberate and unify the country; an anticipation of the effects of nationalism and music in the High Romantic period.

~

Franz Liszt - Réminiscences de Norma (1841) The genre of the operatic fantasy was primarily an Early Romantic phenomenon, and saturated with many works of a superfluous or imitative nature. Liszt’s rendition of Bellini’s Norma is perhaps the highest quality example of the operatic fantasy, being rich in texture and intelligent in structure.

~

Robert Schumann - Piano Quintet (1842)         This is one of those mysterious manifestations of creative genius before which a professional musician can only bow down in veneration.                                                                                                                                                                          —Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky       With this four-movement chamber work, Schumann essentially invented the Romantic piano quintet (string quartet + piano) and jumpstarts a novel and important form of chamber music. Striking in its color and use of a distinctly “Romantic” style of counterpoint, which is primarily expressive in nature and has much more freedom than the counterpoint of the 17th and 18th centuries. 

~

Robert Schumann - Piano Quartet (1842)                                                                                                                                           Along with the Piano Quintet (composed weeks earlier), Schumann produced landmark chamber works that Romantic composers would emulate for decades after. In the same key as the Piano Quintet (Eb), the work displays many of the same exuberant and expressive qualities.

~

Felix Mendelssohn - Symphony No.3 “Scottish” (1842)                                             In the deep twilight we went today to the palace where Queen Mary lived and loved...The chapel below is now roofless. Grass and ivy thrive there and at the broken altar where Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland. Everything is ruined, decayed, and the clear heavens pour in. I think I have found there the beginning of my "Scottish" Symphony.       —Felix Mendelssohn   Mendelssohn was inspired to write this work during one of this tours to Great Britain. Full of color, vigor, and lush imagery, the so-called Scottish symphony is an important landmark in the Romantic concept of cyclical themes.  

~

Richard Wagner - Der fliegende Holländer (1843)       From here begins my career as poet, and my farewell to the mere concoctor of opera-texts.                                                                                                                                                                                  —Richard Wagner         Wagner’s first major opera in the style of German Romanticism, in contrast to the success of Rienzi (1840) which was written in the grand opera style. Wagner around this time begins the tradition of conducting while facing the orchestra rather than the stage or the audience. He also introduces the technique of the leitmotif, which is a defining characteristic of all his future operas. 

~

Frédéric Chopin - Ballade No.4 (1843)         ...the most exalted, intense and sublimely powerful of all Chopin's compositions…It is unbelievable that it lasts only twelve minutes, for it contains the experience of a lifetime.                                                                                                                —John Ogdon Chopin's Ballades contain some of the greatest piano writing in existence. He was at home in this form, which allowed his rhapsodic tendencies to shine as well as his ability to convey the extremes of the emotional spectrum. Rightfully considered one of the artistic milestones in piano history, Chopin’s Ballade No.4 combines his technical skill at piano writing with his extraordinary ability to convey emotion and depth. 

~

Gaetano Donizetti - Don Pasquale (1843)   Donizetti's highly comedic Don Pasquale tells the story of a miserly uncle and the issues surrounding his family. Don Pasquale was Donizetti's last major opera and the last major opera in the category of opera buffa, essentially ending the genre.

~

Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto (1844)           The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven's. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's.  —Joseph Joachim  The Mendelssohn Violin Concerto is the singular Early Romantic violin concerto, introducing several novel elements in terms of structure (soloist introduces the theme, cadenza is played before the recapitulation, soloist sometimes functions as the accompanist). Given its instant popularity and critical success, hardly a later Romantic concerto could be composed without Mendelssohn’s in mind. 

~

Robert Schumann - Piano Concerto (1845)       Previous Romantic concertos were written in the fashion of Moscheles and Hummel, presenting the soloist in the limelight with a large majority of the musical content being virtuosic figurations. Schumann’s piano concerto is perhaps the first major Romantic piano concerto that extends the role of the orchestra, meshing it with the soloist in organic fashion. 

~

Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser (1845) Tannhäuser is second of Wagner’s major “German Romantic” operas. Massive in scale, lush in instrumentation, and enormously difficult for the soloists, it Nevertheless, it lacks the revolutionary ideas that are foundational to Wagner’s later operas. Stylistically, it is influenced both by the Italian aria and the chromaticism of Liszt.

~

Felix Mendelssohn - Elijah (1846)         Mendelssohn's Elijah first oratorio of any importance since Haydn’s Creation (1801) and brought a resurgence of interest for Baroque forms. It can be said that Mendelssohn’s greatest contribution to the Early Romantic period is not any single musical composition but his revival of Bach’s music (e.g. his performance of St. Matthew’s Passion in 1829) which sparks one the defining characteristics of Romanticism—the idealization of Bach alongside Beethoven.

~

Richard Wagner - Lohengrin (1848)           Lohengrin was the last of Wagner’s German Romantic operas. It is considered by many to be the apotheosis of the German Romantic style and the last great work in the line of German operas that had begun with von Weber and Hoffmann. After writing Lohengrin, Wagner was exiled due to his part in the the 1849 May Uprising as a part of the 1848 Revolutions. 

~

Robert Schumann - Cello Concerto (1850)                                                    The first movement is a real journey of the soul, opening with a love song, travelling to dark regions in the central section, and then returning to love and tenderness; the slow movement is a glimpse of paradise, the last an outpouring of joy. It’s unlike any other concerto for any instrument.                                                         —Steven Isserlis Schumann's Cello Concerto is one of his most forward-looking works, almost transcendent in its intense intimacy, overt lack of virtuosity, and cyclical nature. Unpopular and poorly regarded at its conception, it was the last large-scale work before his mental collapse and many critics thought that it was the result of his declining mental state. The work is today considered to be a masterpiece of cello literature and the only Early Romantic cello concerto performed with any regularity. 

~

Giuseppe Verdi - Rigoletto (1851)                                                                                                                                                                 Rigoletto is the first masterwork of Verdi’s middle career. Its juxtaposition of a tragic plot and “light” themes drew criticism at the time, yet it was immensely popular with audiences. With a lack of concert staples such as arias and finales, Rigoletto’s form is considered revolutionary by many and pointed towards the new structure of operas seen in High Romanticism.