Nationalism and Its Impact on the Music of the Romantic Period: Critical Essay

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Nationalism is a strong recognition of a certain group such as a political or an ethical group. Nationalism is connected with pride in ones own group. This impacted the music of the Romantic period because composers started incorporating elements in their music that tied in with their heritage.

Chromaticism is when notes are used that are not in the scale that is being used in the music. If a musical piece using the major C scale was composed, a note in this piece that is not part of that scale, such as F sharp, is an example of the use of chromaticism.

The different types of Romantic composers include conservative ones, full romantic ones, and nationalist romantic ones. Conservative ones were the ones who kept the classical principles. Full romantic ones were the ones who were more creative in their styles. Nationalist romantics were the ones who incorporated traditions in their pieces.

A ballet is a piece in which dancers tell a story by incorporating music into their movements. Romantic composers changed this music form because more pieces were being created specifically for ballet, instead of the dances being composed of combined music that was used for other reasons. Most of the ballets created were light and free from the restrictions from before.

The symphonic poem was created by Liszt and was a single-movement piece that reflected poems, stories, or paintings and was also a form of popular music. It is related to program music because it falls into that category, which is instrumental music that also displays a story or expresses the feelings of literary works. 1. The music of the Romantic period and the Classical period differ because, during the Romantic period, it was more based on themes that were liked many centuries before. On the contrary, during the Classical period, it was more based on themes from early civilizations that were the main interest during that time. The music was alike, on the other hand, because they both formed from the art, beauty, and drama of that period.

Romantic music is based on emotion and is mainly concerned with the theme of love, but also several others. Whatever the theme was, this music was created for the purpose to express deeper feelings. These pieces were celebrated for their emotional portrayals.

The social and cultural influences on the music of the Romantic period were the introduction of new scientific advances and nationalism. With these scientific developments, instruments were improved such as the valves in woodwind instruments. This resulted in musicians being able to create stronger sounds from these improved instruments. Nationalism also tied into this music because composers began to use several elements in their music that correlated with their heritage.

The music I chose from the Romantic period was Thirteen Preludes, Op. 32 by Rachmaninoff. I think the piece is demonstrating cheerfulness and delight because it begins soft and then becomes more intricate and light, expressing a happy feeling. The music indicates this emotion because the pace is slow and steady and makes the song smooth throughout.

The Romantic composer I chose was Felix Mendelssohn. He was a director for a famous orchestra in Germany and was the King of Prussias Kapellmeister. He was a great influence on the music of the Romantic period because his traditional music was different from the music of other Romantic composers. He was influenced by composers of the past such as Mozart and was cautious about the changes that other composers were incorporating into their work. His work was also some of the first concert overtures that were composed and he was a founder of the first music conservatory in Germany. His music sounds gentle but serious. He created the well-known Wedding March from A Midsummer Nights Dream and it is a common song used when a bride walks down the aisle in their wedding.

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