The Humanistic Tradition, Book 5 Romanticism, Realism, and the Nineteenth-Century World

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Glossary

Music Listening Selections

CHAPTER 29 The Romantic Style in Art and Music 69

Book5 69

aquatinta type of print

produced by an engraving

method similar to etching but

involving finely granulated tonal

areas rather than line alone

arabesquein ballet, a

position in which the dancer

stands on one leg with the other

extended behind and one or both

arms held to create the longest

line possible from one extremity

of the body to the other

arpeggiothe sounding of

the notes of a chord in rapid

succession

bel canto(Italian, “beautiful

singing” or “beautiful song”)

an operatic style characterized

by lyricism and florid vocal

embellishment

dynamicsthe gradations of

loudness or softness with which

music is performed

étude(French, “study”) an

instrumental study designed to

improve a player’s performance

technique

idée fixe(French, “fixed idea”)

a term used by Berlioz for a

recurring theme in his symphonic

works

impromptu(French,

“improvised”) a short keyboard

composition that sounds as if it

were improvised

leitmotif(German, “leading

motif”) a short musical theme

that designates a person, object,

place, or idea and that reappears

throughout a musical

composition

lied(German, “song,” pl. lieder)

an independent song for solo

voice and piano; also known as

“art song”

music-dramaa unique

synthesis of sound and story

in which both are developed

simultaneously and continuously;

a term used to describe

Wagner’s later operas

nocturnea slow, songlike

piece, usually written for piano;

the melody is played by the

right hand, and a steady, soft

accompaniment is played by

the left

opus(Latin, “work”) a

musical composition; followed

by a number, it designates either

the chronological place of a

musical composition in the

composer’s total musical output

or the order of its publication;

often abbreviated “op.”

prima ballerinathe first, or

leading, female dancer in a

ballet company

program musicinstrumental

music endowed with specific

literary or pictorial content that

is indicated by the composer

scherzo(Italian, “joke”) in

Beethoven’s music, a sprightly,

lively movement

tone colorthe distinctive

quality of musical sound made by

a voice, a musical instrument, or

a combination of instruments;

also called “timbre”

tremoloin music, the rapid

repetition of a single pitch or two

pitches alternately, producing a

trembling effect

virtuosoone who exhibits great

technical ability, especially in

musical performance; also

used to describe a musical

composition demanding (or a

performance demonstrating)

great technical skill

composers often abandoned classical models and stretched

musical forms.

• The enlargement of the symphony orchestra in size and
  expressive range is apparent in the works of Beethoven, Berlioz,
  and Wagner. The creative giant of the age, Beethoven composed
  nine symphonies and numerous instrumental works. Berlioz’s
  idée fixeand Wagner’s leitmotiftied sound to story, evidence of
  the Romantic search for an ideal union of poetry and music.
  •Lyrical melody and tone color became as important to Romantic
  music as the free use of line and color was to Romantic painters.


• Schubert united poetry and music in the intimate form of the lied,
  while Chopin captured a vast range of moods and emotions in
  virtuoso piano pieces.

The Romantic Ballet

• Romantic ballet, which featured themes drawn from fantasy and
  legend, flowered in France and, later, in Russia.


• The ballets performed on the stage of the Paris Opéra were the
  culmination of a golden age in European dance. In Paris in 1830,
  Maria Taglioni perfected the art of dancing sur les points.


• Tchaikovsky heightened the importance of fantasy and story in
  his legendary ballets Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Sleeping
  Beauty.

Romantic Opera

• Romantic opera, designed to appeal to a growing middle-class
  audience, came into existence after 1820. The culmination of
  Baroque theatricality, Romantic opera was grand both in size and
  spirit. It was a flamboyant spectacle that united all aspects of
  theatrical production: music, dance, stage sets, and costumes.


• Grand opera was brought to its peak in Italy by Verdi and in
  Germany by Wagner, both of whom exploited nationalistic
  themes.

CD Two Selection 12 Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 in

E-flat Major, “The Eroica,” first movement, excerpt, 1803–1804.

CD Two Selection 13 Schubert, Erlkönig, 1815.

CD Two Selection 14 Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique,

Op. 14, “March to the Scaffold,” fourth movement,

excerpt, 1830.

CD Two Selection 15 Chopin, Etude in G-flat Major,

Op. 10, No. 5, 1833.

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