1. Beethoven
1.1. Early
1.1.1. Known as a performer; Composed for piano
1.1.2. 1801: Acknowledges hearing loss
1.2. Middle
1.2.1. Eroica, Symphony No. 3
1.2.1.1. Almost dedicated to Napoleon
1.2.1.2. Heroic Theme
1.2.2. Symphony No. 5
1.2.2.1. Organicism: spinning out of a motive
1.2.3. Symphony No. 6
1.2.3.1. Pastoral: Vaguely programattic
1.3. Late
1.3.1. Composes for arts sake, isolates himself
1.3.2. Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy"
1.3.2.1. Sets the standard for all symphonies to come
2. Opera 1810-1850
2.1. Rossini
2.1.1. Composed very quickly at the beginning of his career
2.1.1.1. Formal structure
2.1.1.1.1. Cantabile
2.1.1.1.2. Cabaletta
2.1.1.1.3. Imbroglio
2.1.1.2. Aimed for commercial success
2.1.2. Barber of Seville
2.1.2.1. light, everescent style
2.2. Bellini
2.2.1. Defined the bel canto style
2.2.1.1. art of fine singing
2.2.2. Norma
2.3. Donizetti
2.3.1. Lucia di Lammermoor
2.3.1.1. The prototype for the "mad scene"
2.3.1.1.1. Coloratura singing
2.4. Weber
3. Schubert
3.1. Known for elevating the Lied
3.1.1. Lied= Song; Voice with piano accompaniment
3.1.2. Lieder became important for conveying national identity (German)
3.1.3. Poetic forms
3.1.3.1. Ballad
3.1.3.1.1. Through composed
3.1.3.1.2. "Der Erlkönig"
3.1.3.2. Lyric
3.1.3.2.1. Stanzas and refrains
3.1.3.2.2. "Der Heidenröslein"
3.2. Character pieces for piano
3.3. Unfinished symphony: Intended to follow in the footsteps of Beethoven
4. Paganini
4.1. Violin virtuoso
4.2. Set high standards for the instrument: colegno, trills, ornaments
4.3. Inspired Liszt
4.4. Caprices: featured complicated double stops and left hand pizzicato
5. Liszt
5.1. virtuoso pianist
5.2. concert etudes
5.2.1. hand crossing, trills, tremelos, etc.
6. French Grand Opera
6.1. Paris: home of the largest theatrical spectacles
6.2. Associated with librettist Eugene Scribe
6.3. All aspects of production are expanded
6.4. Fewer arias, but still requires virtuoso singers
6.5. Meyerbeer
6.5.1. Les Huguenot
6.5.1.1. Set the standard for grand opera
6.5.1.2. Rarely performed today - too expensive
7. New German School
7.1. Composers
7.1.1. Liszt
7.1.1.1. symphonic poems
7.1.2. Wagner
7.1.3. Berlioz
7.2. Franz Brendel: philosopher who led the movement
7.2.1. music history was a series of emancipations
7.3. Zukunftmusik
7.3.1. Future music
7.4. New German School opposed by Eduard Hanslick and the traditionalists
7.4.1. Traditionalist: Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Joachim
7.4.2. Hanslick valued music for its absolute and abstract character
7.4.3. Preferred traditional genres/formal structures (in opposition to views of the New German School).
8. Outsiders, 1820-1860
8.1. Chopin
8.1.1. Polish pianist/composer
8.1.2. Cultivated salon music
8.1.3. Majority of his music was for solo piano
8.1.4. Mazurka
8.1.4.1. based on a traditional Polish dance form, triple meter, accent on 2 or 3
8.1.5. Ballades
8.1.5.1. expressed Polish nationalism
8.2. Gottschalk
8.2.1. first American composer to make his mark in European art music
8.2.2. commercially successful music based on exotic themes and places
8.2.3. Bamboula
8.2.3.1. evokes social dancing heard in NOLA's Congo square
8.3. Glinka
8.3.1. one of the first significant Russian composers
8.3.2. A Life for the Tsar
8.3.2.1. begins a long tradition of Russian nationalism
8.3.3. Studied in Italy
8.3.3.1. learned bel canto style
8.3.4. Studied in Berlin
8.3.4.1. counterpoint
9. Wagner
9.1. The Ring Cycle
9.1.1. Took over 25 years to write, 15 hours to perform
9.1.2. Wagner uses leitmotifs
9.1.2.1. motifs can signify many things, including characters, places, objects, emotions, or even abstract ideas
9.1.3. The action continually evolves
9.2. Gesamkuntswerk
9.2.1. Total or united artwork
9.3. Unendliche melodie
9.3.1. Unending melody
9.4. Tristan und Isolde
9.4.1. Features the Tristan chord
9.4.2. Represents a turn away from tonality
9.5. New theater
9.5.1. Built in Bayreuth
9.5.2. The orchestra was placed under the stage in the "pit"
10. Verdi
10.1. Saw a distinction between the North "Songs of Bach" and the South "Sons of Palestrina"
10.2. Operas were performed during the Risorgimento
10.2.1. Risorgimento: the period when Italy struggled for national unity
10.2.2. "Viva VERDI"
10.2.3. Verdi sought realism in his operas
10.2.3.1. Trio of masterworks
10.2.3.1.1. Rigoletto
10.2.3.1.2. Il trovatore
10.2.3.1.3. La traviata
10.2.3.2. Verdi merged elements of all existing dramatic genres into one single idiom: tragicomedy
11. Smetana
11.1. Czech Composer
11.2. Ma vlast
11.2.1. cycle of six symphonic poems
11.2.2. represents musical Czechness
11.2.3. Vltava (Die Moldau): main theme represents the river
11.2.3.1. Became the most popular theme Smetana ever composed
12. The Mighty Five
12.1. Miliy Balakirev
12.1.1. Led the New Russian School
12.2. César Cui
12.3. Alexander Borodin
12.3.1. Composed symphonies
12.4. Modest Musorgsky
12.4.1. Boris Gudunov
12.4.1.1. Imitated conversational speech
12.4.1.2. Revised by Rimsky-Korsakov
12.5. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
12.6. Promoted Russian music and disliked conservatory teaching and external influence
12.7. Opposed by Anton Rubinstein
12.7.1. Sought to raise Russian music training by importing teachers from Western Europe
13. Tchaikovsky
13.1. Pupil of Rubinstein
13.2. Saw his style of composition existing somewhere between that of Western Europe and Russia
13.3. Supported for 13 years by patroness Nadezhda von Meck
13.4. Eugene Onegin
13.5. Fourth Symphony
13.5.1. Autobiographical
13.5.1.1. Associated with his marriage
14. Revival of the Symphony
14.1. Brahms
14.1.1. First symphony nickname Beethoven's Tenth symphony
14.1.2. Known for his technique Developing Variation
14.2. Bruckner
14.2.1. Symphonies sound similar to organ improvisation
14.3. Dvorak
14.3.1. New World Symphony
14.4. The Boston School
14.4.1. Edward MacDowell
14.4.2. Amy Beach
15. Opera 1850-1900
15.1. Orientalism
15.1.1. musical representation of non-European (generally Asian) people
15.1.2. Bizet's Carmen
15.1.2.1. The arias performed by the exotic, main character often accompanied by Latin dance styles
15.2. Operetta
15.2.1. Started with Offenbach
15.2.1.1. Pioneered lighter style of opera that made fun of serious opera
15.2.2. Moved to Vienna, where Johan Strauss II composed operettas
15.2.3. Moved to England where Gilbert and Sullivan composed operrettas
15.2.3.1. Opened their own theater to stage operettas
15.2.3.2. Specialized in patter song
15.3. Verismo
15.3.1. Style of opera that is more relatable to the audience
15.3.2. Often features on-stage violence
15.3.3. Puccini
15.3.3.1. La boheme
15.3.3.2. Tosca
15.3.3.3. Madama Butterfly
16. Music & Literature
16.1. H. Berlioz
16.1.1. Symphonie fantastiqe
16.1.1.1. Five-movement, programatic symphony
16.1.1.2. Uses idée fixe
16.1.1.2.1. Recurring melody that appears in all five movements
16.1.1.3. Parodies the Dies Irae
16.2. Felix Mendelssohn
16.2.1. A Midsummer Night's Dream
16.3. Robert Schumann
16.3.1. Carnaval
16.3.1.1. Collection of short piano pieces
16.3.1.2. Includes a large cast of characters including Eusebius and Florestan (Schumann's critical personas)
16.3.2. 1840: Year of Song
16.4. Fanny Mendelssohn
16.4.1. Coined the title "Song without Words"
16.4.2. Works published under brothers name
16.4.3. Not allowed to compose due to social standing
16.5. Clara Schumann
16.5.1. Published songs with her husband
16.5.2. Many of her compositions were for her own performance on the piano