With the Romantic Age in the Early Nineteenth Century (1)

7/25/2019 With the Romantic Age in the Early Nineteenth Century (1)

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With the romantic age in the early nineteenth century, composers becaome

impatient and started thinking bigger about th e music in bigger size as , one of

the principle characteristics of romanticism. Performances expanded and the

orchestras are getting biggerwere becoming larger, however it was the time of

the piano and it’s enlargement increase in size and volume. The new romantic

piano compositions, started giving a wild possibility for performers to show theirartistic ability and reveal unseen creativity in their musical interpretation. n the

period from !"##$!""# the romantic music brings with it a huge among variety

of di%erent kinds of genres&$ 'ongs, Waltzes, (azurkas, )octurnes, *allades,

'cherzos, +antasies and many others. big inspiration for a new style of

composing is the historical context, the richness and the art re-ection on art,

from which the sound starts coming out from the instrument. ach di%erent

composer$ /hopin, *rahms, 0iszt, 'chubert,$ apart from the common reason of

the romantic thought, has theiran own personal and musical vision.

With the invention of the modern pianoforte in !1#2 in +lorence by *artolomeo/ristofori the composers starts to re3ect the clavichord and harpsichord, inf fact

with *eethoven’s 4 !11#$!"516 romantic piano style, the classicism is over. )ever

regarding the piano as a harpsichord with hammers, *eethoven had a moren

innovative manner than his predecessors, more legato and depth of sound. 7is

revolutionary pieces are de8nitely the 'onatas, which are divided in three stages.

The romantic stage is apparently comingcomes with his late 'onatas. The angry

maen in *eethoven becomes more philosophical. f the player is to succeed he

must achieve deep internal understanding of his compositions. The last three

'onatas op.!#!, !#9, !!# have the principle characteristics of the +ugue or

+ugato passages, as in *ach. This is not about the architectural construction butit is for the tension, spiritualization and expansion of the music itself. *eethoven

introduced the idea of the solo beginning in his Piano /oncerto no.: 4example6

s *eethoven had developed the passage from the structure of the piece

expressing the real meaning of the music, on the other hand /hopin produced

the most remarkable works, such as his 'tudies, written between !"52 $!";9.

The 'tudies alone can intimidate the strongest pianist, particularly on our

contemporary pianos. The main di<culty is there for, not only technical but also

to express the artistic part in them as a piece of music. The highest point in his

romanticism, are his )octurnes, Preludes and Polonaises. There he combines hisuni=ue style, revealing variety and richness of sound. /hopin is often badly



served by those >interpreters? who give a wrong sentimentality toon his

masterpieces. To make the real /hopin’s rubato, which is essential in many of his

compositions, there must be an underlying beat without overindulgence.

/ommon to his melody line is the speci8c legato, helped by -exible wrist of the

hand. /hopin’s classical line is evident his 'onatas, particularly in the 'econd

one in * -at minor 4!";16 full of romantic pride and gesture. The color tone inthe +uneral march is achieved by deep pressure, in which the participation of the

whole arm has to be balanced.

The fourth movement needs maximum self$control of the 8ngers, lightness and

relaxed hands. @ne of the biggest independent pieces is also the +antasy in f$

minor.

/ertainly more sense of structure represents the 'chumann’s +antasy including

enthusiasm and impetuosity.

'chumann’s new music o%ers rich expressive capabilities for the interpreter,

including many di%erent types of sounds. nother aspect of his interpretation is

fre=uent large harmonies, chords, and intervals which givemake a big di<culty

infor the use of pedal which creates the general tone construction. The pianist

should keep ion mind about the delineation of the syncopes, to avoid interrupting

the melody line, and also to amplify the expression of agitation and inner

tension.

+or example& the theme in the 'ymphony tudes,



the beginning of the second part in his +antasy op.!1,

and the left hand in the second

piece of >Kreisleriana?.

(endelssohn’s romanticism was not that literary as 'chumann’s, more

melancholy as the Keatsian expression of /hopin. *y composing 7is compostion

of the (idsummer )ight’s Aream music gives gaiety, lightness and melodic

charm which we can 8nd in his 'ongs Without Words for piano

0iszt was inspired by the Paganini’s virtuoso style on the violin and passed a big

part of his lifve researching the perfect connection between techni=ue and

expression. n fact we may 8nd the su<cient di%erence between /hopin’s tudes

and 0iszt tudes Transcendental. @f course, the well$known inspiration fromfor

the literature, in particularly the talian works of Aante and Petrarca, are aone big

8eld inin-uence on his compositions. There for 7he retired from the concert

stage to devote himself to study in depth of transcriptions ofr early version of

pieces to be revised in his maturity: Annees de Pelerinage the heroics in 0iszt

must be distinguished from the tawdry. t is characteristic for 0iszt’s style in his

compositions to show the demonic inspiration which is re-ected in such to the

pieces as& 'onata b minor, (ephisto Waltz, fter Beading of a Aante. The

7ungarian Bhapsodies are based on gipsy song but 3ust a few players are aware

of them. n my opinion,ning in our times, 7orowitz has all the re=uisites of the

0iszt player. The pianists must possess a strong sense of construction and

increased technical resistance in order to recreate the general line of 0iszt

atmosphere. n the interpretation of 0iszt, the expressive means cover di%erent

kinds of techni=ues Cfrom the most brilliant and sparklingpearls passages to the

dense chords and di%erent octave passages. +urthermore the player must

manage the full range of 8ner shades, fade with elegant transparent pianissimo



passages in plays like “Leggerezza”

second half on ma3or Polonaise and a few themes form the >Tarantella”.

+oremost the pianist should have greater independence and strength of 8ngers

in freedom of wrist and hand. lso not only from the hand, as in *rahms, in 0iszt

there are many places, re=uiring perfect articulation.

The style of piano works by *rahms features an extensive line of tone and

density achieved in some orchestral music range. The second piano concerto

with its caliber and wideness makesputs extraordinary tonal tier tasks

fordemands on the pianist. s was said of his pre$occupation with the

melancholy themes& >*rahms is never so happy as when composing about the

grief?.

n some of his pieces, particularly in those of his last years, there is a feeling of a

personal complaint, prophetic of (ahler. 0ike /hopin he hid the feeling with

abstract titles such as Intermezzo or Capriccio. 7is style of piano playing was

massive. The 'econd Piano /oncerto with its large scale and the wideness of its

construction brings a high level of complex tone tasks for the pianist, for which

he needs a large range of expressive possibilities. Dery characteristic for theinterpretation of *rahms’s works is that 8ngerprint techni=ue should have great

application, for example in& Eth movement in 'onata + minor, the ;rd movement of

Piano /oncerto in A minor, some variations from Paganini$*rahms and 7andel$

*rahms. This is why the sound pro3ection in *rahms should be done using the

weight of the hand and not only the 8nger’s strength. This does not mean that

the pianist should not haves a good articulation but this must be used only to

reach the inner technical freedom throught which the performer shcould

dominate the whole keyboard and balance the weight and the participation of

the whole arm achieving many di%erent types of sound. The speci8city of

*rahms’s extensively decomposed arpeggios, in which the gaps between thedi%erent tones are very big, needs the maximum ad3ustment of the arm. The

pianist, in fact, should use auxiliary movements of the wrist, while the 8ngers

have their own slope.



0ikewise 'chumann, *rahms, like 'chumann also uses the techni=ue of to

beginning the phrase on an up beat as well as te syncopic appearance of

melodic tones. lso vDery important is also to avoid breaking the melodic line.

Together with the big tone range typical for *rahms is the tenderness of the

sound in piano and pianissimo thought in which the pianist could communicate

the dramatic and piteous character in many places. +or example *allade no.:and the /horal episode in + sharp minor from the ma3or ntermezzo. There the

8ngers should stay very close to the keys in order together to sink without a

strong push from the whole arm. This of course is not enough to complete

*rahms’s tone sounding, the performer will need also the deep musical feeling

and the excellent use of the pedal.

@ne of the most important parts for completing certain style is the tempo. This is

usually supported by a metronome sign which musicians must be sure that it is

the composer’s marking, and not that of the editor. Tempo is based on a speed

which is suitable to the composer and his own style, and one which allows

comfortable articulation for the performer. There is not necessarily only one

correct tempo. There may be variations between di%erent players and yet the

work can sound e=ually e%ective. mong di%erent composers in di%erent eras

that for example > Allegro”, !or e"ample, implies di%erent speeds. 'ome of the

modi8cations to Allegro are well worth nothing C ma non troppo and maestoso.

Allegro maestoso, in fact generally indicates a ma3estic tempo rather than a fast

one. performer’s temperament and his reaction under the stress of public

performance also a%ect the tempo. 'ome pianists play faster, others slower than

they would normally. Tempo may also vary according to acoustic conditions, as

very live acoustics in a hall may play havoc with too fast a tempo. +or example it

happened to me a few days ago during my Auo exam with a clarinettist. We were

playing Foseph 7orowitz’s 'onatina, and in the third movement played too fast,

in conse=uence my clarinettist become red.

Tempo rubato 4robbed time6 is a controversial term, often sinned against by

those who do not distinguish su<ciently between sentiment and sentimentality.

(ost pianists have a natural rubato, as being human, they are not metronomes.

Bubato can be considered as similar to the in-ection of speech, a waywardness

which yet falls within a strict time pattern. t is freedom, as opposite to a strictbeaet, and it takes its shape from the phrase itself. We should not be aware of a

performer’s rubato. To be successful it must sounds natural. f it is a conscious

rubato, imposed arti8cially from the outside, it will fail in e%ect. When it is

employed mechanically simply because a pianist has heard that /hopin should

be played with rubato, it is meaningless. /hopin kept a metronome a metronome

on his piano and used it as a corrective to pupils who could not be prGciseprecise

d in time. Hsed occasionally in this way a metronome can be of great value in

showing a pianist 3ust how much licence he has taken with the beat, and at what

point. t is very helpful when you play ceurtain melodies to imagine how a singer

would phrase them, the result will be one of natural elasticity. t is only in suchelastic music that rubato is appropriate. @nly certain romantic or post$romantic



composers such as /hopin, 0iszt and Bachmannaino% are suited to rubato. n

0iszt’s #antasia $uasi %onata d&apres une lecture de 'ante,

has the

large gesture and elasticity are even more appropriate thaen the * minor 'onata.

t is inappropriate in certain romantic pieces where a steady clear drive is

indicated as in the so$called >Bevolutionary? 'tudy of /hopin.

The sub3ective element in a performance is deducted through disregard for

composer’ssitor’s rights or negligent treatment. The important things for the

performer should be represented by& the sonority of each dynamic, the strength

of the touch, and the rubato. t is very important that the teacher should guide

the students in a way to leave room for an individual interpretation. The more

complex is a piece of music, the more di<cult is the interpretation of it.

The pedal represents another di<culty for the romantic style. (ost of /hopin’s

music re=uires the use of the pedal therefore it needs the constant

accuracyteness for it. This also comports the knowledge to create a personal

taste to limit the pedal techni=ue, which in /hopin is irreplaceable.

+amous pianists once looked like musicians and played as such, but now they

often look like bank managers and play with the impersonality of computers.

will mention some of them which in my opinion are the most outstanding pianists

of our time& Dladimir 7orowitz, rthur Bubinstein, 'viatoslav Bichter.

Dladimir 7orowitz remains unchallenged in our time, the beautiful sounds he

draws from the instrument, his application of tone$ colour and his phenomenal

techni=ue give his playing a distinction not attained by anyone else. t is within

the Bomantic composers, that he can identi8ed better himself with best. rthur

Bubinstein, the headmaen of pianists, can 8ll any hall anywhere in the world with

thehis strength of histhe legend. 7is energy was once a feature of his playingwith a movable virtuosity. )owadays, he sometimes sounds indi%erent and



impersonal, maybe, because his strength seems to be declining. 'viatoslav

Bichter, remains famous with his interpretation of the /hopin + minor *allade

and !st Piano /oncerto by Bachmanino%, with which he has a tremendous

temperamental a<nity.

Dan /liburn won the Tchaikovsky competition in (oscow in !2E;.

We can make a good conclusion in the 8nal analysis of the topic by going

through the interpretation of some Bomantic composers which who were inspired

to work on the masters of the baro=ue$classical period such as& *ach, 7aydn,

(ozart, and *eethoven.

+irst of all is /zerny’s interpretation of Preludes and +ugues by F.'.*ach. n this

revising we can deducet exactly how /zerny’s vision of *ach was re-ected on the

piano,. adding& slurs, tempo marks, dynamic marks, articulations, character

marks etc.

nother good example could be made by 0iszt interpreting *eethoven’s 'onatas

.nTo exploring that particular topic we should consider his own playing of the

sonatas as reported in contemporary reviews, his discussing of them as found in

his letters or in remarks =uoted by his contemporaries, his editing of the sonatas

as well as his concern with the celebrated *iilow$0ebert edition of them and,

8nally, his teaching of the sonatas as recalled in the memoirs of his own

students. have found no previous exploration about that.

mong the *eethoven piano sonatas that 0iszt actually per formed, there are ten

that he played publicly at least twice. They are @p 59, 51I5, ;!I5, E1, and 2#,

and all of the last 8ve sonatas C @p !#!, !#9, !#2, !!#, and !!!. n fact, for

some of the sonatas, the credit undoubtedly goes to 0iszt for making them the

most popular ones. 7e himself found three sonatas to have been the most

favoured that were admired when he started to play piano& @p !;, 51I5, and E1.

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With the Romantic Age in the Early Nineteenth Century (1)