Chapter 6 Notes

Romantic Period (1800-1870) were times of musical restrictions on women who could afford an arts
education
Romantic-era composers often produced music with melodic and extra-musical components that proved
in many ways more accessible to the less musically educated masses than the form-based works of the
classical style
The romantic ideal of the individual genius was decidedly male
Restrictions on women in art music were particularly strong in Germany and Austria
Primary sources: artifacts that provide first-hand accounts of historical events and subjects
These include letters, diaries, musical instruments, original music manuscripts
Secondary sources: documents that have been interpreted by someone other than the direct source
These include newspaper review of a concert or a textbook
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
-was a child prodigy
-older sister of Felix Mendelssohn
-played an important role in the salon scene in Berlin
Salon: a regular gathering of distinguished guests; in music, often references a meeting of literary or
artistic people in a home
-she aspired to be a published composer
Sonata form: frequently found in the first movement of a sonata or symphony; usually consists of an
exposition with contrasting segments, followed by a development of the opening material; and a
recapitulation which returns to the original key or tonality
Chamber music: music for performance by a small group, usually with one performer to a part, as in a
string quartet; originally for small audiences
Chamber music was popular in the classical and romantic eras
Strict formal structures: piano trio, string quartet, brass quintet, woodwind quintet
Lieder: German for song; in formal music study, usually refers to German art song
Hensels programmatic Das Jahr is reminiscent of Felix Mendelssohns character pieces for piano, and
stands in contrast to the absolute style of Hensels trio
Programmatic music: instrumental work that tells a story or suggests a nonmusical idea; may actually be
associated with a written program, but sometimes only includes a suggestive title
Character piece: quasi-programmatic piece for piano that emerged in the 19 th century that suggested a
mood or feeling via title or overall aesthetic; tended to be fairly simple in structure
Absolute music: music that does not seek to suggest a story or scene, but is concerned with formal
construction; distinguished from program music

Art song: song written by a trained composer to convey a specific artistic idea, as in projecting the mood
and meaning of a poetic text