Last
time we looked at Romanticism in art. Today, let’s see how it shows itself in
music.
During
the mid to late 19th century, composers sought to stretch the
musical limits of the past while using their imaginations. Robert Schumann is
one great example of a Romantic composer who reflected himself and drew on the
listener’s imagination in his Carnaval.
This collection of twenty short character pieces written for the piano depicts
a masquerade. Each piece in the collection is either the name of a dance, a
costumed character, or a friend of Schumann who shows up at the ball. Titles
include “Chopin”, “Clara” (after his friend and wife), “Florestan” and
“Eusebius” (characters he created to reflect different sides of his own
personality), and even “Coquette”, depicting the flirtation amongst party
guests.
You
can listen to Carnaval below. Do you
think Schumann does a successful job at reflecting the Romanticism of his time?
