1. Chapter 22: Romantic Music: Piano Music

2. The Piano Improved by the new technologies of the Industrial Revolution – Range extended to 88 keys – Cast-iron frame – Thicker, stronger strings – Sustaining Pedal and Soft Pedal added – Cross-stringing for a richer sound More expressive Home music making Great virtuoso pianist/composers of the 19 th -century – Technical fireworks: Rapid octaves, racing chromatic scales, thundering chords

3. Robert Schumann: Carnaval (1834) Collection of 21 short piano pieces written while a student in Leipzig “Carnivalesque goings-on:” Musically depicted colorful characters, including mardi gras characters, Clara, Chopin, and Paganini Signs of bipolar disorder already evident here – “Eusebius” is meek and sensitive while “Florestan” is assertive, even fiery Started the high-end music magazine Die neue Zeitschrift für Musik – Wrote both as Eusebius and Florestan

4. Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) “The Poet of the Piano” Born in Warsaw, Poland Physically slight and somewhat sickly Introverted and hated performing in public Made his career in Paris – Remained in Paris after Russia crushed Poland’s independence – Became a voice for Polish musical nationalism Primarily composed for the piano – Many based on Polish folk dances Use of Tempo Rubato

5. Nocturne in Eb major, Op. 9, No. 2 (1832) Nocturne: “Night Piece” – Slow, dreamy genre of piano music popular in the 1820’s and 1830’s – Suggests moonlit rooms, romantic longing, and wistful melancholy lyrical melody weaves around a regular accompaniment

6. Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Flamboyant artistic personality – Lisztomania Compositions demand great virtuosity Established the modern piano recital – Played entire program from memory – Placed the piano parallel to the stage – Performed alone on stage Etude: A short, one movement composition designed to improve a particular aspect of a performer’s technique – Liszt’s etudes were intended for virtuoso players, not students Novel approach to musical form, harmonic progressions, and foreshadows musical practices of the 20 th -century

7. Transcendental Etude No. 8 “Wilde Jagd” (1851) Transcendental Etudes are Liszt’s most difficult pieces – Studies in storm and dread “Wild Hunt” suggests a German Romantic scene of a nocturnal chase in a supernatural forest A “musical Mont Everest”