The Romantic Generation

Catalog description

Beethoven’s shadow looms large on the young romantic generation, setting off a collective anxiety of influence unparalleled in musical history. “what next?” seemed difficult to answer as Beethoven brought the abstract forms of sonata, symphony, and quartet to unreachable heights. The range of answers gave birth to a musical style that looked backwards into the Baroque for textural density and flow, abandoning the articulated symmetry of the classical phrase, while pushing the harmonic language, musical drama, and effect into new horizons. All the while, the search for alternative structures and points of musical departure, resulted in a new sort of interaction between music and other art forms. Schumann’s E.T.A Hoffman’s inspired character pieces, Berlioz’s program music, the proliferation of the Lied, Liszt’s Dante Sonata and Petrarca sonnets are telling examples of this search for a new musical style and context.