Romanticism: A Move Away From Western European Intellectualism - Research Paper

Introduction

Romanticism refers to an 1800 ideology that originated from a group in western Europe of individuals who considered themselves as intellect, artistic and literal. The proponents of the ideology fostered the evolution of a type of music called romantics. David argues that romantic romantics aimed to capture the attention of the audience from different perspectives, including emotional, drama, and proper preprogramming. The three intents reflected on trends within the literature, poetry and philosophy of the Romantics. Jean Sibelius, a Finland musician, remains the most prominent artist of Finnish compositions and violinist of the late era of romantic music. His second Symphony gives a clear illustration of romantics and Symphony. A brief focus on his life and his second symphony aid in understanding the type and features of his Romanticism.

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Life of Sibelius Before Romanticism

Hong and "Jean Sibelius" describes the experience of Sibelius from his childhood to when he joined the music. He was born in a male-dominated home in Finland in 1865. As a son of a medical doctor, Sibelius would never get the right environment for music until the rescue of his uncle Pehr who would teach him music. He later acquired more opportunity when his aunt bought him piano lessons. Sibelius loved nature. His adventurous character took him to coastal Loviisa and Hameenlinna during the summer, where he opted to go to school. His interest in music was. He continued improving music aspects on his own and later opted for Violin type. In his early days, he made several compositions majorly the trio, and the famous 'Suit in D'. He stamped entrance in the music industry started with his music studies in Helsinki in 1888. In 1892, 'Kullervo', famously known as the suite of five symphonic movements inaugurated Sibelius's focus on orchestral music. The work resembled tone poems.

How Unique is Romanticism

Application of romantics to music first took place in 1789. In 1810, E. Hoffmann established the guidelines to the use of romantics in music in 1810. Artists had so far not mastered the demands of impactful romantics for effective expression of emotions when performing music.The art profoundly identifies with rebellion. Romantics are always opposed to orders of the day. In schools, they would wear strange clothes and never hung out with other people. Due to rebellion nature, Sibelius work ignites the Finnish people to fight for freedom.

Romanticism also involves the engagement of strong emotions. For instance, performers can even shed tears in their efforts to pass a compassion and have excessive laugher when performing captivating ideas. Other unique features include preoccupation and submission to nature, expression of spiritual experiences, expression of a particular national identity, and interest in total subjectivism. The move led to chaos associated with Romanticism Due to the disorder, and the effort by Sibelius towards the same, he is one time painted a lament artist. The Second Symphony, a landmark composition by Sibelius, possess such features of romantics.

Why Sibelius Performs Romantics and Symphony

Noonan appreciates Sibelius effort towards Romanticism. Despite him having the native Swedish language, his love for Finnish tone immensely contributed to his inclination towards Romanticism. His desire to master the 'Kalevala', the national epic for Finland served as a source of his inspiration for him towards nationalism. Romanticism would support his role in fighting for freedom from the Russians. He also had an inborn ability to compose and enrolled with a bandmaster during his teenage. The master mentored him towards romantics.

His excellent performance in violin and the repertoire he built with prominent concertos pushed him to engage in Romanticism and Symphony fully. While studying in Berlin, his interest in violin almost rewarded him with an opportunity as a composer. He interracted with large doses of music. He had a chance to perform 'Don Juan' by Richard Strauss' among other works. These encounters pushed him to find space in the industry of romantic music

Form and Character of Sibelius Second Symphony

The Symphony has its personality different from the other symphonies. The most Symphony's distinctive character is the preference for melodies that produced sounds that resembled those of folk songs. This character, however, contradicts Sibelius's argument that he never used folk melodies in that work. Despite Sibelius denial, his interest in folksong influenced him to give the Symphony a folksong form. His visit to the old style hub in Eastern province of Finland gave the Symphony its patriotic, and a political form.

The first movement of the work expounds on the piece's form. It depicts the pastoralism way of life of the people of Finland. The subsequent movement defines Finland agitation for independence. The movement enlightens the Finnish about their oppression form Russians, the need for national resistance, and the Finnish Victory over their oppressors. The work extensively highlighted the state of Finland under the rule of Czar.

Sibelius inversion of the normal process of presentation expounds on the character of the work. He starts by introducing thematic pieces, constructing them in parts, and finally disperses them into their original constituents in a summarized recapitulation. Sibelius teases his audience by presenting his song in bits and takes too long to connect the short motifs. He goes on linking the misconnections gradually. He eventually makes evident the outline of the Symphony impressively at the end of the movement.

In its second movement, he plays a moderate violin tune using a different key. The section is dominated with the theme of 'lugubre' and highlights its passionate offshoots and the new violin tune. The movement closes with a motif consequent of the last song. The third movement constitutes a dynamic scherzo with a brief and relaxed trio. The trio starts with a single note repeated over nine times. However, the audience perceives the trio as a tune. The rest of the theme is highly melodic with elegant labels from the two clarinets. The trio sounds again after a recapitulation of the scherzo proper before proficient transition that leads into the Finale. The features form the character of the Symphony.

The Most Striking Moment of Symphony

The ability of the Symphony to depicts Sibelius's mastery amazes. Firstly, how he highlights the state of Finland is artistic. The brave and idealistic first and final developments of the work are what the Finnish people required in 1902. It coincides with the oppression state the nation was experiencing from the Russians. Sibelius first public concert solidified his distinction as a national hero. Due to its effect to its fans, the work gained international acclaimed within the shortest time.

Another striking moment is how he connects the three movements. The first subject of the Finale is both simple a pithy. He plays the theme using strings with loud dynamics before going to low timpani and brass. Amazingly, he then organizes the second theme in a four-line structure like a folksongs. He plays the 'theme' by the woodwinds with gentleness, and finally ascends the volume towards its end. Finally, the performers return both the proud first and the second subject of folksong resemblance. The second theme builds up to a powerful climax after several repetitions with the interest of better orchestral power.

Performance Characteristics of Romantics

Romantics involves extensive use of experimentations taking the form of poems like in repetition. In the Symphony, the performance starts the third movement with an over nine times repetition of the trio. While performing 'Dante Symphony' in Newyork City, Gianandrea Noseda employs repetition of the second movement trio to catch the attention of the audience. Secondly, the work also involves the engagement of strong emotions. Performers could shed tears in their efforts to pass a point of mercy, compassion or dismay, and have excessive laugher when singing about a captivating ideas. Sibelius work manages to pull masses due to the emotional engagement that he put in his work. The romantics created unforgettable heroes. For instance, Don Juan and Frankenstein monster popularity originate from Romantics. During his performance at the David Geffen Hall in Pittsburgh, Manfred Honeck emotional engagements while performing the David Geffen Hall symphony pulled the audience in direct touch with the art.

Romantics and Symphony form the heritage of the nineteenth-century music industry. The two groups demand that any romantic music composer must engage the use of Symphony. For instance, living in the era of romantics, Jean Sibelius, a composer of Symphony, automatically engages romantics in his work. Due to nature and features that accompany romantics like heroism and rebellion, Sebelius gains popularity across Finland for his role in enlightening people towards the fight for freedom which they eventually won. Using romantics' characteristics like experimentation, resistance and emotions, Sibelius influenced the Finnish people towards agitation for their freedom.

Bibliography

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