The document provides an overview of the Romantic and Impressionist periods in visual arts, music, drama, and dance from the late 18th to 19th centuries. Key characteristics included a focus on emotion and nature in visual arts, the use of thin brush strokes and emphasis on light in Impressionism. Significant artists across genres incorporated more feeling and passion. Societies were increasingly involved in and influenced by the arts during periods of revolution and modernization.
3. DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
Romanticism:
• Canvases emphasized emotion and incorporated as much feeling and passion as
possible
• Depicted nature and various moods
• Smooth and highly detailed
• Interpretation of the piece was up the viewer
4. SIGNIFICANT ARTISTS
• J.M.W Turner
• Caspar David Friedrich
• Francisco Goya
• William Blake
• Eugene Delacroix
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009)
5. WHERE THE MOVEMENT ORIGINATED FROM
• The movement originated in Germany and came after social change resulting
from the French Revolution
6. HOW SOCIETY WAS INVOLVED
• Romanticism illustrated the romantics’ dissatisfaction with the Bourgeois society.
Romantics wanted to guide and therefore depicted peoples’ emotions. The
Bourgeois wanted to exercise certain social customs and the romantics used their
form of art to escape reality.
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009)
8. DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
Impressionism:
• Thin brush strokes
• Open composition
• Emphasis on light and its changing qualities
• Usual subject matter
• Emphasis on human perception and experience
9. SIGNIFICANT ARTISTS
• Vincent Van Gogh
• Claude Monet
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir
• Edgar Degas
• Édouard Manet
(Wolf, 2017)
10. WHERE THE MOVEMENT ORIGINATED FROM
• The movement developed in Paris and spread to United States. Artists rejected
government and academic institutions and turned to capture scenes
11. HOW SOCIETY WAS INVOLVED
• Artists depicted their culture and society in their paintings. During this era, people
had a sense of a new self and artists were on a mission to demonstrate, in their
paintings, peoples’ uniqueness, reflection, and expression
(Wolf, 2017)
12. DRAMA
Late 18th century- Early 19th century
To the Right: Portrait of "Cosette" by Émile Bayard, from the original
edition of Les Misérables (1862)
13. DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
• Increasingly technical advances (gas lights and limelight)
• Desire for equestrian plays improved traps, elevators, revolving stages, and panoramas
• The public desired its historically accurate costumes and sets
• A “well-made play” consisted of complicated plots including overheard conversations,
confrontations, and mistaken identities
• Valued Shakespeare
• Focused on the supernatural and the mysterious
• Appealed to the audiences emotions rather than intellect
(W. W. Norton & Company, )
14. SIGNIFICANT ARTISTS
Victor Hugo (1802-
1885)
French author
Les Misérables
(1862)
Georg Büchner
(1813-1837)
German
writer
drama Danto
n’s Death
(1835)
15. RELEVANT TIMEFRAME
• 1835: Georg Büchner’s (1813–1837) drama Danton’s Death brings the French
Revolution to Germany
• 1848 : The Europe-wide revolution led to industrialization, protests, and strikes
• 1863: Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, his longest and most famous work is
published
• 1870s-80s: Railroads led to immense fortunes
(W. W. Norton & Company, )
17. HOW SOCIETY WAS INVOLVED
• The middle class triumphed
• People moved to urban centers for employment
• People sought out entertainment (drama & music)
(W. W. Norton & Company, )
18. MUSIC
To the Right: Claude Debussy, French Composer
Photo credit: https://www.artexpertswebsite.com/portrait-
id/composers/debussy.php
21. RELEVANT TIMELINE
• 1800-1900, Historiographers define Romantic period
• 1821 - The harmonica was invented by Friedrich Buschmann
• 1825 - Carl Almenräder redesigned the French bassoon
• 1829 - Felix Mendelssohn conducted the first modern performance of J.S. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion”
• 1832 - Frédéric Chopin performed his "Piano Concerto in F Minor" and the "Variations, opus 2" in Paris
• 1838 - Georges Bizet was born. Also in the same year in Scotland, music was published in Braille notation
• 1840 - Pyotr Il'Yich Tchaikovsky was born and Niccolò Paganini died. Also, the clarinet was redesigned giving it its
mature form.
• 1856 - Henry Engelhard Steinway created his first grand piano
• 1858 - The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini was born
• 1859 - In New Orleans, Louisiana, the first opera house was opened
22. RELEVANT TIMELINE (CONTINUED)
• 1862 - Claude DeBussy, one of the most influential composers of his time, was born
• 1864 - The German composer, Richard Strauss was born
• 1867 - Amy Beach, the first major American female composer, was born
• 1868 - Gioacchino Rossini died
• 1869 - Louis-Hector Berlioz died. In the same year, the opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod was first performed in Paris
• 1874 - The Austro-Hungarian composer, Arnold Schönberg and the American composer, Charles Ives, were born
• 1875 - The opera "Carmen" by Georges Bizet was first performed in Paris. He would also pass away that year
• 1876 - Edvard Grieg wrote the incidental music for Ibsen's "Peer Gynt”
• 1883 - The Metropolitan Opera Association opened in New York and Richard Wagner died after completing his final work
"Parsifal”
• 1886 - Franz Liszt died and in Vienna, "Te Deum" by Anton Bruckner was first performed
23. WHERE THE MOVEMENT ORIGINATED FROM
• Impressionism (end of the 19th century), Claude Debussy
• Romanticism (19th century), Ludwig van Beethoven
24. HOW SOCIETY WAS INVOLVED
• A new way of expressing ideas and viewing the world
• Erik Satie, “Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear”
25. DANCE
Romantic Impressionist Era
Mid to Late 1800’s
To the Right: The Dancing Class, Edgar Degas, Musee d’Orsay, Paris
Photo credit: http://www.wikiart.org/en/edgar-degas/the-dancing-
class-1874
26. DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
• Defininning Characteristics
• The process of human movements,
especially female ones, through the
interaction of body and music
(Aesthetix MS, 2017)
• Relevant Timeframe
• Mid to Late 1800’s
• Where the Movement Originated
• Paris, France
27. SIGNIFICANT ARTISTS
• Filipo Taglioni (The History of Dance, 2017).
• Created the first romantic ballet, La Sylphide
• Made females the center of ballet
• Short tutus became the norm from this time on
• Jules Perrot
• Divertissement Pas de Quatre
• London in 1845
• Arthur Saint-Leon
• Ballet Coppelia
• 1870
28. HOW SOCIETY WAS INVOLVED
• There were many changes taking
place in France at the time,
including:
• Modernization of Paris, by Haussmann
(1853)
• Buildings were torn down in order to
make the streets wider and safer
• Fourth French Revolution (1871)
• World Fair
• Celebration to the French Revolution
• Construction of Eiffel Tower (1889)
• Built as a entrance to the World Fair
29. DANCE STYLES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ERA
• Classical ballet
• Waltz
• Can-can
• The Quadrille
• These dances were a type of revolt
against the status quo (existing
conditions). They were considered
disgraceful, yet after a period of time
became accepted in societies around
the world
30. OTHER HISTORICAL FACTS ON BOTH PERIODS
Romaic Period (Music)
• Built upon all other periods. It used
arrangements from other periods and
expanded upon them
• Chromatic scales became popular and
we are now able to see how conductors
become part of the orchestra
• This period is characterized by DRAMA
heard and felt throughout the pieces.
Instruments were being redefined into
the orchestra : Saxaphone, Tuba,
Piccalo, English Horn, and Cantra Basin,
• Impression Period (Music)
• Built upon a contrast view of the
Romantic period
The music of this time period
conveys atmosphere and
emotion
• During this period composers went
away form using major/minor
harmonies towards whole tone scales,
and advanced chromatic harmony and
dissonance
31. OTHER HISTORICAL FACTS ON BOTH PERIODS
• Romaic Period (Art)
• Art was depicted as being natural, peaceful, calm,
nurturing, a source for spiritual renewal
• It viewed life as being innocent
• Art was also seen as nurture vs. and the human spirit
• Sometime art was seen scary from this point of view
scary as in this picture
William Blake Nebuchadnezzar Printed 1795
32. OTHER HISTORICAL IMPRESSION PERIOD
• Impression Period ( Art)
• The first exhibit of this period elicited
critical reviews that were not
received well from the art world
• Some art critics thought as this art as
being no more than unfinished
sketches
• Artist started using lighter brush
strokes and brighter colors, with less
attention to details
Georges Seurat (French, Paris 1859–1891) Paris
33. OTHER HISTORICAL
FACTS ON BOTH
PERIODS
• Impressionism was
the start of Modern
Art
• In this movement
inspired Post
Impressionism,
Fauvism, Cubism,
Surrealism, Abstract
Expressionism and
Pop Art
34. OTHER HISTORICAL FACTS ON BOTH PERIODS
• Romantic Period Dance
• This period has left its mark on
history as we are still able to still
watch Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite
• A ballet that narrates a fantasy
through dace of the toys of a child
coming to life and having an
adventure
35. REFERENCES
(1998). Encyclopedia Britannica. Charles Griffes. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Griffes.
(1999). Encyclopedia Britannica. Ottorino Respighi. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ottorino-Respighi.
(2003-2004). Kauble Piano Studio. Music History - The Impressionistic Period (1870-1920). Retrieved from
http://www.kaublepianostudio.com/history/impressionistic.html.
(2004-2017). Active Minds. Impressionists Music. Retrieved from http://www.activeminds.com/topics/Impressionists_Music.html.
(2009). Encyclopedia Britannica. Karol Szymanowski. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karol-Szymanowski.
(2009-2012). Internet Public Library. The Romantic Era. Retrieved from http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/rom/.
(2012). Encyclopedia Britannica. Frederick Delius. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-Delius.
(2013). Encyclopedia Britannica. Impressionism. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/Impressionism-music.
(2017). Biography. Maurice Ravel. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/maurice-ravel-9452457.
Aesthetix MS. (2017). Performing "Fine Arts": Dance as a Source of Inspiration in Impressionism. Retrieved from http://rupkatha.com/dance-
in-
impressionism/
36. REFERENCES (CONTINUED)
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2009). Romanticism. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism#toc8417
Estrella, E. (2016). ThoughtCo. Romantic Music Timeline. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/romantic-music-timeline-
2457151.
History of Dance, The. (2017). Romantic Ballet. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/ugadancehistory/make-donations
Lockspeiser, E. (2013). Encyclopedia Britannica. Claude Debussy. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claude-
Debussy.
Wolf, J. (2017). Impressionism Movement Overview and Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.theartstory.org/movement-
impressionism.htm
W. W. Norton & Company. (). The nineteenth century to the present: romanticism and melodrama, 1800–1880. Retrieved from
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nadrama/content/review/shorthistory/19c-present/romanticism.aspx
Notes de l'éditeur
Claude Debussy was a French composer from this period. Some of his notable works include “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, “Suite bergamasque, and “Flute of Pan” (Lockspeiser, 2013).
Maurice Ravel was also a French composer from this period. Some of his notable works include “Pavane for a Dead Princess”, “Playing Water”, and “Rapsodie espagnole and Boléro” (Maurice Ravel, 2017).
Frederick Delius was an English composer, whose major works included “Appalachia”, “Sea Drift”, and “Paris: the Song of a Great City” (Frederick Delius, 2012).
Charles Griffes was an American composer, whose major works included “The White Peacock”, “The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan”, and “Piano Sonata in F Major” (Charles Griffes, 1998).
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, whose major works included “Pini di Roma”, “Fontane di Roma”, and “Vetrate di chiesa” (Ottorino Respighi, 1999).
Karol Szymanowski was a Polish composer, whos major works included “Mity”, “Metopy”, and “Hagith and Król Roger” (Karol Szymanowski, 2009).
(Estrella, 2016).
(Estrella, 2016).
Impressionism is a music style initiated by French composer Claude Debussy at the end of the 19th century. Elements often termed impressionistic include static harmony, emphasis on instrumental timbres that creates a shimmering interplay of “colors,” melodies that lack directed motion, surface ornamentation that obscures or substitutes for melody, and an avoidance of traditional musical form (Impressionism, 2013).
Music that was composed in the Romantic period occurred during the 19th century, and was led by Ludwig van Beethoven. For inspiration, many Romantic composers turned to the visual arts, to poetry, drama and literature, and to nature itself. Using the classical forms of sonata and symphony as a starting point, composers began focusing more on new melodic styles, richer harmonies, and ever more dissonance, in the pursuit of moving their audiences, rather than concerning themselves with the structural discipline of Classical forms (The Romantic Era, 2009-2012).
Impressionist composers created new ways for music to be arranged that had not been seen before. Erik Satie, a French composer, would often times end his pieces with “ta-daaa!” chords. Many people complained that his music had no form, which caused him to compose “Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear”. After creating this piece, society was not afraid to look back on old traditions, but rather leap boldly into the future (Impressionists Music, 200402017).
Modal Influences- Composers were attracted to medieval modes to escape the tyranny of the major and minor sounds (Music History, 2003-2004).
Whole-Tone Scale- The idea of the whole-tone scale came from areas like China and Bali, who used percussive rhythms and “bewitching” instrumental colors (Music History, 2003-2004).
Pentatonic Scale- This type of music is represented with the black keys being struck to create a familiar sound heard in China, Scotland, Ireland, and England (Music History, 2003-2004).
Impressionist Harmony- Artists from this era would put high emphasis on the chord as a function to harmonize movement within the melody (Music History, 2003-2004).
Parallel Motion- Unlike Classicism music, Impressionism moved voices in a parallel fashion (Music History, 2003-2004).
Escaped Chords- This characteristic of Impressionistic music was harmonies that gave the impression of having “escaped” to another tonality (Music History, 2003-2004).