Most important 19th century composers

Creativity is a quality that manages to stand out and escape even when it encounters limitations, it is not wonder that the moment he achieves freedom he can be responsible for producing results wonderful. This was the case for some composers who had the opportunity to explore their talent without limits. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will learn about these exceptional people, the 19th century composers (XIX), a time that greatly appreciated individual sentimental expression.

By 19th century (19) we mean the time of the years 1800 - 1899. During this moment the artistic currents that passed were the Romanticism, followed by the Impressionism that, beyond being genres, were cultural movements also applied to the other arts (painting, literature, plastic arts, etc.) predominantly in the European area.

The nineteenth century acquires power when compared with previous times, since the focus was knowledge and intellect, even above expressiveness. This was probably due to the close relationship that art still had with the sources of power, politics and the social aspect.

In contrast, during the nineteenth century personal expression, perception and interpretationfrom reality, reflected in the thought "I feel, therefore I exist". These ideals were very close to the reflection of existence and the contemplation of nature.

The 19th century was a crucial time in the individual development of music, since it gave composers greater creative freedom to distribute and make themselves known individually; in earlier times musicians had to depend on the patronage of the monarchy or powerful institutions such as the church.

For the first time in this period of the music history, artists like Beethoven open the gap shortly before the beginning of the 19th century to self-publish your works and gain recognition for themselves. With the doors open, the artists of the 19th century eagerly sought the originality and individual creativity, trying to break the limits of classical musical customs.

We are going to discover a list of the most important 19th century composers so that you can learn about their works and their great importance in the history of music. They are as follows:

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827, Austria)

Beethoven lives right on the transition between 18th century Classicism and 19th century Romanticism. Beethoven was one of the first musicians to claim to be the owner of his own works and he opened the gap for the rest of composers by coming in as far as musical publication independence. Beethoven is recognized for his symphonies, having created 9 indispensable complete works in the classical repertoire. Notable works: Third Symphony "Heroic", Fifth Symphony and Ninth Symphony, whose fourth movement is based on the "Ode to Joy".

Franz Schubert (1797-1828, Austria)

Schubert stands out for its piano and voice works, becoming an important exponent of the genre of "Lieder", short compositions in the form of a song for piano and voice. Notable works: Symphony No.1, 2 and 3, Winter Journey.

Frèderic Chopin (1803 - 1869, France)

Chopin is widely recognized as one of the more sensitive composers of works for piano. Under his name we find a large number of works of various pianistic forms, highlighting the nights and studies. Notable works: Studies, Nocturns, Polonaise Op.53.

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856, Germany)

He is exemplary of the romantic style thanks to his emotional qualities and the balance between bliss and drama. In many of his works he fused music and text with excellence. Notable works: Symphony No.1, and 2, Kinderszenen.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883, Germany)

In addition to being a composer, he also performed the roles of playwright, conductor, poet, and music theorist. Wagner was a avant-garde musician regarding the development of motives or "Leitmotivs", in addition to balancing great richness between harmony, texture, orchestral color and counterpoint. Notable works: The Flying Dutchman, Parsifal, Tristan and Isolde.

Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897, Germany)

Brahms possessed a conservative style in contrast to contemporary composers of the time since their main influences were Mozart and Haydn, in such a way he maintained in his works many characteristics of the music of the classicism. He composed orchestral, symphonic-choral music, piano works, and songs. Brahms is one of the most important composers of chamber music. Notable works: Symphonies No.1, 3 and 4.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893, Russia)

Tchaikovsky is recognized for great beauty of his works endowed with sensitive and elegant richness. Outstanding among his works are symphonies and works of the theatrical genre such as his ballets and his operas. Notable works: The Waltz of the Flowers, the Suite of the Nutcracker Eugenio Onequin, The Swan Lake.

Antonín Dvorak (1841 - 1904, Czech Republic)

Categorized as a post-romantic composer, he is considered the main representative of Czech nationalism, thanks to the inclusion of the essence of his native land in his works. Noted for his symphonies, concerts, operas, choral works and symphonic poems. Notable works: Symphony No.1: The Bells of Zlonice, Symphony No.9: New World Symphony.

Gustav Malher (1860 - 1911)

Malher lived the transition between the 19th century and the 20th century, thus presenting certain characteristics of the modernist movement. Malher has a large number of varied works to his name, but his symphonies stand out by far, including avant-garde works that broke classical training schemes such as the Symphony No.8, who calls himself "The Symphony of a Thousand" since it requires approximately shower the amount of musicians to interpret. Notable works:Symphony No. 8, Symphony No. 1 “Titan”, Symphony No. 5 in C # minor.

Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)

French with a Spanish mother, a factor that is noted in some of his compositions. He was one of the greatest exponents of Impressionism. Thanks to the exquisite balance between structure and sentimental expressiveness, Ravel is considered one of the greatest orchestration masters. In addition to orchestral works, Ravel also composed works for piano and small ensembles such as trios and quartets. Most of his works are considered revolutionary. Notable works: Bolero, Daphnis et Chloe, Piano Concerto in G major, Miroirs.

Now that you know much more about some of these outstanding composers, we recommend that you take a time to listen to his great works and better understand the idea of ​​this time in history musical.