The Romanze is the second movement among four in Mozart’s composition “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” which was written in 1787. Typically, the movements are played by the stringed quartet. The other movements include the Allegro, Allegretto and an Allegro, which wraps it all up. The Allegro both at the beginning and the end as well as the Allegretto are played in G major, while the Romanze is played in C major, being the only movement that deviates from the norm in the music. This paper considers this movement within the context of the composition, the historical background motivating the creation of this piece, its stylistic devices reflecting its historical significance and its relevance to the world of music today.
Emotional Response
In response to this movement, the listener engages the slow tempo used in the movement. A feeling of gentleness and serenading comes over the listener, which cannot be compared to the aggressive nature of playing in the first movement. Repetitive playing of sections within the Romanze brings about a relaxed atmosphere with a gentle appeal. While the movement appears short, it is a welcome diversity from the rest of the movements.
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Composition Summary and Specific Area of Interest
To describe the reaction from the Romanze adequately, it is necessary to consider this movement as part of the larger composition, thereby interpreting it within context. The first movement – the Allegro, has three major themes intertwined within it, namely the exposition, recapitulation and a coda. The first theme within this sonata-allegro brings out a cheery and aggressive theme, with repetition attached to it. A short transition sees the second theme come in, welcoming a graceful and majestic D major key, compared to the G major played previously. A short development begins on the D major. However, it changes quickly between D major and G major, bringing the feeling of a battling between the two, until the G major transition is completed upon which both the recapitulation and coda are played on. During the coda, a cheery tone is maintained, as was the case at first. At this point, the second movement is introduced (BMSB Music Magazine, 2016).
This particular composition is interesting. Compared to musical compositions of this era, this movement is also quite short. In contrast to the previous movement, this one is gentler and engages a slow tempo. It equally has recurring sections A and B. the opening begins with section A, which engages a serenading melody varied in two parts, each of which is repeated. The violin carries the faster movements, which are in section A, at which point the transition to section B begins. This subsequent section is rhythmic and varies section A within its play. In fact, parts of section A are repeated towards its ending. Like section A, the section B also has two distinct sections within it repeating themselves. Finally, the second movement is brought to a close by a short coda of three hits signaling the end of the movement (BMSB Music Magazine, 2016).
Author’s Impact on Music
From history, it is clear that Mozart was an instrument player from the very tender age of three. Moreover, his lack of preference for non-soft instruments such as the trumpet at this age are made to abound. In this context, he was already composing at age five. For the most part of his life, the artist was estranged from his family. In fact, his pursuit for music was a huge diversion from the family business, which included book keeping and architecture. Later on, the artist went on to compose in every area and excelled in it.
From this brief look at the author’s history, one could already see where his preference for classical music came from, explaining the Romanze’s soft touches with added grace. Again, his ability to move away from the family business in the formative years to pursue music also sheds some light on his diverse styles of playing. While it was still classical music, the author made significant changes in light of his background and the changing social and political environment in Europe. Mozart also took advantage of the Austrian dominance in Italy to take his music there, thereby gaining more ground in those areas.
The Romantic Era
As seen above, the historical context of the Romanze is within the romantic era. This is an era located in the time history of the late 18 th to the early 19 th centuries. This is the period when romanticism was largely dominant within European art and literary forms. Specifically, the Romantic Movement in Germany involved music – the period in which Mozart composed the subject matter of this paper. During this period, music was expressive. In effect, it was used to communication emotions while simultaneously converging literary, philosophical and artistic themes. Among other things, this period largely focused on discontent with musical formulas and conventions from the time. Moreover, there was more fixation on the supernatural. As a result, mysticism was an item of consideration within music, where religion and spookiness was incorporated. Again, the interest on the biographical was also highlighted within this era of music.
In line with these characteristics, Mozart’s music displays some of these characteristics including deviation from the norm. Considering the second part of the composition, it is noticeably shorter than other similar works from the period. As a result, it reveals a direct deviation from the norm at this time, where movements were much longer. Moreover, Mozart’s works from the same period, including Don Giovanni, presented the eerie and supernatural within music, thereby addressing themselves to the characteristics of the period.
Historical Environment
The events happening in the late 18 th century to the early 19 th century most definitely affected the development of music from this era. In the middle of the industrial revolution, Europe had come ablaze with quick and unsteady movements from the technological aspect. New and innovative instruments were being made, as older wooden instruments were equally improved, paving way for the revolution in music as well (Schmidt-Jones & Jones, 2004). Moreover, the rise of the middle class opened artists to more exposure, a deviation from the norm. Previously, on the upper class enjoyed the compositions of artists; with the rise of the middle class, this was quickly changing. As a result, composers of this time performed before crowds who necessarily did not have musical tastes, thereby opening up the floodgates for experimentation.
Again, nationalism was at its peak during this time, with different composers using their abilities as opportunity to further national interests. For example, Jean Sibelius composed Finlandia , which depicted a musical expression of Finland’s independence from Russian control (Child, 2006). It is also possible that the works of Mozart at this time were influenced by the nationalistic waves, technological improvement and the rise of the middle class that were characteristic of Europe at the time.
Impact of Romantic Era Music
Among other things, romantic era music opened the consideration of nature through music. As a result, the personalization of music became more evident as artists presented themselves and their emotions more openly in music. In Romanze, for example, one can interpret the music as part of life in which there are fast-paced moments, whereas there is also the need for serenity and some escape from the quick moving nature of events. Romanticism also gave rise to the gothic movement, which led to the development of science fiction and horror/thriller genres of art (E-Notes, 2012). These are still relevant movements in today’s world of arts, influencing both music and movies.
In conclusion, Mozart’s Romanze, as part of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik , is a large influencer of history from its time of composition until date. After listening, a range of emotions is stirred. Moreover, its characteristics reveal social issues that were in play during this time, including the Industrial Revolution and nationalism, which affected the development of art. Finally, its relevance to modern art forms is considered.
References
BMSB Music Magazine. (2016). Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: The Analysis . Retrieved November 4, 2017, from Medium Corporation: https://medium.com/@bmsbmusic/mozarts-eine-kleine-nachtmusik-the-analysis-adfdcc680318
Child, F. (2006). Salonen on Sibelius: 'Finlandia' . Retrieved November 4, 2017, from NPR Radio: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6565718
E-Notes. (2012). What is the influence of Romanticism on today's culture? Retrieved November 4, 2017, from e-notes: https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/explain-influence-romanticism-todays-culture-363820
Schmidt-Jones, C., & Jones, R. (2004). Introduction to Music Theory. Houston, TX: Connexions Project.
