Nationalism vs. Realism : Nationalism enhanced by music and opera was highly esteemed by ancient opera producers, who staged shows that expressed prevailing political trends, as intimated in Bohemia, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Opera producers who endorsed nationalism, such as Bohemia’s Bedrich Smetana, Spain’s Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, and Italy’s Giacomo Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi, had their operas embodying political critiques using robust syllables, symmetric phrasing, and melodic rhythms, sharp contrasts, and explicit harmonious modal music integrated into performances ( Burkholder, Grout, & Palisca, 2019). Nationalistic opera producers composed and directed shows, such as Don Giovanni by Mozart, Dmitrij by Antonin Drovak, Gloria y Puleca by Barbieri, and Nabuco by Verdi. In contrast, realism operas had genres that exhibited romance and exotic lifestyles, as shown by opera producers, such as Leo Delibes, Charles Gounod, and Camille Saint-Saens. The shows, such as Carmen , Orphee aux enfers , and Edgar Degas’ Café’ were infused with the sentimental or comic melody or poetry, unspoken dialogue, and provocative sexuality.
Audience : The opera and music audience shifted preferences throughout the 18th and 19th centuries as composers undertook new performances. In the 18th century, opera audiences preferred famous nationalism producers, such as Wagner and Verdi, whose works embodied an oneness of music and drama. The artists pioneered Gesamtkunstwerk , a combination of scenes with poetry, music, action, and staging that thrilled audiences as expressed in libretto operas, such as The Flying Dutchman , Lohengrin , and Nabuco ( Burkholder, Grout, & Palisca, 2019). However, audience inclinations changed with the introduction of lyric opera with comic, romantic, supernaturalism, legend fairy tales, and exoticism genres, such as Samson et Delila and Romeo et Juliet by Camille Saint-Saens and George Bizet. Audiences also savored classical music from Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, and popular concert music that incorporated string quartets, symphonies, marches, and sonatas by artists, such as Johannes Brahms, Franz Lizst and Anthony Bruckner.
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Writing on Music : The music thought process transformed between the 19 th and 18 th centuries, with classical music manifesting, more syllables, contrasted consonances and dissonances, variances in major and minor harmonies, stable tones that were sung in loud sounds, such as the classical repertoires of Handel, Palestrina, Chopin, and Mendelsohn ( Burkholder, Grout, & Palisca, 2019). However, new concert music that embodied chorales, chants, and hymns that accorded listeners a platform to dance in concert halls was later introduced by upcoming musicians, such as Robert Schuman, Lizst, and Hans Von Bulow. The central arguments advanced by classical music were nationalism and culture, while concert music predominantly argued internationalism. Further, composers started attending music schools to excel their skills and collaborated with publishers to earn royalties from their works, instead of working under impresarios.
Popular vs. Classical Music: Popular and classical music had distinct variances manifested in their presentation, composition processes, and notation. While popular music centralized attention on performers and performances as commodities with rearranged notations, classical music focused on the composer who was mandated to adhere to a predetermined notation score ( Burkholder, Grout, & Palisca, 2019). However, both popular and classical music accommodated folklore songs with well-defined tunes as performed during concert events or opera shows.
Connections between Composers : Music in the 18th and 19th centuries was orchestrated by various events that influenced the styles of composers. For instance, Theodore Thomas, who composed classical music, adopted a professional orchestral style engendered by the 1848 Revolution, while Amy Beach’s music reflected the exclusion of women from acquiring higher education, with songs expressed through piano, string quartet, and symphony ( Burkholder, Grout, & Palisca, 2019). Moreover, World War 1 and the Civil War advanced the creation of band music, composed musicians, such as Patrick. S. Gilmore and had fame, finances, and patriotism as central themes.
References
Burkholder, J., Grout, D., & Palisca, C. (2019). A history of western music: Tenth international student edition . W.W. Norton & Company.
