Key Terms
Romanticism
Emotion, imagination, individuality, the supernatural, nature; dominant from 1800 onward. Realism: everyday people, cont
Exoticism
Fascination with music and culture from other places; an aesthetic sub-movement within Romanticism.
Absolute Music
Music for the sake of music; no extra-musical referent or story attached.
Program Music
Instrumental music that represents something extra- musical (nature, literature, a painting, a story). Opposite of absol
Character Piece
Short piano composition named for an emotional mood, state, or reference; a form of program music.
Program Symphony
A MULTI-MOVEMENT orchestral composition representing something extra-musical; example: Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.
Symphonic Poem (Tone Poem)
ONE-movement orchestral composition with an extra-musical referent
Song Cycle (Liederkreis in German)
A collection of art songs grouped into a larger unified work
Opera
Continued to be popular; dominated by Italian styles since the 17th century
Oratorio
Large-scale choral work in tradition of Baroque cantata/oratorio; written for civic choirs and choral festivals
March
Structured piece for military band or large band
Songs notable for
Beautiful melodies + clever piano accompaniment + synthesis of poetry and music.
FOCUS COMPOSITION
The Stars and Stripes Forever, 1896
Symphonic poem defined by Liszt
One-movement program piece for orchestra portraying images of a place, story, landscape, or non-musical source. Uses the
Idee fixe
A recurring theme representing an ideology or person that provides continuity through a work. In this symphony, it repre