Music. Learn, enjoy, appreciate.

“Who can do anything after Beethoven?” Composers in nineteenth century Europe had a daunting predecessor, but the music they wrote is some of the most beautiful and dramatic of all classical music. Examining the music of the Romantic period in its historical and social context, we look at the works of composers such as Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Liszt, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.

This course is the third of a series of four one-day music courses that will guide you through the main periods of classical music history. Over four Saturdays throughout the year you we will see the progression of music from the richness of the Baroque, through the elegant simplicity of the classical period, the passion and drama of the Romantic period to the mysterious beauty of the Impressionist period.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• list some of the main composers of the Romantic period
• list some music from the Romantic period
• describe some of the musical characteristics of the Romantic period.

Content

This classical music appreciation course covers the following topics:

• What is wonderful about Romantic music?
• Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1
• Romance and adventure: origins of the term 'Romantic'
• Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2
• Social, cultural and historical background: Europe, 1820-1900
• The art of the Romantic period: we look at art and architecture of the times, and see parallel tastes in art and music