Romantic Period: The Progressives and the Post-Romantics

The Progressives

In 1851, Wagner wrote Opera and Drama, one of a series of essays outlining his theories on opera. He felt that the traditional Italian form paid too much attention to the divisions of aria and recitative, and not enough to the dramatic flow of the opera. Wagner argued that the drama stopped with each break following an aria or chorus in Italian opera. He advocated a drama where music flowed continuously. Therefore, since the word opera was so inextricably linked to Italian music, Wagner created the term “music drama” for his works. These new ideas also made Wagner rethink his harmonic structures that required tension and resolution, since every resolution meant a potential stopping point.

By 1862, Wagner had completed four more music dramas: Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersinger of Nuremburg), and the first two dramas of Der Ring des Nibelungen: Das Rheingold, and Die Walküre. The Ring of Nibelungen, often known simply as The Ring, is a massive set of four dramas that includes the two listed above, as well as Siegfried and Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods). Together, they form a cycle that tells the story of the Gods of Norse mythology. In terms of scope, it is arguably the largest undertaking in the history of Western music, as each of the operas in the cycle often extends over four hours. Wagner had a theater built in Bayreuth specifically to stage The Ring. The theater included several innovations that influenced theatrical design for years to come. It is still the home to an annual revival of The Ring.

In order to establish thematic unity in the music drama, Wagner introduced the leitmotif, a musical theme or motive that represents a character, object, or idea. (This was a concept not too dissimilar from Berlioz’ idée fixe). Whenever a person or object appears onstage, a specific leitmotif appears in the music. Occasionally the leitmotif is used when that character or object is not present, in order to make the listener think of the subject. Thus, the leitmotif becomes a powerful psychological tool. An example of this technique is the appearance of the Siegfried motive at the end of Die Walküre. The motive does not represent a character in Die Walküre, but the main character in Siegfried, the next music drama in The Ring. This scene also includes at least three other leitmotifs. (The leitmotif concept is used today in motion picture music).

Another aspect of Wagner's music that places him at the forefront of his generation is his bold use of harmony. The Overture to Tristan und Isolde begins on a single note, A. (The opening two measures form the “Isolde” leitmotif). However, Wagner immediately moves away from A minor and returns to it only briefly about 30 measures later.

Especially in his late dramas, Wagner stretches the fabric of tonality almost to its breaking point. If the major/minor tonal system is built on the premise that chord progressions need to lead to a resolution on the tonic, then what happens if we never reach the tonic? The net result is a sense of restlessness or endlessness in the harmony. If we don’t use the tonic, then why bother with it?

Wagner's contributions to Romantic music may be summarized as follows:

• Completing the restructuring of the traditional opera that began in the 18th century, leading to a new conceptualization of the art as music drama.
• Creating the leitmotif.
• Stretching the harmonic advances of Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt and others to new limits.

The Post-Romantics and a New Age

One reason for studying music history is to understand why the composers of a given era write the music that they do. This understanding, however, can only be achieved in hindsight. While in 1890 neither Verdi, nor Brahms, nor Tchaikovsky could have anticipated the transformations that would reshape the Western musical world, these changes had already begun in France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. We call the final twenty years of the Romantic period Post-Romanticism, although, in reality, two completely different musical trends were unfolding simultaneously. One school of thought originated in France and Russia, while the other came from both the traditionalist and anti-traditionalist camps in Austria and Germany.

The two schools of thought did agree on the premise that the major/minor tonal system, which had guided composition since the Baroque era, was exhausted. Also, there was a general consensus that, for artistic as well as economic reasons, the Romantic trend of creating incrementally longer works with larger orchestras and choirs could not continue.