In What Respects Is NAM 4 typical of Romantic Music? Wagner.

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In What Respects Is NAM 4 typical of Romantic Music?

Wagner was born in Leipzig, in Germany, and studied music art and aesthetics at the University. Taking a large part in the German revolution of 1849 he was forced to live in exile until 1860, mostly in Zurich. It was here that he began his work on Tristan and Isolde in 1857, finishing the work in Lucerne in 1859.

Wagner was an important figure in opera and believed in Gesamtkunstwerk-all the arts working together. His operas were taken normally from German mythology. His works were performed during the Third Reich and was apparently Hitler’s favourite music.

The Tristan Prelude is a crucial romantic work which push the boundaries of tonality to their limit. Wagner incorporated Berlioz subtle and inventive use of the orchestra, which he expanded still further, and his harmonic and structural practice is more advanced.

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Leitmotifs form a large part of this piece. These are very short phrases which are associated with specific emotions, such as grief and desire. The Tristan progression is a special leitmotif because instead of portraying an emotion, it portrays a person, Tristan. In this leitmotif the Tristan chord plays a major part because the chord is dissonant and you think it must resolve but it doesn’t which makes it feel uncertain. The cello’s yawning opening falls, to form part of the Tristan chord. This chord is dissonant, and therefore must resolve. However, unlike a ‘normal’ chord, where part of ...

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