Hector Berlioz

Known as the ‘Russian Byron’, Mikhail Lermontov is revered for his radical interpretation of the Romantic antihero in A Hero of Our Time. He sought to fashion “a portrait built up from the vices of our whole generation” (Lermontov, preface), to create a character who would embody the spirit of the contemporary Russian man. In what would be his only prose work, Lermontov employs traits commonly associated with the Byronic hero as the basis for the character of his protagonist, Pechorin, such as…

Consequences I felt like throwing my violin at the wall. I had spent hours and hours getting my scales in tune, and I was still putting my fingers on the wrong places on the fingerboard. Rubbing my eyes, I put the violin down in its case and looked outside the window. It was pitch black outside, so that meant that it was very late. I sat down on the nearest chair, which creaked as it took my weight. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought to myself “What am I doing this for? I don’t like…

Hamilton’s research found that students in the United States and members of a remote Cambodian hill tribe express emotions through music and movement in nearly the same way. Both the students and the people from the Cambodian Kreung tribe were asked to manipulate five slider bars to change the characteristics of an animated character representing bouncy ball and make it look peaceful, scared, happy, sad or angry (Fig 2). Fig 2. Paradigm. Participants manipulated five slider bars corresponding…

Augusta Ada Byron, or Ada Lovelace, had a short life, yet left a mark that would last forever. Her works, even though they were ignored in her time, had an unmistakable impact to humanity’s advances, and became our first step to the “impossible”. Lovelace’s passion to find “poetical science” was a way for her to explore the deep depths of math and science. From there, with the guidance of her mother, she encountered different types of people. These people helped Lovelace to immerse herself…

A ray of light in a world filled with darkness--that is what NYCB is. And on every occasion the company presents Jerome Robbins' sublime, majestic The Goldberg Variations that light shines even brighter. Especially if the work is as lovingly performed as it was on Saturday evening by Ashley Bouder, Sterling Hyltin, and Sara Mearns (from all three of whom I have been accustomed to expect efforts of the highest caliber); Lauren Lovette, Emilie Gerrity, Anthony Huxley, Taylor Stanley, Daniel…

Richard Wagner, a Romantic German composer, is one of the leading opera composers of his time; he often defined his stage works using the term bühnenfestspiel, or festival stage play. He is known for writing several such works, including Lohengrin, Der Ring des Nibelungen, and Tristan und Isolde. In these works Wagner is credited with the use of many compositional devices and philosophies. In particular, he is recognized for employing the idea of a “gesamtkunstwerk,” or collective art, in…

meanings to the world around us. A composer who showed these ideals was Berlioz and his Symphonie fantastique. This piece was in-depth and developed thoroughly, in terms of emotions and in musical composition. Berlioz wanted to show the world an overtly emotional piece that told of his personal life story about his on-going admiration for the actress, Harriet Smithson. It is also where we see the introduction of program music, which Berlioz sees as necessary to include as it shows the passions…

Romanticism was one of the largest literary movements. It is estimated to have taken place during the end of the 18th century into the 19th century. One key characteristic of Romanticism is its emphasis on longing for the ideal romance between the sexes, but it usually ends in disappointment, frustration, and hurt. There is much emphasis on emotions. During class, we have read numerous romantic texts, but the most interesting treatment of romantic love can be seen in Lord Byron’s “Fare Thee…

What is romanticism? Romanticism was the largest artistic movement, it appeared after the French revolution and the Napoleonic wars at the late 1700s. The influence of the romantic era was felt through every artistic discipline in the nineteenth century; Romanticism was seen as a shift from the faith in reason to the faith in senses and feelings, it diverted the artistic interests from the urban society to the nature and the rural community. Romanticism shares many features as first, love of…

18th century and it spanned until the early 20th century. It was heavily influenced by Romanticism, which was a European movement involving art and literature. Many of the famous early composers from these years were Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Berlioz, and others. The famous later composers include Bruckner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, and others. This period is recognized as being more emotionally expressive than past periods because it explores themes that had not yet been touched upon.…