Nationalism (music)
Encyclopedia
Musical nationalism refers to the use of musical
ideas or motifs that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity, such as folk tunes and melodies, rhythms, and harmonies inspired by them. Musical nationalism can also include the use of folklore
as a basis for programmatic works including opera.
Although some evidence of the trend can be seen as early as the late 18th century, nationalism
as a musical phenomenon is generally understood to have emerged part way into the Romantic era
, beginning around the mid-19th century and continuing well into the twentieth. It initially began as a reaction against the dominance of the mainstream European classical tradition
(that is "German", "Italian"
, and "French"
music) and later developed alongside the growing movements for national liberation and self-determination that characterized much of the 19th century. Countries or regions most commonly linked to musical nationalism include Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Scandinavia, Spain, UK, Latin America and the United States.
It should also be noted that musical nationalism is a term often used to describe non-European 20th century music as well, in particular that originating in Latin America.
Fryderyk Chopin was one of the first composers to incorporate nationalistic elements into his compositions . Joseph Machlis states, "Poland's struggle for freedom from tsarist rule aroused the national poet in Poland...Examples of musical nationalism abound in the output of the romantic era. The folk idiom is prominent in the Mazurkas of Chopin." (Machlis 1963, 149-150). His mazurkas
and polonaises
are particularly notable for their use of nationalistic rhythms. Moreover, "During World War II the Nazis forbade the playing of...Chopin's Polonaises in Warsaw because of the powerful symbolism residing in these works." (Machlis 1963, 150).
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka was the first Russian composer to give a native voice to common musical styles of the day. After studying music and visiting Italy and Berlin, Glinka composed an opera about the Russian peasant and hero Ivan Susanin. The work was titled A Life for the Tsar
, and used several aspects new to Russian music. It used recitative instead of spoken dialogue, and had recurring themes. There were two Russian folk tunes in the opera, and several more tunes that had the characteristics of folk music.
The Five
Moguchaya kuchka (The Mighty Handful) is a phrase coined by Russian music critic Vladimir Stasov to describe a group of five Russian composers whose purpose was to compose music in a Russian style. Members of the five were Mily Balakirev
(1836–1910), the leader of the group, César Cui
(1835–1918), Modest Mussorgsky
(1839–1881), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
(1844–1908), and Alexander Borodin
(1833–1887).
The Five felt that the folk and religious music of the Russian people should be used a basis for composition. They tried to avoid strict counterpoint in the Germanic style, as well as certain other techniques employed in western Europe. They preferred Romanticism and realism over Classical form. Some of the distinguishing stylistic characteristics of this group included use of non-functional tonal progressions, asymmetrical meters, and a coloristic approach to orchestration.
To preserve the native language, the Provisional Theater was organized in Prague. This theater promoted the Czech language, composers, folk music, and programs using national themes.
Bedřich Smetana
Smetana, a Bohemian, was the first great Czech nationalist composer. He wrote his first nationalist work in 1863, in Czech, as a contest entry to the Provisional Theater. He learned to read and write Czech to enter the competition. This opera, Braniboři v Čechách (The Brandenburgers in Bohemia) has a historic plot, but the music does not represent folk song.
His second opera, Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride, 1863–1866), incorporates folk melodies, and was a success beyond Czechoslovakia. Also included in his nationalistic works are the six tone poems Má vlast
(My Fatherland, 1872–1880).
Antonín Dvořák
Dvořák was the most successful of the Czech nationalist composers. He performed viola in the Provisional Theater under Smetana, and was mentored by Brahms
.
Dvořák included Bohemian themes and elements into much of his music. In 1871, he left the Provisional Theater and began to set a libretto by a Czech writer, Lobesky, titled Král a uhlíř (The King and the Charcoal Burner). Unfortunately, this opera was not successful. More notable for their national content are his sixteen Slavonic Dances
, eight in Op. 46 (1878) and eight in Op. 72 (1886), plus the three Slavonic Rhapsodies, Op. 45 (1880).
Dvořák was invited to New York to direct the first national conservatory in America. While abroad, he studied African American and Native American music. Some say that these styles are incorporated into his American works: Symphony no. 9
op. 95 (From the New World), The "American" string quartet
op. 96, and the "American" string quintet, op. 97.
Leoš Janáček
Janáček did a lot of work researching and cataloguing Moravian folk music. His work inspired further research. Because of his interest in folk music, he was predisposed to modality and pentatonic scales which appear frequently in Moravian folk music. He generally wrote without key signatures to freely move between modes.
His most famous opera, Jenůfa
(1904), was originally written in Czech and translated into German. Janáček supervised the translation carefully to preserve the integrity of the libretto.
Edvard Grieg
Grieg began composing national music after visiting Ole Bull
, a violinist and researcher of folk music. His most notable pieces are the incidental music
for plays, including his music for Ibsen's Peer Gynt
(1874–1875). He also composed many piano works in a national style.
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius had strong patriotic feelings for Finland. He chose to write program music rather than base his works on Finnish folk music. For his contributions, the government awarded him a pension.
In 1899, patriotism was running high in Finland. Sibelius composed the symphonic poem Finlandia
(1899) for a festival, and this rallied the Finnish citizens into a patriotic fervor. A portion of this tone poem has been arranged as a chorale
; it remains an important national song of Finland, and is also present in many Protestant hymnals.
Hugo Alfvén
Studied at the music conservatory in his hometown, Stockholm. In addition to being a Violinist, Conductor, and Composer; he was also a painter. He is perhaps best known for his 5 symphonies and 3 Swedish Rhapsodies.
Isaac Albéniz
Albéniz was born in Camprodon, Catalonia and studied at many of Europes premiere conservatories, including the Escuela Nacional de Música y Declamación in Spain. Many of his piano works reflect his Spanish heritage, including the Suite Iberia (1906–1909). In this piece the piano imitates the guitar and castanets, traditional Spanish instruments.
Enrique Granados
Granados composed zarzuelas, a type of Spanish musical theater. He composed his work Goyescas
(1911) based on the etchings of the Spanish painter, Goya. Also of a national style are his Danzas españolas and his first opera María del Carmen.
, and the romantic ballad Estrellita (1912).
Carlos Chávez
Carlos Chávez was a Mexican composer, conductor, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra and the National Institute of Fine Arts INBA
. Some of his music was influenced by indigenous Mexican cultures. A period of nationalistic leanings initiated in 1921 with the Aztec-themed ballet El fuego nuevo (The New Fire), followed by a second ballet, Los cuatro soles (The Four Suns), in 1925. Of his six Symphonies, his Symphony No. 2, Sinfonía India, which uses native Yaqui percussion instruments, is perhaps the most popular.
Silvestre Revueltas
Silvestre Revueltas was a composer of both nationalistic and avant-garde music. His most famous is his film-music to the homonymous film La noche de los Mayas, where he appropriates musical and rhythmic motifs from Mayan indigenous music.
Ottorino Respighi
He is best known for his orchestral Roman trilogy: Fontane di Roma - "Fountains of Rome"; Pini di Roma - "Pines of Rome"; and Feste Romane - "Roman Festivals".
Joseph Parry
Parry was born in Wales, but moved to the United States as a child. In his adulthood, he traveled between Wales and America, and performed Welsh songs and glees with Welsh texts in recitals. He composed the first Welsh opera, Blodwen(1878).
Charles Stanford
Stanford incorporated Irish and English elements in his music, including five Irish Rhapsodies (1901–1914). He published volumes of Irish folk song arrangements, and his third symphony is titled the Irish symphony.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Though also linked to some degree with the impressionist movement, Vaughan Williams' melodic language grew primarily out of the idioms of English folksong. He collected, published and arranged many folksongs from across the country, and wrote many pieces, large and small scale, based on folk melodies, such as the Fantasia on Greensleeves and the Five Variants on "Dives and Lazarus".
Charles Wakefield Cadman
Cadman spent time on the Omaha and Winnebago Indian reservations and recorded their songs. He arranged and published some of them. Cadman presented a series of recitals with the Omaha princess Tsianina Redfeather, a mezzo-soprano, and composed an opera, Shanewis or The Robin Woman (1918), based on her life.
Arthur Farwell
Farwell also worked with Native American music, but also studied Anglo American and African American folk songs, as well as Mexican and Cowboy music. He founded Wa-Wan Press
to publish his American Indian Melodies (1900) and works by contemporary composers.
Aaron Copland
Copland wrote in a classic "Americana" style writing several patriotic songs such as Lincoln Portrait
.
Edward MacDowell
He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idylls". Heavily inspired by scenes of nature in the New England States.
African American Music
Music Nationalism was started off with famous composer, Anton Dvorak. After he traveled to America, it became very apparent that he was extremely interested in American folk music, Native American tribes, and the black community that was around New York City. Dvorak showed particular interest in his student Harry Burleigh
. Burleigh is recognized as the first African American to achieve national status as a composer and arranger. Burleigh became famous for his arrangements in art form music of African American Spirituals.
Burleigh was the exception to most African American composers who mainly studied compositions in theater music. Will Marion Cook was a violinist and graduated from The Oberlin Conservatory when he was only 15 years old. He composed many unsuccessful musicals but was best known for his songs that represented black folk elements. John Rosamond Johnson, James Weldon Johnson and Robert Cole produced two successful operettas with all-black casts on Broadway. The two operettas were The Shoo-Fly Regiment and The Red Moon.
Manolis Kalomiris
He was a Greek classical composer. He was the founder of the Greek National School of Music.
classical music began with the education of Ukrainians
in western Europe who would return and compose music. Such composers include Italy-educated Maksym Berezovsky
(1745–1777), Dmytro Bortnyansky (1751–1825), Artem Vedel (1767–1808), and Semen Hulak-Artemovsky
(1813–1873).
Mykola Lysenko
Mykola Lysenko is considered to be the father of Ukrainian classical music, not because he was the first Ukrainian to compose classical music, but because his music was the first that can be considered distinctly Ukrainian. At first Mykola Lysenko graduated from the Kiev University
with a degree in natural sciences. However, coming from a rich family Lysenko was educated in music and decided not to start work in his field of study but instead to further his musical education at first in Franz Schubert
's Leipzig Conservatory and later in the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Inspired by Taras Shevchenko
and other members of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius
who stood for the liberation of Ukrainian territories from Russian, Polish and Austrian rule, Lysenko wrote numerous art songs to the words of these and many other Ukrainian poets. He was also an ethnomusicologist, collecting and arranging Ukrainian folk songs for choir, and solos and duets with accompaniment. His own orchestral music, such as his opera Taras Bulba
were based on distinctly Ukrainian topics and featured Ukrainian folk themes. He also opened the first Ukrainian music school in Kiev
, the Mykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama.
Lysenko's traditions were continued by the likes of Kyrylo Stetsenko
(1882–1922), Mykola Leontovych
(1877–1921), Yakiv Stepovy
(1883–1921), Alexander Koshetz (1877-1944), and later, Levko Revutsky
(1889–1977).
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
ideas or motifs that are identified with a specific country, region, or ethnicity, such as folk tunes and melodies, rhythms, and harmonies inspired by them. Musical nationalism can also include the use of folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
as a basis for programmatic works including opera.
Although some evidence of the trend can be seen as early as the late 18th century, nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
as a musical phenomenon is generally understood to have emerged part way into the Romantic era
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
, beginning around the mid-19th century and continuing well into the twentieth. It initially began as a reaction against the dominance of the mainstream European classical tradition
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
(that is "German", "Italian"
Italian classical music
-Art Music:"Art music" is a somewhat broader term than "classical music" and may be defined for the purposes of this article as "establishment" music that is composed for public or private performance. By definition, it excludes popular musical forms that are based on folk music...
, and "French"
French classical music
French classical music began with the sacred music of the Roman Catholic Church, with written records predating the reign of Charlemagne. It includes all of the major genres of sacred and secular, instrumental and vocal music...
music) and later developed alongside the growing movements for national liberation and self-determination that characterized much of the 19th century. Countries or regions most commonly linked to musical nationalism include Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Scandinavia, Spain, UK, Latin America and the United States.
It should also be noted that musical nationalism is a term often used to describe non-European 20th century music as well, in particular that originating in Latin America.
Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
See also: Nationalism in Chopin's compositionsFryderyk Chopin was one of the first composers to incorporate nationalistic elements into his compositions . Joseph Machlis states, "Poland's struggle for freedom from tsarist rule aroused the national poet in Poland...Examples of musical nationalism abound in the output of the romantic era. The folk idiom is prominent in the Mazurkas of Chopin." (Machlis 1963, 149-150). His mazurkas
Mazurkas (Chopin)
Over the years 1825-1849, Frédéric Chopin wrote at least 69 mazurkas, based on the traditional Polish dance :* 58 have been published** 45 during Chopin's lifetime, of which 41 have opus numbers...
and polonaises
Polonaises (Chopin)
Most of Frédéric Chopin's polonaises were written for solo piano. He wrote his first polonaise in 1817, when he was 7; his last was the Polonaise-Fantaisie of 1846, three years before his death. Among the best known polonaises are the "Military" Polonaise in A, Op. 40, No. 1, and the "Heroic" or...
are particularly notable for their use of nationalistic rhythms. Moreover, "During World War II the Nazis forbade the playing of...Chopin's Polonaises in Warsaw because of the powerful symbolism residing in these works." (Machlis 1963, 150).
Russia
Until the 19th century, Russian art music had been dominated by foreign musicians. Peter the Great (1689–1725) had begun this trend by importing foreign musicians to modernize his kingdom. As a result, very few Russian compositions in the western European art music tradition exist before Glinka. Mikhail GlinkaMikhail GlinkaMikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
(1804-1857)
Mikhail Glinka was the first Russian composer to give a native voice to common musical styles of the day. After studying music and visiting Italy and Berlin, Glinka composed an opera about the Russian peasant and hero Ivan Susanin. The work was titled A Life for the TsarA Life for the Tsar
A Life for the Tsar , as it is known in English, although its original name was Ivan Susanin is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. The original Russian libretto, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik, Georgy Fyodorovich Rozen,...
, and used several aspects new to Russian music. It used recitative instead of spoken dialogue, and had recurring themes. There were two Russian folk tunes in the opera, and several more tunes that had the characteristics of folk music.
The FiveThe FiveThe Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie , refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin...
Moguchaya kuchka (The Mighty Handful) is a phrase coined by Russian music critic Vladimir Stasov to describe a group of five Russian composers whose purpose was to compose music in a Russian style. Members of the five were Mily BalakirevMily Balakirev
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ,Russia was still using old style dates in the 19th century, and information sources used in the article sometimes report dates as old style rather than new style. Dates in the article are taken verbatim from the source and therefore are in the same style as the source...
(1836–1910), the leader of the group, César Cui
César Cui
César Antonovich Cui was a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer and a teacher of fortifications; his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music, in that he was a composer and music critic; in this sideline he is known as a...
(1835–1918), Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
(1839–1881), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
(1844–1908), and Alexander Borodin
Alexander Borodin
Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...
(1833–1887).
The Five felt that the folk and religious music of the Russian people should be used a basis for composition. They tried to avoid strict counterpoint in the Germanic style, as well as certain other techniques employed in western Europe. They preferred Romanticism and realism over Classical form. Some of the distinguishing stylistic characteristics of this group included use of non-functional tonal progressions, asymmetrical meters, and a coloristic approach to orchestration.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was a country formed in 1918 by the combination of the Bohemian, Moravian, and Slovakian territories. These territories had been under the control of the Habsburg Empire. As a result, the imperial language, German, and the imperial religion, Catholicism, had become a way of life for the Czech people.To preserve the native language, the Provisional Theater was organized in Prague. This theater promoted the Czech language, composers, folk music, and programs using national themes.
Bedřich SmetanaBedrich SmetanaBedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
(1824-1884)
Smetana, a Bohemian, was the first great Czech nationalist composer. He wrote his first nationalist work in 1863, in Czech, as a contest entry to the Provisional Theater. He learned to read and write Czech to enter the competition. This opera, Braniboři v Čechách (The Brandenburgers in Bohemia) has a historic plot, but the music does not represent folk song.His second opera, Prodaná nevěsta (The Bartered Bride, 1863–1866), incorporates folk melodies, and was a success beyond Czechoslovakia. Also included in his nationalistic works are the six tone poems Má vlast
Má vlast
Má vlast is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. While it is often presented as a single work in six movements and – with the exception of Vltava– is almost always recorded that way, the six pieces were conceived as individual works...
(My Fatherland, 1872–1880).
Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
(1841-1904)
Dvořák was the most successful of the Czech nationalist composers. He performed viola in the Provisional Theater under Smetana, and was mentored by BrahmsJohannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
.
Dvořák included Bohemian themes and elements into much of his music. In 1871, he left the Provisional Theater and began to set a libretto by a Czech writer, Lobesky, titled Král a uhlíř (The King and the Charcoal Burner). Unfortunately, this opera was not successful. More notable for their national content are his sixteen Slavonic Dances
Slavonic Dances
The Slavonic Dances are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Opus 46 and Opus 72 respectively. Originally written for piano four hands, the Slavonic Dances were inspired by Johannes Brahms's own Hungarian Dances and were...
, eight in Op. 46 (1878) and eight in Op. 72 (1886), plus the three Slavonic Rhapsodies, Op. 45 (1880).
Dvořák was invited to New York to direct the first national conservatory in America. While abroad, he studied African American and Native American music. Some say that these styles are incorporated into his American works: Symphony no. 9
Symphony No. 9 (Dvorák)
The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 , popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire...
op. 95 (From the New World), The "American" string quartet
String Quartet No. 12 (Dvorák)
The American string quartet, opus 96 in F major, is the 12th string quartet composed by Antonín Dvořák. It was written in 1893, during Dvořák's visit to the United States. Dvořák wrote that the quartet - one of the most popular in the chamber music repertoire - is influenced by American folk music...
op. 96, and the "American" string quintet, op. 97.
Leoš JanáčekLeoš JanácekLeoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
(1854-1928)
Janáček did a lot of work researching and cataloguing Moravian folk music. His work inspired further research. Because of his interest in folk music, he was predisposed to modality and pentatonic scales which appear frequently in Moravian folk music. He generally wrote without key signatures to freely move between modes.His most famous opera, Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
(1904), was originally written in Czech and translated into German. Janáček supervised the translation carefully to preserve the integrity of the libretto.
Edvard GriegEdvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
(1843–1907)
Grieg began composing national music after visiting Ole BullOle Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
, a violinist and researcher of folk music. His most notable pieces are the incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for plays, including his music for Ibsen's Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
(1874–1875). He also composed many piano works in a national style.
Jean SibeliusJean SibeliusJean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
(1865–1957)
Jean Sibelius had strong patriotic feelings for Finland. He chose to write program music rather than base his works on Finnish folk music. For his contributions, the government awarded him a pension.In 1899, patriotism was running high in Finland. Sibelius composed the symphonic poem Finlandia
Finlandia (symphonic poem)
Finlandia, Op. 26 is a symphonic poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The first version was written in 1899, and it was revised in 1900...
(1899) for a festival, and this rallied the Finnish citizens into a patriotic fervor. A portion of this tone poem has been arranged as a chorale
Finlandia Hymn
The Finlandia Hymn refers to a serene hymn-like section of the patriotic symphonic poem Finlandia, written in 1899 and 1900 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius...
; it remains an important national song of Finland, and is also present in many Protestant hymnals.
Hugo AlfvénHugo Alfvénwas a Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter.- Violinist :Alfvén was born in Stockholm and studied at the Music Conservatory there from 1887 to 1891 with the violin as his main instrument, receiving lessons from Lars Zetterquist. He also took private composition lessons from Johan...
(1872-1960)
Studied at the music conservatory in his hometown, Stockholm. In addition to being a Violinist, Conductor, and Composer; he was also a painter. He is perhaps best known for his 5 symphonies and 3 Swedish Rhapsodies.Felip Pedrell (1841-1922)
Spanish Catalan Composer. Basically the father of Spanish national music. He strongly encouraged both Albéniz and Granados to compose music in the Spanish style. Isaac AlbénizIsaac AlbénizIsaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual was a Spanish Catalan pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms .-Life:Born in Camprodon, province of Girona, to Ángel Albéniz and his wife Dolors Pascual, Albéniz...
(1860–1909)
Albéniz was born in Camprodon, Catalonia and studied at many of Europes premiere conservatories, including the Escuela Nacional de Música y Declamación in Spain. Many of his piano works reflect his Spanish heritage, including the Suite Iberia (1906–1909). In this piece the piano imitates the guitar and castanets, traditional Spanish instruments. Enrique GranadosEnrique GranadosEnrique Granados y Campiña was a Spanish pianist and composer of classical music. His music is in a uniquely Spanish style and, as such, representative of musical nationalism...
(1867–1918)
Granados composed zarzuelas, a type of Spanish musical theater. He composed his work GoyescasGoyescas
Goyescas, Op. 11, subtitled Los majos enamorados , is a piano suite written in 1911 by Spanish composer Enrique Granados. This piano suite is usually considered Granados's crowning creation and was inspired by the paintings of Francisco Goya, although the piano pieces have not been authoritatively...
(1911) based on the etchings of the Spanish painter, Goya. Also of a national style are his Danzas españolas and his first opera María del Carmen.
Manuel M. Ponce (1882–1948)
Manuel M. Ponce was a composer, educator and scholar of Mexican music. Among his works are the lullaby La Rancherita (1907), Scherzerino Mexicana (1909) composed in the style of sones and huapangos, Rapsodía Mexicana, No 1 (1911) based on the jarabe tapatíoJarabe tapatío
The Jarabe Tapatío dance in its standardized form was first choreographed by the Mexican, in the early twentieth century to celebrate a government-sponsored fiesta that commemorated the successful end of the Mexican Revolution....
, and the romantic ballad Estrellita (1912).
Carlos ChávezCarlos ChávezCarlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramírez was a Mexican composer, conductor, music theorist, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He was influenced by native Mexican cultures. Of his six Symphonies, his Symphony No...
(1899–1978)
Carlos Chávez was a Mexican composer, conductor, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra and the National Institute of Fine Arts INBAInba
INBA or Inba may refer to: Chile*Internado Nacional Barros Arana, a prestigious secondary school Germany*InBA - Institut des Bewertungsausschusses, a german institution that supports the board which negotiates the ratings for medical treatments in national health services. India*Inba , a 2008...
. Some of his music was influenced by indigenous Mexican cultures. A period of nationalistic leanings initiated in 1921 with the Aztec-themed ballet El fuego nuevo (The New Fire), followed by a second ballet, Los cuatro soles (The Four Suns), in 1925. Of his six Symphonies, his Symphony No. 2, Sinfonía India, which uses native Yaqui percussion instruments, is perhaps the most popular.
Silvestre RevueltasSilvestre RevueltasSilvestre Revueltas Sánchez was a Mexican composer of classical music, a violinist and a conductor.-Life:...
(1899–1940)
Silvestre Revueltas was a composer of both nationalistic and avant-garde music. His most famous is his film-music to the homonymous film La noche de los Mayas, where he appropriates musical and rhythmic motifs from Mayan indigenous music. Ottorino RespighiOttorino RespighiOttorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
(1879-1936)
He is best known for his orchestral Roman trilogy: Fontane di Roma - "Fountains of Rome"; Pini di Roma - "Pines of Rome"; and Feste Romane - "Roman Festivals".United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, nationalist music was more prominent in Scotland, Ireland and Wales than in England. These countries have always had a strong connection to their heritage, and Romantic composers incorporated elements of British folk music into their works. Joseph ParryJoseph ParryJoseph Parry , was a Welsh composer and musician. Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, he is best known as the composer of Myfanwy and Aberystwyth used in Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika the National anthem of South Africa.The cottage at 4 Chapel Row, Merthyr Tydfil, where Parry was born, is now open to the...
(1841–1903)
Parry was born in Wales, but moved to the United States as a child. In his adulthood, he traveled between Wales and America, and performed Welsh songs and glees with Welsh texts in recitals. He composed the first Welsh opera, Blodwen(1878). Charles StanfordCharles StanfordCharles Stanford may refer to:*Charles Villiers Stanford , Irish composer* Charles Stanford , Baptist minister...
(1852–1924)
Stanford incorporated Irish and English elements in his music, including five Irish Rhapsodies (1901–1914). He published volumes of Irish folk song arrangements, and his third symphony is titled the Irish symphony.Alexander Mackenzie (1847–1935)
Mackenzie prepared and published arrangements of Scottish folk songs, and many of his compositions contain folk elements. Included in these are his Highland Ballad for violin and orchestra (1893), and the Scottish Concerto for piano and orchestra (1897). He also composed the Canadian Rhapsody. Ralph Vaughan WilliamsRalph Vaughan WilliamsRalph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
(1872–1958)
Though also linked to some degree with the impressionist movement, Vaughan Williams' melodic language grew primarily out of the idioms of English folksong. He collected, published and arranged many folksongs from across the country, and wrote many pieces, large and small scale, based on folk melodies, such as the Fantasia on Greensleeves and the Five Variants on "Dives and Lazarus". Charles Wakefield CadmanCharles Wakefield CadmanCharles Wakefield Cadman was an American composer.Cadman’s musical education, unlike that of most of his American contemporaries, was completely American. Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he began piano lessons at 13...
(1881–1946)
Cadman spent time on the Omaha and Winnebago Indian reservations and recorded their songs. He arranged and published some of them. Cadman presented a series of recitals with the Omaha princess Tsianina Redfeather, a mezzo-soprano, and composed an opera, Shanewis or The Robin Woman (1918), based on her life. Arthur FarwellArthur FarwellArthur Farwell was an American composer, conductor, educationalist, lithographer, esoteric savant, and music publisher.- Biography :Farwell was born in St Paul, Minnesota...
(1872–1952)
Farwell also worked with Native American music, but also studied Anglo American and African American folk songs, as well as Mexican and Cowboy music. He founded Wa-Wan PressWa-Wan Press
The Wa-Wan Press was an American music publishing company founded in 1901 by composer Arthur Farwell in Newton Center, Massachusetts. The firm concentrated on publishing compositions by so-called Indianist movement members—composers who incorporated traditional Native American music into...
to publish his American Indian Melodies (1900) and works by contemporary composers.
Charles Edward Ives (1874–1954)
Ives combined the American popular and church-music traditions of his youth with European art music. Sources of Charles Ives’s tonal imagery are hymn tunes and traditional songs, the town band at holiday parade, the fiddlers at Saturday night dances, patriotic songs, sentimental parlor ballads, and the melodies of Stephen Foster. Aaron CoplandAaron CoplandAaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
(1900-1990)
Copland wrote in a classic "Americana" style writing several patriotic songs such as Lincoln PortraitLincoln Portrait
Lincoln Portrait is a classical orchestral work written by the American composer Aaron Copland. The work involves a full orchestra, with particular emphasis on the brass section at climactic moments. The work is narrated with the reading of excerpts of Abraham Lincoln's great documents, including...
.
Edward MacDowellEdward MacDowellEdward Alexander MacDowell was an American composer and pianist of the Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idylls". "Woodland Sketches" includes his most popular short piece, "To a Wild Rose"...
(1860-1908)
He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idylls". Heavily inspired by scenes of nature in the New England States. African American MusicAfrican American musicAfrican-American music is an umbrella term given to a range of musics and musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large and significant ethnic minority of the population of the United States...
Music Nationalism was started off with famous composer, Anton Dvorak. After he traveled to America, it became very apparent that he was extremely interested in American folk music, Native American tribes, and the black community that was around New York City. Dvorak showed particular interest in his student Harry BurleighHarry Burleigh
Henry "Harry" Thacker Burleigh , a baritone, was an African American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer...
. Burleigh is recognized as the first African American to achieve national status as a composer and arranger. Burleigh became famous for his arrangements in art form music of African American Spirituals.
Burleigh was the exception to most African American composers who mainly studied compositions in theater music. Will Marion Cook was a violinist and graduated from The Oberlin Conservatory when he was only 15 years old. He composed many unsuccessful musicals but was best known for his songs that represented black folk elements. John Rosamond Johnson, James Weldon Johnson and Robert Cole produced two successful operettas with all-black casts on Broadway. The two operettas were The Shoo-Fly Regiment and The Red Moon.
Nikos Skalkottas
He was one of the most important Greek composers of 20th-century music. A member of the Second Viennese School, he drew his influences from both the classical repertoire and the Greek tradition.Manolis KalomirisManolis KalomirisManolis Kalomiris ), was a Greek classical composer. He was the founder of the Greek National School of Music.-Biography:Born in Smyrna, he attended school in Constantinople and studied piano and composition in Vienna. After working for a few years as a piano teacher in Kharkov he settled in...
He was a Greek classical composer. He was the founder of the Greek National School of Music.Ukraine
UkrainainUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
classical music began with the education of Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
in western Europe who would return and compose music. Such composers include Italy-educated Maksym Berezovsky
Maksym Berezovsky
Maksym Sozontovych Berezovsky was a Ukrainian composer, opera singer, and violinist.Berezovsky was the first Ukrainian composer to be recognized throughout Europe and the first to compose an opera, symphony, and violin sonata. His most popular works are his sacred choral pieces written for the...
(1745–1777), Dmytro Bortnyansky (1751–1825), Artem Vedel (1767–1808), and Semen Hulak-Artemovsky
Semen Hulak-Artemovsky
Semen Stepanovych Hulak-Artemovsky , was a Ukrainian opera composer, singer , actor, and dramatist who lived and worked in Imperial Russia....
(1813–1873).
Mykola LysenkoMykola LysenkoMykola Vitaliiovych Lysenko was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist.- Biography :Lysenko was born in Hrynky, Kremenchuk Povit, Poltava Governorate, the son of Vitaliy Romanovich Lysenko . From childhood he became very interested in the folksongs of Ukrainian peasants and...
(1842–1912)
Mykola Lysenko is considered to be the father of Ukrainian classical music, not because he was the first Ukrainian to compose classical music, but because his music was the first that can be considered distinctly Ukrainian. At first Mykola Lysenko graduated from the Kiev UniversityKiev University
Taras Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv , colloquially known in Ukrainian as KNU is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It is the third oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and Kharkiv University. Currently, its structure...
with a degree in natural sciences. However, coming from a rich family Lysenko was educated in music and decided not to start work in his field of study but instead to further his musical education at first in Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
's Leipzig Conservatory and later in the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Inspired by Taras Shevchenko
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko -Life:Born into a serf family of Hryhoriy Ivanovych Shevchenko and Kateryna Yakymivna Shevchenko in the village of Moryntsi, of Kiev Governorate of the Russian Empire Shevchenko was orphaned at the age of eleven...
and other members of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius
The Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius was a short-lived secret political society that existed in Kiev, Ukraine, at the time a part of the Russian Empire...
who stood for the liberation of Ukrainian territories from Russian, Polish and Austrian rule, Lysenko wrote numerous art songs to the words of these and many other Ukrainian poets. He was also an ethnomusicologist, collecting and arranging Ukrainian folk songs for choir, and solos and duets with accompaniment. His own orchestral music, such as his opera Taras Bulba
Taras Bulba
Taras Bulba is a romanticized historical novel by Nikolai Gogol. It tells the story of an old Zaporozhian Cossack, Taras Bulba, and his two sons, Andriy and Ostap. Taras’ sons studied at the Kiev Academy and return home...
were based on distinctly Ukrainian topics and featured Ukrainian folk themes. He also opened the first Ukrainian music school in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, the Mykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama.
Lysenko's traditions were continued by the likes of Kyrylo Stetsenko
Kyrylo Stetsenko
Kyrylo Hryhorovych Stetsenko was a prolific Ukrainian composer, conductor, critic, and teacher. Late in his life he became an Ukrainian Orthodox Priest and head of the Music section of the Ministry of Education of the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic.- Early life and Education :Kyrylo...
(1882–1922), Mykola Leontovych
Mykola Leontovych
Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych was a Ukrainian composer, choral conductor, priest, and teacher of international renown. His music was inspired by Mykola Lysenko and the Ukrainian nationalist music school, along with Kyrylo Stetsenko, Alexander Koshetz, and Yakiv Stepovy...
(1877–1921), Yakiv Stepovy
Yakiv Stepovy
Yakiv Stepovy - was a Ukrainian composer, teacher, and music critic. Stepovy was born Yakiv Yakymenko in Kharkiv, in the Russian Empire . Stepovy's older brother, Theodore Yakymenko, was also a composer. Stepovy was a representative of the Ukrainian musical intelligentsia of the 20th century...
(1883–1921), Alexander Koshetz (1877-1944), and later, Levko Revutsky
Levko Revutsky
Levko Mykolajovych Revutskyi was a Ukrainian composer, teacher, and activist. Amongst his students at the Lysenko Music Institute were the composers Arkady Filippenko and Valentin Silvestrov.-Early life and education:...
(1889–1977).