Why Italy

What effect did Art Nouveau have on 20th c. classical music, and which composers influenced the A. N. mvmt.?

Hi, I am trying to break into classical music and am finding it difficult to find anything I like. Most of what I have heard tends to come across too 'academic' - frivilous display of technique with no underlying expression or reflection of the intricacies of emotion. On the flip side, motion picture soundtracks are the opposite to me, silly and melodramatic - or insincere. I find that visual works from the Art Nouveau mvmt. strike a powerful balance between the head and the heart that I am hoping to discover in classical music. At this point, I would love suggestions of even just a specific work or too that demonstrates the same intelligent sensibilities these artists had. Do you know of specific musicians / pieces that influenced this mvmt in visual art. Or gifted composers who were contemporary to the mvmt or came shortly afterwards? 2nd to art nouveau, I love the italian renaissance. Same question there... which works by Bach / Mozart / Beethoven would I like?

Public Comments

1. can't help you with art nouveau music, but there is a piece i love (listening to it now) called Carmina Burana. not your usual opera. my 19 year old daughter loves it too. Beethoven...fifth of course. what about Tchaikovsky? his 1812 overture is awesome listened to very loud...especially the cannon bursts at the end.
2. There really is no direct connection between Art Noveau painting styles and any style of Art music. The closest paralell would likely be Rococo style. It is post-Bach, pre Beethoven. Highly ornamented, mostly French. My faves include Beethoven(all symphonies- the best are 5th, 6th, and 3rd.) Mozart is always great ...41 symphonies, operas, sacred music, chamber music. Also check out Brahms, Mendellson, Dvorak(his 9th is very well known) I could go on and on. Good Luck !Don't forget 20th century composers like Samuel Barber, Aaron Copeland and Leonard Bernstein.
3. beethoven seventh allegro movement
4. As far as I know, Art Noveau was not an influence on classical music, but there were innovators and famous composers at the end of the 19th C and early 20th C. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) who composed Clair de Lune among other pieces. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) - Bolero, La Valse. Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" -- the 18th variation is most famous Dvorak's (1841-1904) 9th Symphony "From the New World" (as mentioned by others) is excellent. A bit earlier there are the Russians -- Mussorgsky (1839-1881) (Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bare Mountain), Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) (Scheherazade) Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) - 1812 overture, Nutcracker, 1st Piano Concerto etc. As for more "rational" music, try Stravinsky (1882-1971) -Rite of Spring which caused a riot in 1913 when it premiered, Firebird, Petrushka, Apollo. I also like the Violin Concerto and the Symphony in 3 Movements. Another 20th C. composer is Prokofiev who wrote - among other things - movie music for Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible. Try his First Symphony, or the ballets Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella For the "big 3" - Bach, Beethoven & Brahms - try Bach (1685-1750) - the Brandenberg Concertos. Beethoven - Fifth Symphony and Ninth Symphony - the Choral - here is a link to the original Schiller poem which Beethoven adapted for the 4th movement of the 9th Sym. http://www.raptusassociation.org/ode1785.html) I like the Toscanini recordings the best. The Moonlight Sonata (for piano) is another favorite and was used by Alicia Keyes in her 1st album. Brahms - try the waltzes first Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) is another favorite of mine. try the Fantasie Impromptu. Mendelssohn's (1809-1849) "Overture to a Midsummer Night's Dream" is sheer delight. As for Renaissance music, you may have to go to early music sites - I have old vinyl albums but they're mostly English Renaissance with some Spanish and French. I wouldn't explore this music first. But you might like 20th C. composer Joaquin Rodrigo's "Fantasía para un gentilhombre, for guitar & orchestra" which is based on Renaissance themes. OK, I really love classical music. I don't know what you've already heard so I don't know what to tell you to try first. When I was young, I started with Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite. But if you want something more sophisticated and if you like guitar music, try Rodrigo. Get a recording with the Romeros. In addition to Amazon etc, if you need to find a classical recording try Musical Heritage Society: http://www.musicalheritage.com/cgi-bin/mhs I hope you come to love classical music eventually but it might take a bit of trial and error.
5. Try this book: (have not read it myself yet) "The sound of painting - Music in Modern Art" Karin v. Maur Pegasus Library ISBN: 3-7973-2082-3 "...Painters and musicians have always found inspiration by sharing ideas from both disciplines. How this relationship developed from Phillipp Otto Runge's "compositions"in painting to Jean Tinguely's and Niki de Saint Phalle's musical sculpures is the focus of this richly illustrated volume. Carefully selected images and quatations from composers and artists are blended into a ground-breaking study useful to scolars of art history and music; and facinating to the genereal reader..."