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Period: to
Romantic Era plus
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Tennis Court Oath- Tiers État
Tennis Court Oath
france is in financial trouble (American war, tax issues, military ventures and battles)
enlightenment ideals reject versailles-style living
catholic church felt oppressive
"why are people telling me what to do?"
King calls national assembly-Three estates (clergy, nobility, all-the-rest)
Tiers État decides to vote on behalf of the people, King locks the doors to the vote, convene in a Tennis Court, new constitution -
Storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille wiki
freeing political prisoners"
really about weapons and symbolism, there were only 7 prisoners in there -
Giacomo Meyerbeer born
Meyerbeer wiki born Jacob Liebmann Beer
Jewish, Berlin, Wealthy
successful because he was, in a way, German, Italian, and French (born in germany, trained in Italy, composed in France)
was able to take liberties when composing because of wealth
commuted between Paris (work) and Berlin (mother and wife) -
The Legislative Assembly
new constitution- constitutional monarchy FELL APART -
The National Convention
National Conventionnew-new constitution
no monarchy
year one of the french republican calendar
the national convention- the governing body that sprung up after the election and tried to calm everything down -
The Terror
committee of public safety begins a reign of terror in the streets and kills 16 000 "counter-revolutionaries"
Sansculottes (didn't wear fancy underwear called culottes) were perpetrators
Jacobins (left wing crazy guys that met in a former dominican convent, not actually monks) were perptrators
Robespiere (main leader) was executed because of internal politics, the Jacobins dissolved after his death -
The Directory
new-new-new government trying to get things back together
house of representatives and a senate
Problems: lack of money, lack of trust from the people -
Napoleon Bonaparte's Coup D'État
"First Consul" of 5 people...then 3...then 1.
championed french revolution ideals (Liberty, etc.)
crowned himself emperor brings back the authoritarian nature of france (basically the same as a king)
born in corsica, italy, corsican nationalist, but he lead an invasion of italy -
La Vestale- Spontini
precursor to grand opera -
Les Abencérages- Cherubini
precursor to grand opera -
The Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restorationbourbon monarchy re-instated -
Napoleon exiled to Elba (island of)
escaped -
Napoleon's 100 Days
leads french army in "100 Days"
"meets his waterloo" (Waterloo, Belgium against the Duke of Wellington) and is defeated! on July 8 1814 (actually 111 days) -
Napoleon exiled to St. Helena Island
off the coast of africa
died there in 1821 -
Meyerbeer starts studying in Italy
(sometime in 1816) where he met Rossini -
Il crociato in Egitto- Meyerbeer
premiered in venice
meyerbeer in Italy!!! -
La Muette de Portici-Daniel Auber
thought of as the first grand opera!!! -
Guillaume Tell- Rossini
grand opera -
The July Revolution
overthrew Charles X
because of his policies
he was forced to flee
Replaced by Louis-Phlippe d'Orleans: called himself King of the French (emphasized that the people gave him his power)
grand opera flourished under the july monarchy
he refused to allow anti-monarchists to meet -
Robert le Diable-Meyerbeer
grand opera
opened successfully in Paris
helped by the fact that he paid the Opera a substantial amount of money to have it performed there (it helps to be rich!) -
La Juive- Halevy
plea for religious freedom
grand opera -
Les Huguenots
Grand Opera
3 years late
he paid a contractual fee for its lateness (helps to be rich!)
libretto problems, he was dissatisfied with Scribe (librettist), went to Italy to work with Gaetano Rossi, his old librettist
hired a translator (Emile Deschamps) to translate it back to french from italian
had to shorten it by 45 minutes in the last month of rehearsals
most successful opera of the 19th century
performed over 1000 times at the Opera
opened the modern Covent Garden Theatre in 1858 -
Georges Bizet born
born: Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet (baptized "Georges" in 1840)
student at the conservatoire; won the Prix de Rome competition at 19 (artists get money to spend living and working with other artists in Rome)
early compositions: mostly songs and transcriptions of (other songs) symphonies etc for piano
amazing pianist
while in rome, he wrote some smaller works, including one opera-sent to the board at rome to show you're working
by 1860, returned to Paris to see his ill mother, set sights on O.C. -
Napoleon III elected president
country's first election
won by a landslide -
Realism begins
began some time in 1850s
b/c of science, the realest of things
chemical and technological improvements
political upheaval, industrialization, urbanized society
philosophical balancing act
artistic consequences: poverty and freedom (gov'ts were interested in numbers not grandeur and art- end of patronage!) -
Coup- Napoleon III crowns himself Emperor
Foreign Policy was problematic-aggressive against every neighbouring country -
Les Troyens- Berlioz
berlioz composed this from 1856-1858, saw the second half of it performed, but never the whole thing
the opera was closed when he finished it, so a smaller troupe performed the last three acts, very popular, this premiered in 1863 -
Claude Debussy born
born in Paris, moved to Cannes in 1870-joined conservatoire
won prix de rome (1884)
did not like rome or his experiences there
1888-went to germany to familiarize himself with wagner's operas
labelled impressionist composer, did not like the title (initially derogatory)
unconventional harmonic progressions, questioned tonalities
married LIlly Textier- fashion model in 1899
fell in love with emma bardac in 1904
lilly tried to commit suicide
had a child- Claude-Emma with emma
married emma in 1908 -
Les pecheurs de perles- Bizet
Bizet's first staged opera at Theatre Lyrique
opera comique -
Impressionism in painting begins!
Sometime in 1863 Manet's Luncheon in the Grass was rejected from "Salon de Paris" art show. this started impressionist movement
in front of the thing itself (usually outdoors)
camera was invented, painters didn't want to paint things as they literally were, but how they perceived them, without any greater or moral meaning
at different times of day- physics was making discoveries about light
Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir,
movement lasted about 12 years -
Meyerbeer dies
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Austro-Prussian War
didn't come to austria's aid in austrian/prussian conflict (basically Germany) conflict in 1866)
didn't demand anything in return from Prussia (Bismarck)- bad diplomatic move
so Prussia stepped in when France annexed Belgium and Luxembourg
ends August 23 1866 -
La jolie fille de Perth- Bizet
opera comique
staged at theatre lyrique
after this he runs out of grant money from rome, decided to predominantly earn money teaching and transcribing for piano
married daughter of Halevy in 1869 -
Who will be the Spanish King?
some time in 1868: who will be the Spanish King? Vacancy in the Spanish nobility-competing interest sparks a war
france doesn't want a Prussian- translated into insult by Bismarck
french find out bismarck twisted naopleon III's words: this means war -
Franco-Prussian War
till 10 May 1871 Germans (Prussians) get the upper hand
War keeps going even after Napoleon III is captured (under new French gov't- Government of National Defence, but they keep getting beat)
Paris is captured in May 1871; treaty signed giving the territories of Alsace/Lorraine back to the Germans
This war brought Germany as a nation together -
Bizet joins the army!
some time in 1870
said that the quality of their guns are more of a threat to themselves than the enemy
stayed in Paris when the Prussians took over but fled Paris with his wife when the Commune took over, then came back to the outskirts of town -
The Paris Commune
ended 28 may 1871 Government of Paris wants to rule the entire country (hard-core leftish, ideological communists, enforced these policies in a brutal way)
socialist (had a red socialist flag flying over paris)
national army fought back
commune wanted to return to the early days of the Republic (adopt french republican calendar again, etc)
suppressed by French forces in "the bloody week" beginning may 28 1871 -
Bizet starts working on Carmen
some time in 1872
abandoned it when the plot became too violent for opera comique rules
two directors at O.C. said no. -
Bizet starts work on Carmen (again)
some time in 1874
the one director at Opera Comique that didn't like Carmen resigned, so Bizet starts again!
mix of exoticism and realism= scandal
some spoken dialogue (fits with o.c. tradition)
tragic ending (new for o.c.)
spanish "flair" (e.g. habanera, toreador song) -
Premiere of Carmen- Georges Bizet
finally premiered to luke-warm, disappointing reception
became more popular when Bizet died suddenly during its run! -
Georges Bizet dies
with Carmen still running at Opera Comique, Bizet went on holiday outside of Paris
went for a swim in the Seine river
next day: high fever and heart attack
day after that, recovered
day after that: another heart attack, DIES!
Funnily enough, this gave Carmen the boost it needed. Everyone LOVED it once he was dead! -
Symbolism begins
began some time in the 1880s
using artistic tools to make an impression or experience for the viewer
see Pelleas and Melisande reading!!! -
Post-impressionism begins
emotion put back into the impression
van gogh, gauguin
begand some time in 1886
ended in 1892 -
Pelléas et Mélisande
symbolist play by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1942)
play first performed in 1892
merges material and imaginary worlds
theatrical version of an impress. painting
symbols act as characters onstage
sea, forest, fountain, well- THe Unconscious
premiere of opera in 1902- water is voiced by the orchestra (sea, fountain, and well) rep. how experience floats over people
more of a symph. poem with running commentary by the singers than a conv. opera -
Pelléas et Mélisande continued
avoids melody because it is anti-lyric and powerless to express the constant change of motion or life
no aria/recit forms: just natural sounding french recit lines throughout- connection to Wagner