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Nationalism |
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The idea that a composer should make his or her work an expression of national or ethnic traits by drawing on folk melodies, dance rhythms, scenes, art work, historic legends or famous structures. A composers incorporation of a nations own folk elements can be integrated into a work by the composer quoting from the his or her own folk music or expressing themselves by incorporating their national background and experience into their art. Nationalism is something that didn’t exist during the Classical era. In fact national differences were downplayed in the Classical era. There was a trend called cosmopolitanism were most European nations tried to sound alike, in a Viennese Classical style. During the Classical era it was uncouth and in bad taste to write pieces that sounded Spanish or Czechoslovakian, rather everyone aspired to create the same kind of homogenized, suave, smooth classical sound. But in the Romantic era there was an increasing stress on the individual and the artist with important ideas in terms of self expression. Nationalism created a phenomenon in music from the peripheral European nations as well as those throughout the world seeking to throw off the dominant German or Viennese style formulated by Bach, Mozart and Haydn. Consequently the following nations and their respected composers created fresh sounding music from each of the following countries:
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