Tracing stylistic shifts: the development of German-Austrian violin concertos from the 18th to 19th century
Journal: Region - Educational Research and Reviews DOI: 10.32629/rerr.v7i11.4711
Abstract
This study compares the first movements of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 and Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 to find developments in style in German-Austrian violin concertos from the Classical to the Romantic periods. By analyzing melody, rhythm, ornamentation, cadenzas, and orchestration, this study demonstrates how the music evolved from being clear and improvised to being more lyrical, emotional, and virtuoso-defined by the composer.
Keywords
violin concerto; Mozart; Bruch; classical music; romantic music
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[2] Ballester SF. 2019. The Evolution of the Violin Concerto: Comparing Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 and Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Op. 35. Master's thesis, Malmö Academy of Music, Lund University.
[3] Bruch M. 2011. Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26. Edited by Richard Clarke. London: Ernst Eulenburg Ltd.
[4] Brown C. 2004. Classical and Romantic Performing Practice 1750-1900. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[5] CCDMASSmedia. 2011. Chapter 33: The Symphony and Concerto in the Romantic Era. RRCC Music Appreciation.
https://rrccmusicappreciation.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/chapter-33-the-symphony-and-concerto-in-the-romantic-era/.
[6] Keller PE, Emery S. 2011. Cognitive and affective judgements of syncopated musical themes. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 7: 142-156
[7]Kirkpatrick R. 1938. Eighteenth-Century Metronomic Indications. In Papers Read by Members of the American Musicological Society at the Annual Meeting, December 29th and 30th, 30-50. Berkeley: University of California Press.
[8] Levin R. 2002. Improvising Mozart. Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 55(2): 87-90.
[9] Mozart L. 2014. École fondamentale du violon. Edited by Fabien Roussel. Pantin: Roussel.
[10] Rydman TC. 1968. An Historical Study of the Solo Concerto Cadenza. Master's thesis, Central Washington University. https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/970.
[11] Statista. 2025. Interest in Classical Music, Piano Concertos and Symphonies in Germany from 2019 to 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/381893/interest-in-classical-music-germany/.
[12] 2ndviolinist. Albert Sammons-Bruch: Violin Concerto #1 (entire). YouTube video, 22:39. Posted October 10, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtRPr2A9rwU.
[13] Windsor L, Aarts R, Desain P, et al. 2001. The timing of grace notes in skilled musical performance at different tempi: a preliminary case study. Psychology of Music, 29(2): 149-169.
[14] Wu D. 2023. Western Music History – The Classical Period, Lecture 7: The Rise of the Concerto and the Soloist. Available online: https://www.denniswu.com/lecture-7-concerto/
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