In music, there are many genres, forms and varieties of vocal and instrumental plays. Only a professional in this field is required to know the features of each musical element, however, it is advisable for everyone to understand what the most common of them are. Therefore, in this article we will consider what a romance is, how long it was born and in what area of creativity it can be found.
Origin of the term
The word "romance" itself has Spanish roots and means a song that is performed by a voice accompanied by one or more instruments. In this country, in the past centuries, this genre was more like serenades that men in love sang under the windows of their lovers. In the Middle Ages, when the romance only established itself in the world of art as an independent genre, it had a pronounced national character. The text was lingering, its meaning concerned exclusively love topics. It was also characteristic that plays of this content were performed only under the national Spanish instrument - the guitar.
What is romance in terms of music
It is believed that this vocal and instrumental genre is the most harmonious among all its analogues. This is due to the fact that in the romance every word, every sung syllable is emphasized by the corresponding note. That is why a professional musician can immediately distinguish whether a simple melody sounds or is it a romance. Words are usually placed above the musical text, and as a result they can be sung or played on some instrument, and then combine both processes.
What is a romance in the broad sense of the word
These works gained wide popularity in the second half of the 18th century, and by the 19th century whole schools of romances had already formed. It happened because, firstly, the end of the 18th century was the Golden Age in Russian literature, and no less significant period of time in the history of the development of European art. In those years, authors such as Lermontov, Pushkin, Goethe, Fet and many others wrote their masterpieces. Their poems were so melodic that they became text for musical works.
Secondly, the romance gradually ceased to be considered an exclusively Spanish love song and acquired a broader, secular meaning. Russian romances appeared written by such composers as Sviridov, Mussorgsky, Varlamov and so on. Along with them there were German, French, Italian vocal and instrumental plays, which were performed at social events and receptions.
Modern romances
Nowadays, it is rarely possible to hear such a melody at any event, and even performed by a talented singer (or singer). However, every child who studies at a music school is well aware of what a romance is. Children who are gifted by nature with a beautiful voice and can speak to the public always perform such works. As a rule, you have to choose from the classics, so students sing compositions written by Prokofiev, Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, to verses by no less famous geniuses of the pen.