REGARDING THE FOREST

A Romantic journey

• Our second presentation is focussed on the German romantic vision of nature and forests, including an excerpt of a short tale by German writter E. T. A. Hoffmann, ilustrated with the pictures of painter Friedrich and the  music by  Schumann.

• Besides this, we are going to use some pieces by the greatest Lieder composer, Franz Schubert. We know that he was born in Vienna, but his music  was important for the development of the aesthetic basis of Romanticism.

Begining of XIX century was an exciting time for Europe. 1789 French Revolution finished with  the Ancient Regime,   replacing it with a new social and political order, based on the concept of equality.

Future seemed to be a prosperous horizon

• Philosophy and  Science provided the basis for a new conception of live, with the human individual as the main actor of his own live, and nature as his scenery.

A nature that, sometimes is frightening....

• “The most remarkable sounds of Nature are the Ceilán voices and music, those mentioned by Schubert on his writing about the nightly aspects on the Science of Nature. These voices can be heard during the silent nights, sounding like plainty human voices, far away sometimes, really close to us others. Even the most rational and relaxed people feel themselves frightened....”

•  The wood becomes a damned place...

• But even in those cases, nature was always appealing. Humans were attracted by the inmensity, the wildness and the magic of Nature. Forests were the metaphor of the moment of History in which they lived: a place to experience  freedom, plenty of opportunities, treasures to be discovered, pleasures to enjoy ... and dark shadows... Artists described it with a delicious naivité

But Nature´ beauty was also important for the people of that time. This music talks about Prophet Bird: wise and beatiful 

• The name of the next piece is "lonely flowers" or "loneliness". Lonely flowers in the middle of the woodland .

• Again, a metaphor: every individual  has to be considered as a valuable, beautiful being, that, at the end, is alone. Perhaps a consequence of the philosophy, that claims for our independence of God, perhaps because romanticism refuse the certainty and loves magic. 

• This is the story behind Friedrich´s picture:

A brave man journeying alone, close to the abyss, looking at a cloudy, overwhelming beauty, wild, appealing, frightening and generous landscape.

• This was how Nature was pictured during romanticism.

• This was the portrait of the romantic individual.

• Nowadays, the Relationship between man And Nature has changed. Now, the part to be frightened of are the humans, the woodlands are no longer dangerous. Now Forests are seen as a peaceful, delicate, limited and necessary resource for life. A very important thing to take care of.

• We would like to finish this presentation with the words that king Felipe II, who ordered the construction of this building, said more than 400 years ago:

• I am really concerned with the care of our forests that are almost exhausted. We have to look forward and think of our children and  grandchildren because it is our duty to give them this invaluable heritage.

Music Analysis IProf. Juan Manuel Alonso and students