西雅圖求學記

June: Barcarolle" compared to "Vocalise"

Romantic music, a genre of classical music, is a genre music which was also a period of classical music. The period of music paid more attention to the feelings and psyche of the performance than the classical period. According to IPL, as a starting point, composers began focusing more on new melodic styles and richer harmonies. According to Wikipedia, Romantic music is a term denoting an era of Western classical music that began in the late 18th or early 19th century. “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise” are the two pieces of Romantic music, both of which were composers’ most popular songs. To give people a better understanding of Romantic music, I will compare and contrast the two songs “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise”.

There are several similarities between “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise”. First of all, the composers of “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise” had similar backgrounds, as they were both musicians from Russia. “June: Barcarolle” was written by Tchaikovsky while “Vocalise” was written by Rachmaninoff. Next, the time period “June: Barcarolle” is also similar to “Vocalise”. In that time period, Russia was in a period of political turmoil. Therefore, the music of this era, both “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise” showed more national emotion. In addition, “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise” are alike in musical style. For example, in the beginning of the music, both of them have a low tone with a feeling of lament. Melodies of the two songs are slow with a little sadness which seems to tell the profound emotions of the composers. “June: Barcarolle” has been arranged to play for many different instruments. Likewise, “Vocalise” has been arranged to play for many different instruments.

Even though both of them have a lot of similarities, “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise” are different in many ways. The musical form in “June: Barcarolle” is solo piano and describes the season of June. Through the melody we can imagine the rowing a boat from slow then faster and faster. However, “Vocalise” was written for high soprano with piano accompaniment. Through the melody we can feel dreary and melancholy emotions. The time signature in “June: Barcarolle” is in 4/4 with a moderate tempowhich then changes to 3/4 time. On the other hand, the time signature in “Vocalise” is 4/4. The keys in “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise” are also different. “June: Barcarolle” was composed in G minor. In contrast, “Vocalise” was composed in C# minor, but is most often played on the cello in E minor.

​In conclusion, based on the above analysis, the two songs “June: Barcarolle” and “Vocalise” have many differences and similarities. Some people think it is hard to understand classical music, let alone Romantic music. How should you begin to enjoy classical music? It might be good to enjoy the melody and empathize with the composer. Regardless, after comparing and contrasting the two songs, it might be easier for people to understand the two songs and the period of Romantic music.