Humoresque (or Humoreske) is a genre of
Romantic music
Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western Classical music associated with the period of the 19th century commonly referred to as the Romantic era (or Romantic period). It is closely related to the broader concept of Romanticism—the ...
characterized by pieces with fanciful humor in the sense of mood rather than wit.
History
The name refers to the German term ''Humoreske'', which was given from the 1800s (decade) onward to humorous tales.
[R. Grimm. "Begriff und Gattung Humoreske". ''Jahrbuch der Jean Paul Gesellschaft'', 1968.] Many humoresques can be compared to a
gigue
The gigue (; ) or giga () is a lively baroque dance originating from the English jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th centuryBellingham, Jane"gigue."''The Oxford Companion to Music''. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online. 6 July 200 ...
in their dance-like qualities, and many were used as dance music from the 1700s onwards.
Notable examples
Notable examples of the humoresque style are:
*
Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
's ''
Humoreske'' in
B-flat major
B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor.
The B-flat major scale is:
:
Many transposing instr ...
(
Op. 20, 1839)
*
Noel Rawsthorne
Christopher Noel Rawsthorne (24 December 1929 – 28 January 2019) was a British liturgical and concert organist and composer of music for his own instrument, as well as choral music.
Biography
Rawsthorne was born in Birkenhead. At the age of e ...
's
Hornpipe
The hornpipe is any of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and Ireland and elsewhere from the 16th century until the present day. The earliest references to hornpipes are from England with Hugh Aston's Hornepype of 1522 and others r ...
Humoresque (for organ, based on the Sailor's Hornpipe and including parts of "
Rule Britannia
"Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the 1740 poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in the same year. It is most strongly associated with the Royal Navy, but is also used by the ...
" and the
Widor Toccata)
*
Dvořák's
set of eight ''Humoresques'' (Op. 101, 1894), of which No. 7 in
G-flat major
G-flat major (or the key of G-flat) is a major scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has six flats.
Its relative minor is E-flat minor (or enharmonically D-sharp minor), and its parallel mi ...
is well known.
*
Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...
's
Humoresque
Humoresque (or Humoreske) is a genre of Romantic music characterized by pieces with fanciful humor in the sense of mood rather than wit.
History
The name refers to the German term ''Humoreske'', which was given from the 1800s (decade) onward to h ...
in
G Major
G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor.
The G major scale is:
Notable compositi ...
(Op. 20, 1893, revised in 1940)
See also
*
Capriccio
References
Music genres
Classical music styles
{{music-genre-stub
Musical forms