This concept is understood to be the mythical part of a poem, which was expressed orally in an exclusive and particular way. Although its origins allow us to travel to Greece, nowadays the term rhapsody is closely linked to music, being the name by which it is known to a single movement work where the structure flows freely, linking different episodes where a wide range of tones and moods.
A brief historical overview
The association between rhapsody and music originated in the 18th century, one of the earliest examples of this being Christian Schubart's work entitled "Musicalische Rhapsodien". In any case, the first author to refer to his work only with the word rhapsody was Vaclav Tomasek who composed up to 15 of these works, the first of them in 1810.
It is also possible to find references to rhapsody among the works of some of the greatest composers of all time, such as Brahms and his 1869 "Rhapsody for Alto" made as a wedding gift for Clara Schumann's daughter.
During the 19th century, rhapsody became fundamentally a collection of instrumental themes, first for piano and later, in the second half of the century, in the form of great orchestral compositions of a marked epic and nationalist character, following a fashion imposed by Franz Liszt.
At the beginning of the 20th century, various composers began to adapt rhapsodies to the tastes of the most popular classes, extending and making popular the use of this term to denote certain works.
This is the case of "Rhapsody in Blue", composed by George Gershwin in 1924 combining the classical influence with the then modern jazz tones. Thanks to this work, Gershwin became one of the composers most valued by the American public, as well as one of the most influential.
Currently many people associate this word with the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Bohemian Rhapsody), released by the English group Queen in 1975 and which has become one of the most famous titles in rock history. The song, loaded with a strong operatic touch but played with the usual instruments of rock music, follows a four-part suite structure, and some people refer to it as a seven-minute rock cantata divided into three movements.
Photo: iStock - Alvaro Arroyo
