What is "sturm und drang"

1844, literally "storm and stress," late 18c. German romanticism period, taken from the title of a 1776 romantic drama by Friedrich Maximilian von Klinger (1752-1831), who gave it this name at the suggestion of Christoph Kauffmann. See storm (n.) + throng (n.).

Sturm und Drang (, literally 'storm and drive', 'storm and urge', though conventionally translated as 'storm and stress') is a proto- Romantic movement in German literature and music that took place from the late 1760s to the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment and associated aesthetic movements. The period is named for Friedrich Maximilian Klinger's play Sturm und Drang, which was first performed by Abel Seyler's famed theatrical company in 1777.

The philosopher Johann Georg Hamann is considered to be the ideologue of Sturm und Drang, with Jakob Michael Reinhold Lenz, H. L. Wagner and Friedrich Maximilian Klinger also significant figures. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was also a notable proponent of the movement, though he and Friedrich Schiller ended their period of association with it by initiating what would become Weimar Classicism.

Sturm und Drang is a Finland-Swedish heavy metal/hard rock band from Vaasa, Finland formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead singer/guitarist André Linman, guitarist Jani Kuoppamaa, keyboardist Jesper Welroos, bassist/backing vocalist Joel Wendlin and drummer/backing vocalist Calle Fahllund, following the departures of bassist Henrik Kurkiala and guitarist Alexander Ivars. The band started off as schoolmates covering bands such as Judas Priest and gradually started writing their own material. They were discovered in 2005 by record label HMC. Their debut album " Learning to Rock" was released in 2007 and eventually went platinum in Finland. Their second album " Rock 'n Roll Children" was released in 2008 and went gold within less than a week. The band is known for songs like " Rising Son", "Indian" and "A Million Nights". As of 2010 the band has sold over 100,000 records and is working on their upcoming album.

Sturm und Drang is a play in five acts by Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, which gave its name to the artistic period known as Sturm und Drang. The play's original title was Wirrwarr, it was however changed to Sturm und Drang before premiering. It premiered in Leipzig on 1 April 1777 when it was performed by Abel Seyler's famed theatrical company, where Klinger was employed as a playwright for two years.