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The word romanticism was first used to describe new ideas in painting and literature, towards the end of the 18th century. This word was later taken up by musicians, to describe the changes in musical style, which took place soon after the turn of the century. Unlike Classical composers, Romantic composers aimed for a store powerful expression of emotion, often revealing their innen-.nost thoughts and feelings. Romantic music is not just about the emotion of love, it can also be about hate or death (positive or negative feelings). Many Romantic composers took an interest in art and literature:
| Composer | Lived | Composer | Lived |
| Beethoven | 1770-1827 | Smetana | 1824-1884 |
| Schubert | 1797-1828 | Brahms | 1833-1897 |
| Berlioz | 1803-1869 | Tchaikovsky | 1840-1893 |
| Mendelsshon | 1809-1847 | Dvorak | 1841-1904 |
| Chopin | 1810-1849 | Grieg | 1843-1907 |
| Schumann | 1810-1856 | Rimsky-Korsakov | 1844-1908 |
| Liszt | 1811-1886 | Elgar | 1857-1934 |
| Wagner | 1813-1833 | Mahler | 1860-1911 |
| Verdi | 1813-1901 | Richard Strauss | 1864-1949 |
The Orchestra
As Romantic composers widened the range of their musical material, we find richer
hannonies, more passionate melodies, and greater use of chromaticism. (Chroma is Greek for
colour). There was an enormous increase in the size of the orchestra. The tuba was added
to the brass section, valves were invented, giving the brass more flexibility. Composers
wrote for woodwind instruments in threes of even fours. The piccolo, cor anglais, bass
clarinet and double bassoon were added.
A larger string section was fonned, to accommodate the extra sound. More varied percussion (e.g. bongos) were added. A larger range of pitch and volume was now possible. New combinations of instruments were brought about. A rich variety of compositions resulted, ranging from piano pieces and songs to large spectacular works, (The majority of large works were by: Wagner, Berlioz, Mahler and Richard Strauss).
The German Lied
The plural is lieder. Songs began to develop in the Romantic period for solo voice
and piano. There were two types:
The piano is more than just an accompaniment in these compositions, it is a partner to the voice. Schubert is perhaps the greatest composer of German Lieds, he wrote over 600 (including: The Earl King, The Trout, To Sylvia). Other composers of this style were Schumann, Brahms, Wolf and Richard Strauss. Sometimes a composer might set a whole group of poems linked to the same idea, perhaps even sketching a story, for example, Schubert's Winter Journey.
Music for Piano
Several improvements were made to the piano in the 19th Century. E.g. more notes,
metal frame as opposed to wood. The piano gained a richer sound, and gradually, a wider
range of notes. The sustaining pedal began to be used to a much wider extent. The most
famous piano composers of the time were: Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt
and Brahms. They wrote sonatas (for one instrument, or a soloist with one accompanying
instrument.), and short pieces such as the
Many pieces shared contrasting moods, and were in Temary form. Another piece of the time was the etude (study). It was meant to improve the playing technique of the player. This period saw the rise of the virtuoso, a person with extraordinary musical skill, such as Paganini (violinist people thought he had made a pact with the devil, because he was so good), and Liszt (pianist he was very concerned with showmanship.)
Programme Music
As links were formed between music, painting and literature, composers started to
compose programme music. - music that tells a story. (The opposite is absolute music -
music without a story.) There are three main types of programme music for orchestra:
Incidental Music
It is music specially composed to be heard at certain points during the
performance of a play. (To set the mood, to cover the scenery changed or as background
music)
Suites
These are several pieces of incidental music gathered together, intended for a
play, e.g. Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker (All three by Tchaikovsky), A
Midsummer Nights Dream (by Mendelssohn), Peer Gynt (by Grieg)
The Concerto
Changes were made to the form of the Concerto during the Romantic period. Instead
of a double-exposition, there was now a single exposition, usually with the soloist
entering inunediately, sharing the themes with the orchestra. The cadenza was now written
out by the composer. Other changes included:
Wagner
Wagner wrote many operas, especially German operas. People said Wagner was the
'most powerful force since Beethoven.' His operas are called music-&amas. Some
examples of his works are: Rhinegold, The Master Singers and the VakTie. Wagner was a
master of orchestration. He had a huge orchestra. The operas were on a large scale, and
sometimes took four or five hours to perform. Woven into the texture are many short themes
called Leitmotiv. Each one represents a character, emotion, object or place.
19th Century Nationalism
By the middle of the 19th Century, music was dominated by Germany. However,
composers from other countries began to feel they should break away. They used folk tunes,
dance rhythms and local legends for this purpose. Some examples of 19th Century
Nationalism are:
Russia:
Bohemia:
Norway:
Spain:
Late Romanticism
Mahler and Strauss wrote in a Romantic style, into the 20th century. Richard
Strauss' 'Also Sprach Zarathustra', written in 1896, is an example of later romanticism.
The Main Characteristics of Romantic Music