Romantic Period

Lan Dam

Overview:
The romantic music period, a style succeeding the classical era, ranged from
approximately 1830 to 1900, though there is no specific date regarding when
the romantic period began and ended. Romantic music deviates from the more
structured arrangements of classical music, allowing compositions to be more
emotionally expressive, and broaden the existing forms of classical music.

Characteristics:
In a similar way to how the Romanticism movement influenced art and literature
by breaking away from civilised standards and adapting to more imaginative
structures, the romantic period of music rebelled against the prevailing belief
that music was designed and reserved for intellectuals. Composers from this
period aimed to write music that could evoke passionate emotions rather than
understanding knowledge, and be listened to by all audiences. The definition of
romantic music focused on individual tastes, the natural world, imagination, and
the supernatural.

Involving a distinct theme of freedom and human expression, romantic music

would often be unstructured, and opt for extended melodies that were full of
dramatic dynamic contrast and unrestrained emotion, able to convey narratives
or messages to communicate with the audience. This story-telling approach to
romantic music was one of the reasons why romantic composers diverged from
traditional forms and rules of classical music, using a uniquely developed
language that was built upon the existing foundation of classical music. Without
the rigid form of traditional classical music, composers were able to transition
between harmonies that differed from each other so starkly, such as from a soft
loving melody, to an ominous sound.

A change in instrumentation was also a significant part of the romantic period,

such as the evolution of the piano. The number of physical keys expanded from
five to eight octaves, and the materials used to construct a piano switched from
wood to metal, along with improving the durability of strings. These
modifications allowed for the change in pitch and tonal quality.
Woodwind and brass instruments were also improved to enhance their musical
capabilities, varying between a more diverse range of sounds with the addition of
some newer instruments like the piccolo and contrabassoon.
Bass drums and the triangle were both examples of percussion instruments that
were also added.

Specifically, the string section of orchestras expanded greatly, though it

remained consisting of the same four instruments, which were the violin, viola,
cello, and double bass.

The use of non-traditional instruments was also another change that the
romantic period brought to the musical art. An example of this was the use of
cannons and chimes for Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

However, the romantic period focused more on the expressiveness of music,

rather than the changes in instruments themselves. Orchestras were expanded
from a small number of 30 musicians during the classical period to 120
musicians in the romantic period, which often included choirs.

Other characteristics also include the introduction of new genres, such as the
sonata, symphony, rhapsody, nocturne, concert etude, polonaise, mazurka,
overture, and others.

Musical language found in romantic compositions had also been further

expanded from the classical era, with pieces reaching across several octaves, and
the presence of dynamic contrast, which helped to create richer melodies. These
levels of dynamics could go from extremely loud music, indicated by the newly
created term “fortissississimo”, and extremely soft music, called
“pianissississimo”.

Historical Context:
When and where did the genre originate? What societal factors contributed to
its emergence?

Having been developed directly from the classical period of music, Romantic
composers and pieces took inspiration from Classical forms such as symphonies,
concertos, and sonatas, and expanded them in terms of complexity and sound.
Symphonies grew longer, and when played in orchestras, they were more
ambitious, with larger string parts and more movements. Meanwhile,
Beethoven’s later compositions, which also included symphonies, showed how
traditional forms of Classical music could be adapted and turned into music that
was able to convey more intense emotions.

The Romantic period influenced Western Classical music emerged from the late
18th to early 19th century, with roots mainly from Europe. This movement in
music coincided with the shifts associated with Romanticism, which began to
take hold around 1798.

Notable Artists:
Who are some key figures or bands associated with the genre? What
contributions did they make to its development?

Both the romantic and classical era produced numerous musicians and
composers that remain well known to this day, with some of the romantic
composers being Ludiwg van Beethoven, Peter Tchaikovsky, Richard Wagner,
Sergei Rachmanioff, Clara Wieck Schumann, and notable others.

While Beethoven was a composer more notable during the Classical period,
many of his later works were more inclined to be Romantic rather than in
accordance with the Classical standards of music. For example, his composition
Piano Sonata No. 14, more often known by its name Moonlight Sonata, is a
piece that was both Classical and Romantic, as his music was beginning to
transition between genres during that time.

Notable Pieces:
Ensure you choose pieces of music related to the people you’ve chosen in the
Notable Artist area.

Swan Lake:
0:04 Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake - Soft playing, quiet melody, slow
1:19 Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake - Contrasting to beginning, loud notes, fast
Suite from Swan Lake, Op. 20 Waltz:
0:42 Tchaikovsky - Suite from Swan Lake, Op. 20: Waltz - UNC Sympho…
- Large string section, build up, symphony orchestra

Swan lake tells the story of a princess who has been cursed to turn into a swan,
and its overlying themes are about love and magic, which fits well when played
by a large, predominantly string orchestra with accompanying ballet.

June (Barcarolle):
0:09 Tchaikovsky - June: Barcarolle (The Seasons, op. 37a, no. 6) - Soft
introduction, slow tempo
2:39 Tchaikovsky - June: Barcarolle (The Seasons, op. 37a, no. 6) - Louder
playing, faster pace

Cultural Impact:
How has the genre influenced popular culture, social movements, or other areas
of society?

The emotion found in pieces of romantic music can still be heard throughout
media today, and are universally recognisable due to their distinctive sound.
Additionally, the story-telling factor of the compositions have allowed such
pieces to remain popular over multiple centuries, as imaginative narratives that
have a great story behind them are able to be memorised. In the modern era,
romantic period music is often used in films as background music, commercials,
and television shows.

Regarding the social movements of the time, romantic music was an especially
significant part of the romantic movement, which was the liberal influence of not
only music, but also other forms of art, along with literature. By breaking free
from traditional structures, writing music that was able to evoke passionate
emotions from the audience became an increasingly popular method of
composing.

The romantic era of music also had a lasting impact on opera, as both involved
emotional expressions rather than intellectual music.
Bibliography:
—
https://www.musictheoryacademy.com/periods-of-music/romantic-period-music
/
https://www.willanacademy.com/a-quick-summary-of-romantic-music/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zw3nrwx/revision/4
https://www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/the-romantic-period-of-music
https://brainly.com/question/8771416
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/romantic-period-music-guide
https://study.com/academy/lesson/characteristics-of-romantic-era-music-emoti
on-dynamic-contrast.html