Romantic Period
1800-1900 A.D.

Just as the word "Classical" conjures up certain images, Romantic is at
least as evocative. Whether we think of those romance novels with the
tawdry covers, or the paintings of Delacroix, Romanticism implies fantasy,
spontaneity and sensuality.

The Classical period focused on structural clarity and emotional restraint.
Classical music was expressive, but not so passionate that it could
overwhelm a work's equilibrium. Beethoven who was in some ways
responsible for igniting the flame of romanticism, always struggled
(sometimes unsuccessfully) to maintain that balance. Many composers of
the Romantic period followed Beethoven's model and found their own
balance between emotional intensity and Classical form. Others reveled in
the new atmosphere of artistic freedom and created music whose
structure was designed to support its emotional surges. Musical
story-telling became important, and not just in opera, but in "pure"
instrumental music as well. The tone-poem is a particularly Romantic
invention, as it was an orchestral work whose structure was entirely
dependent on the scene being depicted or the story being told.

Color was another important feature of Romantic music. New instruments
were added to the orchestra and composers experimented with ways to
get new sounds from existing instruments. A large palette of musical
colors was necessary to depict the exotic scenes that became so popular.
Exoticism was something of a 19th century obsession. Russian composers
wrote music depicting Spanish landscapes (Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's
Capriccio Espagnol, for example) and German composers wrote music
depicting Scottish landscapes (Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony).
Operas were set in exotic locales (Verdi's Aïda is set in Ancient Egypt).

In addition to seeking out the sights and sounds of other places,
composers began exploring the music of their native countries.
Nationalism became a driving force in the late Romantic period and
composers wanted their music to express their cultural identity. This
desire was particularly intense in Russia and Eastern Europe, where
elements of folk music were incorporated into symphonies, tone-poems
and other "Classical" forms.

The Romantic period was the heyday of the virtuoso. Exceptionally gifted
performers--and particularly pianists, violinists, and singers--became
enormously popular. Liszt, the great Hungarian pianist/composer,
reportedly played with such passion and intensity that women in the
audience would faint. Since, like Liszt, most composers were also
virtuoso performers, it was inevitable that the music they wrote would be
extremely challenging to play.

The Romantic period witnessed an unprecedented glorification of the
artist--whether musician, poet or painter--that has had a powerful impact
on our own culture.