Romanticism: Music, Composers, and Characteristics
Romanticism in Music
Romanticism in music tells a story through music, often following a set schedule. The romantic repertoire is present in almost all current media. Much of the music composed today has its roots in the 19th century.
Characteristics of Romanticism
The romantic artist stands out because they:
- Defend freedom and political expression.
- Emphasize the free expression of feelings over reason, contrasting with Classicism.
- Place the individual at the center, viewing the artist as a unique and irreplaceable genius.
- Are idealistic yet pessimistic.
Characteristics of Romantic Music
- Passionate and lyrical.
- Free forms that allow the composer to express their sentiments.
- Exaggerated intensity.
- Nuances in the scores are very accurately described, including changes of speed.
Beethoven: The First Romantic
Beethoven is considered the composer who embodied the transition between Classicism and Romanticism. His first orchestral works, the First and Second Symphonies, maintain the uniqueness of Classicism. The Third and Fourth Symphonies offer glimpses of romantic features. From the Fifth Symphony onward, his works can be classified as romantic. Among the works of his last 15 years, when his deafness was total, were two of the greatest artistic expressions of all Romanticism: the Choral (Ninth) Symphony and the Missa Solemnis.
Frédéric Chopin
Chopin, a composer and pianist, preferred to play for friends in a bourgeois salon rather than in large auditoriums. He managed to convey his deepest emotions through the piano. Besides being an interpreter, he was also a composer. Chopin used the piano for most of his compositions and interpretations. He introduced innovations in almost everything he did, but two things stand out about the pace:
- He combined the binary rhythms of one hand with the ternary rhythms of the other.
- He practiced rubato with the right hand, which means making very delicate tempo changes while respecting the original rhythm.
Characteristics of his work:
- Although he did not write rubato marks in the score, he made use of many indications of nature, intensity, and emotion.
- His virtuoso technique does not detract from the beauty of the melody.
- He used almost the entire length of the piano.
Other great pianists of the Romantic era were Liszt, Brahms, and Schumann.
The Lied
A musical form that gained momentum during the Romantic period is the lied. This is a song for one voice with piano accompaniment. In it, the music and poetry are linked. A representative author is Franz Schubert. If the music suggests something intimate and refined, the text is intended to be at the same level, so it tends to be of a certain quality. The music highlights the literary content that the voice expresses.
There are two types of lied:
- The so-called verse, where all the stanzas have the same music.
- One in which the music changes in each verse, adapting to the themes and feelings that the text expresses.
Instruments
Romanticism is a time when the imagination and freedom of each composer leads to the search for new timbres, new shades, and a greater magnitude of the orchestra. Hector Berlioz made use of the contrabassoon, the English horn, four trumpets, three or four timpani, bass clarinet, four harps, and even the piano four hands.
In 1815, the German manufacturer Heinrich Stölzel invented the piston mechanism. This procedure was applied to the horn and tuba. The tuba was perfected by Adolphe Sax, who in turn invented the saxophone. The oboe was somewhat flawed from the 18th century until the mid-19th century. The piano was becoming a big and powerful instrument that could be heard in concert halls, including with an orchestra. The saxophones, which appeared then, have no role in the symphony orchestra but found their place in jazz.