Romantic Period Music Overview

Romantic Period Music (1820-1910)

• Romantic Period music emphasized emotion, imagination, individualism, and freedom of expression.
• Nationalism was also a significant element, evident in works like Chopin's Polonaise.
• Musical works often depicted literature, history, emotions, and nature.

Violin and String Music

• Niccolò Paganini was a highly influential violin virtuoso.
• His compositions inspired other composers (e.g., Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin).
• Examples: La Campanella – known for its complex and flexible rhythms.

Piano Music

• Romantic piano music saw considerable innovation.
• Virtuosity was highly valued in many compositions.
• Frédéric Chopin, known as the "Poet of the Piano," was famous for works like ballades, études, mazurkas, and nocturnes. His music is characterized by beautiful tone, rhythmic flexibility, grace, and elegance.

Program Music

• Program music is instrumental music that paints a picture or tells a story without words.
• Hector Berlioz, a key composer in this style, created the Symphonie Fantastique.
• This vividly descriptive symphony expands upon the use of woodwinds, percussion, and other instruments.

Composers of Romantic Music

• Robert Schumann blended music and words beautifully.
• His piano works include Abegg Variations and Carnival.
• Camille Saint-Saëns composed elegant, polished music, known for works like Carnival of the Animals and The Swan.
• Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Pyotr Ilyich Chaikovsky) was known for his ballets (e.g., Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty) and nationalistic compositions. He used powerful sounds and a wide variety of instruments, and his works reflect the gradual dynamic changes of crescendo and diminuendo.