Lesson 4: Characteristics of Romantic Music

Lesson 4: Characteristics of Romantic Music

The music of the late Romantic period features more influences from the increase in nationalism. Composers increasingly incorporated elements from their national heritages. As such, it is possible to identify different styles in the music, such as Italian style, Russian style, and German style. The works of the late Romantic period also tend to have greater dissonance. Musical works often changed keys, included innovative chords, and had greater ranges of musical notes and tones. Chromaticism is the use of notes outside the scale that the music is using. For example, let’s say that a piece was written using the C major scale. Any note in the music that is outside of this C major scale (such as an F sharp) would be an example of chromaticism.

Some scholars have gone a bit further and separated the composers into three groups. Conservative Romantic composers were those who retained the classical forms and guidelines. Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms are examples of conservative Romantic composers. Full Romantic composers were those who were more innovative and creative in the form and style of their works. Examples of full Romantic composers include Liszt, Mahler, and Chopin. Nationalist Romantic composers were those who used the ethnic and national folk traditions in their work. An example of a nationalist Romantic composer is the Russian composer Tchaikovsky.

Forms of Romantic Music

The music of the Romantic period built on previously used forms of music. Concertos, sonatas, operas, and symphonies, for example, were all common during the Romantic period. Yet, the period also saw the rise of musical forms that had not been widely used in the past, including ballets, lieders, and operettas. When looking at the forms that were popular, it is also evident that the instruments available to composers and musicians influenced which forms of music became popular. With advancements in instruments, composers could now include a wider variety of instruments in their compositions.

The Romantic Symphony

The symphony form was a not a new creation during the Romantic period, but the Romantic composers did take it to new heights. During the Classical period, symphonies typically had three or four movements, and this form of music became increasingly popular, particularly as orchestras became more professional and larger in scale. The Romantic period carried on many of the features of the Classical symphony, but composers lengthened the works, in some cases dramatically, and they infused greater emotion into the music.

As a transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic periods, Beethoven helped to create changes in the symphony form. Beethoven’s symphonies include many of the characteristics of the Romantic period. His Third Symphony began to inject a higher emotional level to the form and his Ninth Symphony is not only about twice as long as his earlier works, but it also includes vocal parts. Choral symphonies are works that adhere to the typical symphonic form, but which also add in choirs and soloists. The Romantic creativity also shows through in works such as Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, which includes a “storm” before the final movement of the symphony.