Romantic Era: Musical Styles

During the Romantic Era, composers developed new musical forms, such as the program symphony, symphonic poem, concert overture, and expressive piano works.  Composers developed areas of specialization, and became known specifically for instrumental or vocal music.  Opera, art song, and other vocal genres of music became wildly popular as well. Composers created more dramatic melodic styles and richer harmonies.  Compositions contained more dissonance, designed to create emotional responses from their audience. Unlike the Classical Era, Romantic Era composers were less concerned with following the “rules” of musical form.  Instead, they expanded upon it to make pieces more passionate and expressive.

The dissolution of the patronage system had a downside:  musicians and composers now had to create music to please a wider audience, including the middle class, in order to support themselves with their art. Ticket sales were now the driving force. The impact that this had on the quality of music still remains true today. Whatever the masses enjoy, and what makes money, is what other musicians try to replicate. Musicians in this era despised the old ways and the lives of the wealthy. They relished the commoner’s life and wrote music to bring out more of the less pleasant realities of humanity. Music of this era captured the extremes of life:  it showed the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, and was a way for the listener to escape reality.  Composers used exotic sounds and themes from far-off lands as a focal point for many operas and other new works.

This era also saw the rise of virtuoso musicians.  Virtuoso performers are exceedingly talented at their craft, be it as a solo violinist or a soprano opera singer.  The very best musicians were highly sought after across Europe, and new music was written to showcase their technical ability, expressiveness, and high levels of talent.