classical vs romantic music essay

Classical vs Romantic Music (Differences Between Classical And Romantic Music)

This article is going to give two highly important periods of Western Classical Music a chance to square up to one another and discover how they compare. Could it be that one period of musical history has extensively more to offer the performer and the listener than the other, or are they equal in their musical offerings?

Classical vs Romantic Music

It is important to understand the context of these periods of musical history. Before the classical period , came the Baroque period of music with composers like Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Couperin. Following the classical period, there was what is now termed the Romantic Period that was in itself followed by the dawn of the 20 th Century or loosely titled, Modern Period of music . This then places the classical period roughly between 1750 -1830, and the romantic period between 1830 – 1900.

Periods of Classical music reflect the ages in which they existed. Culture, economics, society, politics all influenced and to some extent governed the development of music during these times. Each period of music is also built on the one that preceded it even though what it then comes to represent is frequently in contrast to it. By this, I mean that the musical and social conventions that were common in the classical period travelled through the Romantic period and enabled the new ideas to flourish.

Music of the classical period then reflected the baroque but also rejected it too. The gilt-edged, ornate opulence of the baroque was discarded in favour of a more modest and streamlined musical model. Likewise, the Romantic period moved away from the elegance and measured control of the classical period towards increasingly larger and complex music in an effort to more fully express the great range of human emotions.

This change in focus is key to understanding another difference between the periods of music. Classical music was highly expressive and communicative but the romantic composers drew perhaps an even greater focus on the human condition and the struggle of the spirit.

What connected the classical and romantic periods are instrumental groupings. Many ensembles that were created during the classical period carried through and developed during the romantic period. The orchestra, for example, was firmly established in the classical period and continued to enjoy favour in the romantic period and onwards.

The difference here is in respect of the pure numbers of performers. Even in the late symphonic works of Haydn, the composer would not have called for many more than 50 performers whereas the late romantic symphonic works regularly require in excess of one hundred performers.

The piano continued to be one of the most popular instruments during both periods of music as a solo instrument and also in the orchestral setting of the concerto. Piano trios, quartets and quintets also thrived through both periods of music. In addition, the full choir (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), as an ensemble continued to be the focus for many extraordinary works through both periods.

There were significant developments in the instruments themselves across both periods of musical history. The piano began in the times of Mozart and Haydn developing to the piano we recognise today as the concert grand. Woodwind instruments developed more complex key-work to cope with the demands made by classical composers.

Brass instruments established valve systems that brought a greater range and technical possibilities that the natural instruments could not offer. These steps forward were furthered significantly in the romantic period and encouraged the rise of the virtuoso performer who in a very real sense became the struggling hero ever popular during this era.

From the orchestra, choir, piano, string quartets came very different types of musical composition during these two periods of music. The symphony began in the classical period as a three or four movements musical form with a duration of around twenty minutes. As the symphony developed in the romantic period the form dramatically changed towards a more unified structure.

Symphonies that were thematically linked (Berlioz idée fixe for example), evolved and four movements became one continuous piece. The romantic symphony often had a programme or was inspired by literature leading to the tone poem and gigantic works like the Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz or Mahler’s “Symphony for a Thousand”.

This, in turn, meant that the musical structures changed too. Familiar forms from the classical period like sonata form, rondo, ternary, variation form, all tended towards dramatic expansion in the romantic period. The gentle confines of periodic phrasing from the classical period grew into lengthy, extended melodic expressions that soared across the new expanses of the developed forms.

The romantic period pushed the older musical forms to breaking point, and in some cases where they are no longer recognisable. The composers focused on the facility to fully express the richest emotions in the romantic period often to the detriment of the composition which could be prolonged far beyond the natural possibilities of the musical material.

Whilst the classical period remained tonal (even in Mozart’s ‘Dissonance Quartet’), the romantic composers eventually drove tonality towards destruction. Harmonically the periods differ widely in this respect. Even though there are examples of highly intricate classical pieces they do not come close to the intense chromaticism that underlies the works of composers like Wagner, Scriabin and Schoenberg.

In many of Wagner’s compositions, the idea of a tonal centre, that dominated the classical models, vanishes in a haze of ever transient harmonic movement. Arnold Schoenberg then took the next step and devised his own harmonic system that completely dismissed tonal harmony. The gradual dissolution of the tonal framework that threaded its way through classical music began even as far back as the later works of Beethoven. Beethoven spanned both classical and romantic periods and in many ways prepared the way for the composers that followed to further develop his harmonic and structural innovations.

If we judge the classical and romantic periods in terms of the scale then the romantic period would win. The concertos and symphonies were almost demonstrations of excess and indulgence compared to the measured, concise classical pieces. If however, we are looking more completely at the music itself, then both periods produced remarkable works in their own right. The classical period gave rise to the romantic and in that sense they are inseparable.

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Classical vs Romantic Period Music: What is the Difference?

The evolution of Western classical music from the Classical period to the Romantic period represents one of the most significant transformations in music history. These two periods, spanning from roughly the mid-18th century to the early 20th century, reflect profound changes in the musical landscape, influenced by broader cultural, social, and political shifts. Understanding the differences between Classical and Romantic period music involves exploring various aspects such as compositional techniques, thematic content, instrumentation, and the role of the composer.

I. Historical Context

Classical period (c. 1730-1820).

The Classical period emerged in the mid-18th century, characterized by a reaction against the complexity and ornate styles of the Baroque era. This period coincided with the Age of Enlightenment, a time of intellectual and philosophical exploration that emphasized reason, clarity, and balance. These values were reflected in the music of the time, which sought to achieve clarity, symmetry, and structural coherence.

Prominent composers of the Classical period include Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , and Ludwig van Beethoven . Their works are noted for their clear musical form, balanced structures, and adherence to established genres such as the symphony, sonata, and string quartet.

Romantic Period (c. 1820-1900)

The Romantic period followed the Classical era and extended into the early 20th century. This era was marked by a heightened emphasis on emotion, individualism, and expressiveness, mirroring broader Romantic trends in literature, art, and philosophy. The Romantic movement was a reaction against the perceived rigidity and formalism of the Classical period, embracing a more personal and subjective approach to art and music.

Key composers of the Romantic period include Franz Schubert , Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Richard Wagner. Their music is characterized by emotional depth, expanded harmonic language, and innovative structures that often broke away from Classical conventions.

II. Compositional Techniques and Forms

1. melody and harmony, classical period:.

In the Classical period, melodies were typically clear, balanced, and diatonic. Composers favored singable, memorable themes that were often symmetrical in structure. Harmonically, the music of this era relied on a clear tonal center with predictable harmonic progressions, such as the use of tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords.

Romantic Period:

Melodies in the Romantic period became more expressive, longer, and often chromatic, reflecting greater emotional intensity. Harmonic language expanded to include more dissonance, chromaticism, and modulation to distant keys, creating a richer and more varied harmonic palette. This allowed for greater expressiveness and complexity in musical works.

2. Rhythm and Tempo

Classical music typically featured regular, clearly defined rhythms with a steady tempo. Composers adhered to strict metrical patterns, providing a sense of order and predictability. The use of tempo markings was precise, and changes in tempo were relatively rare and subtle.

The Romantic period saw a freer approach to rhythm and tempo, with greater use of rubato (the expressive bending of tempo) to enhance emotional expression. Composers employed more varied and complex rhythmic patterns, often reflecting the dramatic content of the music. Tempo changes became more frequent and pronounced, contributing to the dynamic and expressive nature of Romantic music.

3. Form and Structure

Classical composers favored well-defined forms such as sonata-allegro, rondo, and theme and variations. These forms provided a clear framework for musical development and thematic contrast. Symphonies, sonatas, and string quartets often followed a four-movement structure, with a fast opening movement, a slow second movement, a minuet or scherzo third movement, and a fast finale.

While Romantic composers still used Classical forms, they often expanded and modified them to suit their expressive aims. The symphonic form, for example, became more flexible, with movements sometimes linked thematically or played without interruption. New forms, such as the symphonic poem and the art song (Lied), emerged, providing fresh avenues for expression. Composers also wrote larger-scale works with more extended movements, reflecting the Romantic emphasis on drama and emotion.

See Also: Neoclassical Art and Classical Music: What Do They Have in Common?

III. Instrumentation and Orchestration

Classical period.

The Classical orchestra was relatively small and standardized, typically comprising strings, woodwinds, horns, trumpets, and timpani. Composers employed a balanced approach to orchestration, ensuring clarity and transparency in texture. Instruments were often used in predictable combinations, with a clear distinction between melodic and accompanimental roles.

Romantic Period

The Romantic orchestra expanded significantly in size and scope, incorporating a wider range of instruments, including piccolo, bass clarinet, tuba, and various percussion instruments. This allowed for a greater variety of timbres and dynamic contrasts. Composers experimented with orchestral color and texture, using innovative combinations of instruments to create unique soundscapes. The expanded orchestra enabled composers to achieve greater expressiveness and dramatic impact in their works.

IV. Thematic Content and Expression

Classical music often focused on balance, clarity, and formality, with themes that were generally abstract and universal. Emotional expression was present but typically restrained and controlled. Thematic content often revolved around ideals of beauty, order, and proportion.

Romantic music placed a greater emphasis on individual expression and emotional depth. Themes were often personal and programmatic, depicting specific stories, images, or emotions. Composers drew inspiration from literature, nature, and human experiences, infusing their music with a sense of drama, passion, and introspection. This period also saw the rise of nationalism, with composers incorporating folk elements and national themes into their works.

V. Role of the Composer

During the Classical period, composers were often employed by the church, the aristocracy, or the court. Their role was to provide music for specific occasions and functions, adhering to the tastes and preferences of their patrons. While composers had creative freedom, they were expected to work within established norms and conventions.

The Romantic period marked a shift towards greater autonomy for composers, who increasingly saw themselves as individual artists rather than servants of the church or court. Many composers sought to express their personal vision and emotions through their music, often self-financing their works and performances. This newfound independence allowed for greater experimentation and innovation, as composers were no longer bound by the constraints of patronage.

VI. Examples of Key Works

Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D major (“London Symphony”) – Exemplifies Haydn’s mastery of the symphonic form, with its clear structure, balanced themes, and elegant orchestration.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 – Features the famous “Rondo alla Turca,” showcasing Mozart’s gift for memorable melodies and formal clarity.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 – Represents the transition from Classical to Romantic, with its dramatic themes, innovative development, and motivic unity.

Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor (“Unfinished”) – Illustrates Schubert’s lyrical melodies, rich harmonies, and emotional depth.

Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 – Combines virtuosic piano writing with orchestral color and expressive themes.

Richard Wagner: The Ring Cycle – A monumental work that exemplifies the Romantic ideals of drama, expressiveness, and innovative orchestration.

Influence and Legacy

The transition from the Classical to the Romantic period had a profound impact on the development of Western music. The innovations and expansions introduced during the Romantic era set the stage for subsequent musical movements, including Impressionism, Modernism, and beyond. The emphasis on individual expression, emotional depth, and programmatic content that characterized Romantic music continued to influence composers well into the 20th century.

Classical period music, with its emphasis on form, clarity, and balance, laid the foundation for these later developments, providing a framework that Romantic composers both built upon and expanded. The interplay between the Classical and Romantic traditions remains a central theme in music history, illustrating the dynamic evolution of musical art.

See Also: What City is Touted as the “Capital of Classical Music”

The differences between Classical and Romantic period music are multifaceted, encompassing changes in compositional techniques, thematic content, instrumentation, and the role of the composer. While the Classical period emphasized clarity, balance, and formal coherence, the Romantic period embraced emotional expression, individualism, and innovation. Together, these periods represent a rich tapestry of musical evolution, reflecting broader cultural and intellectual trends and leaving a lasting legacy on the world of music.

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Patria, a passionate and seasoned music journalist with a keen ear for the latest tunes and a deep appreciation for the diverse world of music. With a career spanning over a decade, Patria has become a respected voice in the music industry, offering insightful commentary, in-depth reviews, and engaging features.

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Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Nineteenth-century classical music.

"Antonius" Violin

Antonio Stradivari

• Dubois et Couturier

Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840)

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Cornet à Pistons in B-flat

Courtois frères

Christian Frederick Martin

Grand Pianoforte

Érard , made in London

Square Piano

Robert Nunns

Grand Piano

• Steinway & Sons

The Music Lesson

John George Brown

Giosue Esposito

Julian Alden Weir

• Lyon & Healy

Two Young Girls at the Piano

Auguste Renoir

Jayson Kerr Dobney Department of Musical Instruments, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

October 2004

The nineteenth century brought great upheaval to Western societies. Democratic ideals and the Industrial Revolution swept through Europe and changed the daily lives of citizens at all levels. Struggles between the old world order and the new were the root causes of conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the American Civil War . From New York, to London, to Vienna, the world was changing and the consequences can still be felt to this day.

The lives of musicians, composers, and makers of musical instruments were greatly altered by these social changes. In earlier times, musicians were usually employed by either the church or the court and were merely servants to aristocratic circles. Composers wrote music for performances in these venues, and musical instrument makers produced instruments to be played by wealthy patrons or their servant musicians. With the rise of the middle class, more people wanted access to music performances and music education.

A new artistic aesthetic, Romanticism , replaced the ideals of order, symmetry, and form espoused by the classicists of the late eighteenth century. Romantics valued the natural world, idealized the life of the common man, rebelled against social conventions, and stressed the importance of the emotional in art. In music, Romanticism, along with new opportunities for earning a livelihood as a musician or composer, produced two seemingly opposite venues as the primary places for musical activity—the large theater and the parlor.

Music as Public Spectacle One result of the Industrial Revolution was the creation of a middle class. This new economic strata consisted of a larger number of people with more disposable income and more leisure time than had ever existed before. Musical extravaganzas that triumphed the musician or composer gained popularity with the masses of concertgoers. Beginning with Beethoven, composers began to arrange large concerts in order to introduce their works to the public. As audiences desired more, composers wrote larger musical works and demanded more of performers and their instruments.

The “bigger is better” mentality led to new musical forms such as the tone poem and large-scale symphonic and operatic works . Orchestras grew, including larger string sections with a full complement of woodwinds, brass, and ever more percussion instruments. New types of orchestral winds ( 2003.150a–g ) and brass ( 2002.190a–n ) that allowed for greater facility and more accurate playing were introduced. Composers such as Hector Berlioz, and later Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner, continually pushed the limits of the available musical forms, performers, instruments, and performance spaces throughout the nineteenth century.

Musicians who could dazzle and amaze their audiences by their virtuosity became the first musical superstars. The two most famous nineteenth-century examples were the violinist Nicolò Paganini (1782–1840) and the pianist Franz Liszt (1811–1886). Both dazzled audiences throughout Europe with their performances, elevating the status of the musician from servant to demigod. Their fame grew throughout Europe, and their likenesses would be recorded in a variety of visual arts.

In order to withstand the virtuosic and often bombastic playing of these soloists, as well as to provide the type of volume needed in large concert venues, more powerful instruments were needed. Larger and louder violins like those by Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) or Guarneri del Gesù (1698–1744)—preferred by Paganini—replaced the quieter and subtler violins of earlier masters like Jacob Stainer (ca. 1617–1683) or the Amati family. The demands of pianists like Franz Liszt pressed the technology and design of pianos to ever-larger instruments, eventually replacing the internal wooden structures of the eighteenth century with cast-iron frames that could withstand thousands of pounds of pressure.

Parlor Music Conversely, music gained popularity in the intimate nineteenth-century parlor. At the time, home life was centered in the salon, or parlor, where children played and learned with adult supervision, and where the family entertained company. Musical performances for small groups of people became popular events, and some composers/performers were able to support themselves financially by performing in these small venues and attracting wealthy patrons. Most famous among these was Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849).

Music in the parlor was of a very different sort than in the concert hall. Solo performances and chamber music were popular, and included everything from operatic and orchestral transcriptions to sentimental love songs and ballads. In the United States, hymns and folk songs by composers like Stephen Foster (1826–1864) supplemented the European repertoire.

With the rise of the parlor as the center of family life, music education became increasingly important. Children were often taught to play musical instruments as part of a well-rounded education; for girls, playing an instrument was more important than learning to read. When guests and potential suitors visited, the children and teenagers would entertain with performances of the latest popular works.

All sorts of musical instruments were used in the home, and at various times the guitar , harp ( 2001.171 ), concertina, and banjo were extremely popular. However, the most important musical instrument in the home was the piano, because it was useful as both a solo instrument and as accompaniment to a group of singers or instrumentalists. To accommodate home use, smaller pianos were created, first square pianos and later uprights. Small pianos took up less space and, although they were not as powerful as larger types, they were also less expensive. With the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution, the mass manufacturing of musical instruments—especially pianos—provided a seemingly endless supply for the huge markets of both the United States and Europe. The piano would remain a central component of domestic life until it was replaced by the phonograph, radio, and television in the twentieth century.

Dobney, Jayson Kerr. “Nineteenth-Century Classical Music.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/amcm/hd_amcm.htm (October 2004)

Further Reading

Samson, Jim, ed. The Cambridge History of Nineteenth-Century Music . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Additional Essays by Jayson Kerr Dobney

• Dobney, Jayson Kerr. “ Archtop Guitars and Mandolins .” (September 2016)
• Dobney, Jayson Kerr. “ The Guitar .” (September 2007)
• Dobney, Jayson Kerr. “ The Piano: Viennese Instruments .” (March 2009)
• Dobney, Jayson Kerr. “ Military Music in American and European Traditions .” (October 2004)

Related Essays

• Military Music in American and European Traditions
• Music in the Renaissance
• The Piano: Viennese Instruments
• Alice Cordelia Morse (1863–1961)
• America Comes of Age: 1876–1900
• American Scenes of Everyday Life, 1840–1910
• Édouard Manet (1832–1883)
• Egyptian Revival
• George Inness (1825–1894)
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)
• James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903)
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• Romanticism
• Violin Makers: Nicolò Amati (1596–1684) and Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737)
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List of Rulers

• Presidents of the United States of America
• Central Europe and Low Countries, 1800–1900 A.D.
• France, 1800–1900 A.D.
• Great Britain and Ireland, 1800–1900 A.D.
• The United States and Canada, 1800–1900 A.D.
• 19th Century A.D.
• Biedermeier
• Brass Instrument
• Central Europe
• Musical Instrument
• North America
• Oil on Canvas
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• United States
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Artist or Maker

• Amati, Nicolò
• Böhm, Joseph
• Brown, John George
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• Courtois Frères
• Érard & Company
• Esposito, Giosue
• Graf, Conrad
• Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique
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Classical music has had half a millennium to sort out its terminology — but there's still plenty of room for confusion, especially when describing musical eras. For example, not all classical music is Classical — in the sense that what's regarded as the Classical era ran from about 1750 to 1825.

That era was followed by the Romantic era, which ran from about 1825 to 1900. Much of that era's music is what you might call "romantic" in an amorous sense (Chopin's Étude No. 2, Brahms's Piano Sonata No. 3), but then there's also Wagner's Flight of the Valkyries and Verdi's Requiem . So where did the term "Romantic" come from?

Before the word "romantic" was routinely used to describe lovey-dovey stuff, it connoted a sweeping emotionalism — such as that associated with sunsets and poetry. By the beginning of the period we now call "the Romantic era" in the arts, the word was commonly used to describe a free-spirited expression, particularly among artists.

In reaction to the rationalizing process of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, the Romantic movement in the arts valorized subjective expression that was unfettered by rules and systems. Whereas Mozart's genius lay in his inventive use of his day's standardized musical tropes, Beethoven raised the stakes with his stormy — and, eventually, radical — departures from those tropes.

The defining composers of the Romantic era include Chopin, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. These composers took Beethoven's intense subjectivity as a baseline and pushed even farther into the realms of drama and poignance — with a decreasing regard for the niceties of conventional composition. Wagner pushed the limits of tonality, and Mahler brought the era to a crashing climax with his sprawling symphonies. Beyond him lay the bizarre new worlds of Stravinsky and Schoenberg.

It's not a coincidence that the word "romantic" came to connote an atmosphere of loving connection — if you want to set the mood for an erotic evening, you're much more likely to go for Schumann's soaring strings than for Bach's Goldberg Variations . (Of course, to each his or her own.) To this day, when a composer wants to suggest themes of love or sensuality, he or she is likely to reach into the 19th-century toolbox.

You'll hear a lot of Romantic music on YourClassical's Romance stream — but you'll hear baroque arias, pop-tune transcriptions, and more. Love, after all, knows no bounds — temporal, stylistic, or otherwise.

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Classical Music vs. Romantic Music

What's the difference.

Classical music and Romantic music are two distinct periods in the history of Western classical music. Classical music, which spanned from the mid-18th to early 19th century, is characterized by its balanced and structured compositions. It emphasizes clarity, simplicity, and symmetry, with a focus on form and structure. On the other hand, Romantic music, which emerged in the early 19th century and lasted until the early 20th century, is known for its emotional intensity, individual expression, and dramatic flair. It often features rich harmonies, complex melodies, and a wide range of dynamics. While classical music is more restrained and objective, romantic music is passionate and subjective, reflecting the changing cultural and social landscape of the time.

Further Detail

Introduction.

Classical music and Romantic music are two distinct periods in the history of Western music. While both share similarities in terms of instrumentation and structure, they differ significantly in their characteristics, themes, and emotional expression. In this article, we will explore the attributes of classical music and romantic music, highlighting their unique qualities and contributions to the world of music.

Classical Music

Classical music, which spanned from approximately 1750 to 1820, is known for its elegance, balance, and clarity. It emerged as a response to the complexity and ornamentation of the Baroque period, focusing on simplicity and order. Classical compositions often feature a clear melodic line accompanied by harmonies that follow strict rules. The music is characterized by its symmetrical structure, with balanced phrases and predictable cadences.

Classical music is primarily instrumental, with symphonies, sonatas, and chamber music being popular forms. The orchestra plays a central role, and composers like Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven were masters of this genre. The music is often characterized by its refined and restrained emotional expression, emphasizing intellectual and aesthetic pleasure over intense emotions.

One of the key features of classical music is its adherence to form. Composers followed established structures such as sonata form, minuet and trio, and rondo. These forms provided a framework for composers to develop their ideas and create cohesive musical works. The use of repetition, variation, and development within these structures allowed for a sense of balance and unity.

Classical music also places great importance on clarity and precision. The melodies are often simple and memorable, with clear phrasing and well-defined motifs. The use of counterpoint, where multiple melodic lines intertwine, adds complexity and richness to the music. The dynamics are generally controlled and balanced, with gradual changes in volume rather than sudden shifts.

Furthermore, classical music often exhibits a sense of objectivity and universality. It aims to communicate ideas and emotions in a clear and rational manner, appealing to the intellect rather than solely relying on personal experiences or subjective expression. This emphasis on structure and balance has made classical music timeless and enduring, with many compositions still cherished and performed today.

Romantic Music

Romantic music, which flourished from the early 19th century to the early 20th century, represents a departure from the restraint and order of classical music. It is characterized by its emphasis on individual expression, intense emotions, and a fascination with the supernatural and the exotic. Romantic composers sought to evoke a wide range of emotions, often through dramatic and virtuosic performances.

Unlike classical music, which focused on instrumental compositions, romantic music expanded the role of the orchestra and vocal music. Symphonies, concertos, operas, and art songs became popular forms during this period. Composers like Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky pushed the boundaries of musical expression, creating works that were deeply personal and emotionally charged.

One of the defining characteristics of romantic music is its use of expanded forms and structures. Composers often experimented with longer and more complex compositions, allowing for greater freedom and exploration of musical ideas. They incorporated elements such as thematic transformation, cyclic form, and programmatic music, where the music tells a story or depicts a specific scene or emotion.

Emotional expression is at the heart of romantic music. Composers sought to convey a wide range of emotions, from profound sadness to ecstatic joy, through their compositions. The music often features sweeping melodies, rich harmonies, and lush orchestrations. Romantic composers also embraced the use of chromaticism, dissonance, and unconventional harmonies to create tension and evoke intense emotions.

Furthermore, romantic music often reflects the influence of literature, poetry, and nature. Composers drew inspiration from literary works, often setting poems to music or creating symphonic poems that captured the essence of a literary narrative. They also sought to depict the beauty and power of nature, using descriptive titles and evocative melodies to create musical landscapes.

Unlike classical music, which aimed for objectivity and universality, romantic music embraced subjectivity and individualism. Composers sought to express their own unique experiences and emotions, often blurring the lines between the personal and the universal. This emphasis on individual expression and the exploration of the human psyche contributed to the development of the romantic movement in music.

Classical music and romantic music represent two distinct periods in the history of Western music, each with its own set of attributes and characteristics. Classical music is known for its elegance, balance, and adherence to form, while romantic music emphasizes individual expression, intense emotions, and expanded structures. Both periods have made significant contributions to the world of music, and their compositions continue to be celebrated and performed today.

Whether you prefer the refined beauty of classical music or the passionate intensity of romantic music, there is no denying the lasting impact and enduring appeal of these two remarkable periods in musical history.

Comparisons may contain inaccurate information about people, places, or facts. Please report any issues.

Classical Mozart vs. Romantic Beethoven?

When we read textbooks on music history, Mozart is frequently classified as a Classical, and Beethoven as a Romantic composer. It almost sounds like that these two musical giants were diametrically opposed to each other—like two boxers in a ring—with a clear boundary between them. Mozart and Beethoven didn’t hate each other, and they probably never personally met. Each clearly strove to express significant emotions, but they had somewhat different points of view. While the world of Mozart looked for order, poise, serenity and rational discourse, Beethoven’s world favoured ecstasy, wonderment, and irrationality. One searched for an objective and rational approach to life and art and looked upon the world in terms of universal brotherhood, while the other explored the world with intense subjectivity and in terms of personal feelings.

Apollo of the Belvedere

The philosopher Friedrich Nietsche compared the Classical era to Apollo, the god of light and measure, and the Romantic era to Dionysus, the god of wine, intoxication and passion. Both sentiments actually correspond to basic impulses of humanity, contrasting a need for moderation, entertainment, rationality and control of one’s emotion with the desire for uninhibited emotional expressions, the longing for the unknown and the unattainable. In simple terms, classicism is objective while romanticism is subjective.

As we know all too well from our present-day experiences, once rationality and feelings are treated as fundamental opposites, sparks do fly. Let us therefore survey notable composers active during the transitional period when aesthetic and musical worlds seemingly collided. Franz Schubert (1797-1828) might well be a central figure during this transitional period. Early in his career he was considered the last of the Classical composers, as he ignores the tumultuous Beethovenian models and returns to the poise and order of the Mozart universe.

The young Schubert by Josef Abel

This basic narrative of delineation between classicism and romanticism had social, cultural and economic roots and emerged from the revolutions in France and the United States. As an immediate outcome, power was transferred from the aristocracy to the middle class, and via the industrial revolution society depended on commerce and industry. It stimulated an emphasis on political, economic, religious and personal freedoms, but above all it featured an emphasis on the individual. And during the later stages of his career, Schubert decidedly turned towards the central ideas of romanticism. In his Lieder and late instrumental pieces he placed emphasis on the supernatural, the nocturnal, frightful and downright terrifying. Inspired by extra-musical associations, music became an entirely spiritual experience.

Hans Baldung, Death and the Maiden , 1517

For much of Mozart’s career, clarity, balance and transparency were hallmarks of the classical musical style. Music was subject to the principles of rhetoric and grammar, and contrasting musical ideas introduced listeners to opposing affects and ideas. A heavy emphasis on musical form included intellectual and sometimes emotional dialogs, and the musical focus fell on melody and on a simple musical texture. Music was to be noble as well as entertaining, and it should always be natural and uncomplicated. Mozart, for subsequent generations seemingly became the poster child for this Classical musical style. However, when we really start to explore Mozart’s music, all these simplistic generalizations don’t hold true. While he was certainly guided by the ideals of classicism, the exceptional emotional and even demonic qualities that informed his finest masterpieces are definitely precursors of the romantic ideals. A scholar writes, “In all of Mozart’s supreme expressions of suffering and terror, there is something shockingly voluptuous.”

Portrait of Schubert by Gabor Melegh, 1827

We consider Ludwig van Beethoven a revolutionary composer working during revolutionary times. Imbued with the Romantic spirit, he loosened formal constraints and presented uninhibited expressions of his ideas and emotions. He found a new freedom of expressions, and in his instrumental music, freed from the burden of words, he could communicate pure emotion. His music does reach new extremes in terms of length and brevity, and he explored the most distant harmonic and tonal relationships. Extreme contrasts of dynamics are supported by the use of highly expressive terms as a hint to the mood of the music. Beethoven, it is argued, was preoccupied with inner problems, a sense of eternal longing, and a regret for lost happiness and childhood. Wrongly, we tend to think of Beethoven as a grumpy old pessimist. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth as he stands as a bridge between the Classical and the Romantic. In his compositions, Beethoven most perfectly struck a balance between these two contrasting worldviews.

Muzio Clementi by Thomas Hardy

Mozart and Beethoven were not the only composers trying to make sense of this cultural paradigm shift. In fact, they were joined by a whole host of highly talented and exceptional composers. Among them was Muzio Clementi (1752-1832), remembered as one of the most noted and influential musicians during this transitional period. Born in Rome but mostly active in England, he was “the first of the great virtuosos and may well be regarded as the originator of the proper treatment of the modern pianoforte… he is the first composer completely equipped writer of sonatas.” Clementi personally met Haydn and Mozart, and he was aware of Beethoven’s late works. Beethoven had the highest regard for Clementi, and he greatly admired the Clementi sonatas because they were expressly written for the capabilities of the piano. Not unlike Mozart and Beethoven, Clementi stood firmly on the shoulders of both the classical and romantic traditions. And Johannes Brahms was one of his biggest fans.

Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) studied with Mozart for about two years between 1768 and 1788. Hummel’s talent impressed Mozart, and he not only agreed to teach him for free, but also provided him with free lodging and food. Hummel came to composition via the piano, just like Clementi, and he was also one of the great virtuosi of his day. Hummel’s own compositions obviously start with Mozartian models, but he took a different direction than Beethoven. Hummel simultaneously challenged classical harmonic structures and the extension of form, and his influence informed the early works of Chopin and Schumann . A critic writes, “the openings of the Hummel A minor and Chopin E minor concertos are too close to be coincidental.” Trying to make sense of the shifting parameters in musical thought, Hummel’s music powerfully reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era.

Franz Joseph Haydn by Thomas Hardy, 1791

The Classical composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) had one of the most original musical minds. For long periods of time he was isolated from other composers and trends in music, and as he wrote, “It forced me to become original.” In a great number of compositions, Haydn loved to play with the expectations of the listeners. And in one particularly famous composition, his music is tied to a social cause, one of the distinct traits of musical romanticism. The “Farewell Symphony” is arguably Haydn’s most extraordinary composition. Haydn and his band of musicians were to remain for an additional two months in a remote location before being allowed to go home. Everybody protested, but Haydn’s solution was to compose a symphony with a message for Prince Nikolaus. At the end of the symphony, one by one, the players blew out the candles on their music racks and left the room. The Prince took the hint and Haydn won the day. Basing an entire five-movement symphony on extra-musical inspirations and social clauses is boldly knocking on the door of romanticism.

The young Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) grew up in a household belonging to the intellectual and financial elite of Berlin society. By the time he had reached his 14th birthday, he already had an impressive variety and number of works in his compositional portfolio. In fact, between 1821 and 1823 alone, he composed a total of 12 symphonies for strings. The teenage composer assembled a series of compositions that skillfully synthesized Classical forms with Baroque techniques and Romantic orchestral techniques and symphonic processes. Mozartian in its formal clarity and expressive contrast, the development takes full advantage of this thematic simplicity by presenting the material in a variety of harmonic and instrumental guises. The harmonic progressions are highly sophisticated, and the fugal conclusion must have caused some mild surprises. Here as elsewhere in Mendelssohn, classical poise and romantic fervor happily coincided side by side.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

When we look for the precursors of musical romanticism, we clearly need to consider Bach. However, the Bach in question is Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), son of the famed Johann Sebastian . He was highly esteemed during his lifetime and praised by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, but his name fell into neglect during the 19th century. Working in Berlin, C.P.E. maintained regular contacts with Moses Mendelssohn—grandfather of Felix Mendelssohn—the founder of German popular philosophy and one of the central figures of the Enlightenment. Concordantly, he was a close personal friend of the poet Johann Gellert. Gellert paved the way for a movement in German literature and art in which subjectivity and extremes of emotion were given free expression. Named “Sturm und Drang” (Storm and Urge) after a popular poem, this literary stream eventually relished tormented, gloomy, terrified and irrational feelings. Relying on extreme unpredictability and a wide range of emotions, C.P.E’s music easily moves with complete freedom and variety across the entire spectrum of structural designs. His true legacy is not merely felt in the psychological realm of Romanticism, but in the improvisatory and cyclic musical experiments of the19th century.

Johannes Brahms, c. 1894

In stark contrast to the stormy and passionate works of composers like Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt , Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) retained reverence for the classical heritage and maintained the Romantic tradition of his great predecessors. During his compositional career, Brahms exhibited a heightened sense of musical insecurity. He self-consciously responded to criticism, even when leveled by his closest personal friends, and he ruthlessly destroyed or severely reshaped his compositions. As a case in point, Brahms completed his B-major Trio in 1853 but revised the work some 36 years later. The revised work combines youthful romantic exuberance with sophisticated musical textures and an entirely logical and classical way of constructing motive and controlling their subsequent development. Brahms combines the warm lyricism of romantic imagination with a muscular intellectual rationality.

The title of this article talks about the collision of two musical worlds, but in reality it never happened. It is true that the composers featured in this article tried to artistically make sense of conflicting worldviews, but they still talked to each other and learned from each other. They drew inspiration from both sides of this aesthetic divide, and their artistic solutions and compromises are of fundamental significance to Western cultural and artistic thought.

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Great article describing the differences and commonalities of classical and romantic music. Also, wonderful examples of performances.

What about Jan Ladislav Dussek? He was a Romantic sooner then musical traditionitalists want to admit. The level of Romantic expression in his music is just amazing.

The Schubert string quartet uses thirteenth chords. These contribute to the Romantic quality of the work. A typical one would be the minor 13th chord, spelled G, F, B, Eb.

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Early Romantic Era

Romantic music.

This short page lists some of the philosophical and social trends that influenced Romantic music. It is important to understand that scholars do not always agree on the dates for historical periods in music. In fact, over the past 100 years, there has been some debate as to whether the periods we refer to as Classical and Romantic are distinct enough to merit separate labels. For the purposes of this course, we accept that there are sufficient differences to consider the music composed between the death of Bach (1750) and the beginning of Beethoven’s late period (ca. 1815), and the music composed during the remainder of the 19th century and early 20th century as representing different historical periods. But you will certainly notice that Romantic music bears a much closer resemblance to Classical music than Classical music does to any of the earlier periods.

Introduction

Romantic music is a term denoting an era of Western classical music that began in the late 18th or early 19th century. It was related to Romanticism, the European artistic and literary movement that arose in the second half of the 18th century, and Romantic music in particular dominated the Romantic movement in Germany.

Background:  Romanticism

The Romantic movement was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe and strengthened in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. In part, it was a revolt against social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education, and natural history.

One of the first significant applications of the term to music was in 1789, in the Mémoires by the Frenchman André Grétry, but it was E.T.A. Hoffmann who really established the principles of musical romanticism, in a lengthy review of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphonypublished in 1810, and in an 1813 article on Beethoven’s instrumental music. In the first of these essays Hoffmann traced the beginnings of musical Romanticism to the later works of Haydn and Mozart. It was Hoffmann’s fusion of ideas already associated with the term “Romantic,” used in opposition to the restraint and formality of Classical models, that elevated music, and especially instrumental music, to a position of pre-eminence in Romanticism as the art most suited to the expression of emotions. It was also through the writings of Hoffmann and other German authors that brought German music to the centre of musical Romanticism.

Characteristics often attributed to Romanticism, including musical Romanticism, are:

• a new preoccupation with and surrender to Nature
• a fascination with the past, particularly the Middle Ages and legends of medieval chivalry
• a turn towards the mystic and supernatural, both religious and merely spooky
• a longing for the infinite
• mysterious connotations of remoteness, the unusual and fabulous, the strange and surprising
• a focus on the nocturnal, the ghostly, the frightful, and terrifying
• fantastic seeing and spiritual experiences
• a new attention given to national identity
• emphasis on extreme subjectivism
• interest in the autobiographical
• discontent with musical formulas and conventions

Such lists, however, proliferated over time, resulting in a “chaos of antithetical phenomena,” criticized for their superficiality and for signifying so many different things that there came to be no central meaning. The attributes have also been criticized for being too vague. For example, features of the “ghostly and supernatural” could apply equally to Mozart’s Don Giovanni from 1787 and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress from 1951.

Trends of the 19th century

Non-musical influences.

Events and changes that happen in society such as ideas, attitudes, discoveries, inventions, and historical events always affect music. For example, the Industrial Revolution was in full effect by the late 18th century and early 19th century. This event had a very profound effect on music: there were major improvements in the mechanical valves, and keys that most woodwinds and brass instruments depend on. The new and innovative instruments could be played with more ease and they were more reliable.

Another development that had an effect on music was the rise of the middle class. Composers before this period lived on the patronage of the aristocracy. Many times their audience was small, composed mostly of the upper class and individuals who were knowledgeable about music. The Romantic composers, on the other hand, often wrote for public concerts and festivals, with large audiences of paying customers, who had not necessarily had any music lessons. Composers of the Romantic Era, like Elgar, showed the world that there should be “no segregation of musical tastes” and that the “purpose was to write music that was to be heard.”

Nationalism

During the Romantic period, music often took on a much more nationalistic purpose. For example, Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia has been interpreted to represent the rising nation of Finland, which would someday gain independence from Russian control. Frédéric Chopin was one of the first composers to incorporate nationalistic elements into his compositions. Joseph Machlis states, “Poland’s struggle for freedom from tsarist rule aroused the national poet in Poland. . . . Examples of musical nationalism abound in the output of the romantic era. The folk idiom is prominent in the Mazurkas of Chopin.” His mazurkas and polonaises are particularly notable for their use of nationalistic rhythms. Moreover, “During World War II the Nazis forbade the playing of . . . Chopin’s Polonaises in Warsaw because of the powerful symbolism residing in these works.” Other composers, such as Bedřich Smetana, wrote pieces which musically described their homelands; in particular, Smetana’s Vltava is a symphonic poem about the Moldau River in the modern-day Czech Republic and the second in a cycle of six nationalistic symphonic poems collectively titled Má vlast (My Homeland). Smetana also composed eight nationalist operas, all of which remain in the repertory. They established him as the first Czech nationalist composer as well as the most important Czech opera composer of the generation who came to prominence in the 1860s.

• Authored by : Elliott Jones. Provided by : Santa Ana College. Located at : http://www.sac.edu . License : CC BY: Attribution
• Romantic music. Provided by : Wikipedia. Located at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_music . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

The 6 Different Eras Of Classical Music: A Complete Guide

European classical music dates back to the Middle Ages, around AD 500, and continues into the 20th and 21st centuries.

Several things link all this music together, but a key feature of Western art music, as it is sometimes called, is the use of formal notation, unlike folk music, which isn’t usually written down.

Classical music has changed a lot over the centuries, so we divide it into different periods or eras. Each era has its own sounds, traits, and famous composers. For example, a Gregorian chant from the Medieval period sounds very different from a Romantic-era opera.

This guide covers the main classical music eras: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th-century classical, spanning over 1,500 years!

Table of Contents

The Medieval Period (AD 500–1400)

By far the longest era of classical music, the Medieval music period stretches from AD 500 to 1400 — a time span of 900 years!

One of the most significant developments during this time was that music was notated for the first time ever, allowing musical information to spread much more easily.

The era can be split into three mini-periods:

• Early Medieval music (500-1150)
• High Medieval music (1150-1300)
• Late Medieval music (1300-1400)

Art, at this time, was tied closely with religion. The main form of music was the Gregorian chant, or plainsong, which was sung by monks during Mass in the Catholic Church.

The music was monophonic , meaning it contained just a single melodic line sung in unison, with no accompanying harmony parts or instruments.

Here is an example, sung by the Gregorian Choir of Paris:

Polyphonic music (which has two or more simultaneous independent melodic parts) began to develop in the second half of the Medieval period. This paved the way for the grander Renaissance style that was to follow.

The Renaissance Period (AD 1400–1600)

From 1400 to 1600, the Renaissance Era saw music become more expressive and complex.

Religious music was still ubiquitous, but secular music increased in popularity, as composers were allowed to write creative music for its own sake. The invention of the printing press also allowed for more widespread distribution.

Technological developments in instrument-making gave ensembles access to larger ranges and increased textural variety. Harmony became richer, as it started to sound a little closer to the kind of functional tonality we use today.

Important Renaissance composers, many of whom focused upon choral music, include Josquin des Prez, a Frenchman who wrote both secular and sacred works; Italian composer of religious works Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina; and the Englishman Thomas Tallis.

Here is a vocal piece by des Prez:

The Baroque Period (AD 1600–1750)

The Baroque Era was the dominant style during the years 1600–1750.

Perhaps its most distinctive feature is the use of dense polyphony, where multiple complex melodies weave in and out of each other to impressive effect.

Many of the forms and structures established during this period, including opera and concertos (one or more soloists featured with an ensemble), would become mainstays of classical music over the following centuries.

“Common practice harmony,” the functional tonal system that would remain prevalent through the Classical and Romantic periods, was also established.

The Brandenburg Concertos are by Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers of all time:

Composers such as Antonio Vivaldi, Geroge Friedrich Handel, Henry Purcell, and Arcangelo Corelli began to experiment with larger ensembles, thus essentially birthing the orchestra .

At the other end of the ensemble spectrum, solo keyboard works were also popular. The pieces composed for the harpsichord, the predecessor to the piano, were ornate contrapuntal (another word for polyphonic), an archetypal sound of the Baroque period.

The Classical Period (AD 1730–1820)

Confusingly, the word “ Classical era ” (capitalized) refers to this specific era (1730–1820), while “classical” (non-capitalized) refers to the whole Western art music tradition we are covering in this post.

Melody was now the order of the day: simple, elegant tunes and highly elegant tunes organized in neat, balanced phrases, in contrast to the complexity of the Baroque era.

The more expressive pianoforte now replaced the harpsichord as the dominant keyboard instrument of the age.

This era also saw the orchestras become bigger with the addition of proper woodwind sections.

The symphony, an extended orchestral piece with four contrasting movements, was born, as was the string quartet.

Pioneered by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, the video below was a chamber music format that most major composers would write for over the following centuries.

Supreme melodicist Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the archetypal Classical composer and perhaps the most famous composer and prodigy of all time.

He was followed by Ludwig van Beethoven, who bridged the gap between the Classical and Romantic eras. Beethoven wrote grand scale works, expanding upon previously strict symphonic rules and introducing programmatic content (meaning pieces with extra-musical narratives; music that is about something).

The Romantic Period (AD 1800–1910)

Following Beethoven’s developments, the Romantic Period (1800–1910) saw composers free themselves from the restrictive conventions of the Classical era, working on a grander scale with much more expressive and emotive content.

The trend for programmatic works continued, with music inspired by nature, literature, legends, national identity, and other non-musical stimuli.

We now see the emergence of stunning virtuoso performers, who were widely lauded for their instrumental skills. Franz Liszt and Frédéric François Chopin were both composers and brilliant pianists.

German composer Richard Wagner was particularly influential in the development of opera, using much more adventurous harmony, increasing chromaticism, and pioneering the use of leitmotifs (musical phrases that represent specific characters).

His ideas influenced the likes of Richard Strauss, Verdi, and Puccini.

Here is Wagner’s famous “Ride of the Valkyries”:

The 20th Century (1900–Present)

A vast range of totally new and radical music came out of the 20th century, as composers reacted in different ways to the conventions and traditions of previous decades.

One example of this was Impressionism, a movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in which French composers like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel used ambiguous tonality and unusual scales like the whole tone scale to suggest color, mood, and atmosphere.

Elsewhere, the modernist movement was about rejecting tradition and embracing individuality.

Arnold Schoenberg pioneered atonalism, a dissonant-sounding music that dispenses with traditional harmonic function. Meanwhile, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s use of rhythm was highly innovative, utilizing frequently shifting time signatures.

This is particularly evident in his revolutionary ballet The Rite of Spring :

Several American composers, including Leonard Bernstein and George Gerswhin, looked towards jazz — then an exciting new art form — for inspiration.

Later on, minimalists like Phillip Glass and Steve Reich used minimal musical material, extensive repetition, and electronic techniques, reflecting the technological advances of the day.

Summarizing Classical Music Eras

That concludes our guide to the eras of classical music. We hope you find it interesting and useful.

One of the best ways to get familiar with each era is to listen to the major composers from each period.

As you explore these periods, you’ll start to recognize their unique styles. Listening to a variety of pieces will deepen your appreciation and help you identify the era of any classical piece you hear.

Happy listening!

Dan Farrant

Dan Farrant, the founder of Hello Music Theory, has been teaching music for over 15 years, helping hundreds of thousands of students unlock the joy of music. He graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in 2012 and then launched Hello Music Theory in 2014. He plays the guitar, piano, bass guitar and double bass and loves teaching music theory.

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Baroque vs Classical vs Romantic: Which Was The Best Musical Age?

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• / By Classical Music Pro

The tags we currently use to define musical ages did not exist at the time. We retrospectively classified music according to the content they covered and the general style. As a result, it’s hard for us to proudly say which one was best. Each age had its shining features and there are different reasons why it’s a valid contender. 

In this article, we’ll be jumping into the baroque vs classical vs romantic debate, exploring each age, the composers that fall under the category, and why it was so interesting. 

Baroque music reigned between 1600 to 1750. Before Baroque came along, composers produced Renaissance-style music. The Renaissance music era focused on moving music from medieval constraints and toward range, rhythm, harmony, and form. The Baroque era picked up from this and moved toward a more exaggerated sound. 

The origins of Baroque music are intricately tied to the origins of opera. The style started becoming popular because a group of composers, singers, and players were dissatisfied with the monotonous nature of Renaissance music. They started playing around with harmonies to see if they could add an extra flair. 

Claudio Monteverdi is credited as one of the composers who pushed the transition to Baroque music. He simultaneously developed Renaissance and Baroque music and made Baroque more palatable to the masses. He used operas like L’Orfeo to bring more attention to the genre. 

Characteristics

Baroque music was all about adding drama, so there’s a stark contrast between loud and soft ensembles. There’s also a contrast between solos and ensembles. Using contrast to add drama was a smart move because each instrument had a chance to show its range. For example, a piano piece could change the tone between each movement. 

Basso Continuo

Music before this era was produced in a monody (a single melody). At most, a song would be accompanied by different instruments. However, this era put more emphasis on harmony and melody. Composers started exploring how they could play around with different melodies, and still create harmony. 

Communication

Since this time came with the rise of opera and oratorio, music was seen as a form of communication. It could now compete with other art forms because it could also demonstrate themes and convey emotion. 

Once it caught on, extraordinary composers came up during the Baroque period. The most popular composer from this era is Johann Bach . Bach produced music for the Church during most of his career, and he is well-known for his vocal and choral arrangements. 

He’s so influential that almost every classic musician knows how to play a Bach piece or two. Even if you’re not a player, you’ve probably sung a Bach hymn when you visited a church. Unfortunately, he knew that Baroque music would end with him and another musical era would probably take over. 

Other famous composers from this time include Purcell, Corelli, Vivaldi, and Handel. 

Here’s an album where you will find some of the best Baroque era music of all time. 

Check on Amazon Music.

Classical 

The classical era came straight after Baroque. It occurred between 1730 and 1820. The music was less complex and softer than Baroque music. Even though it was popular for a long time, it was eventually replaced by Romantic music. 

Classical music was inspired by art of the time. Europe moved towards a newer architecture, art, and literature style, and music also followed the course. The new philosophy focused on order and hierarchy. Also, it was cleaner and took away the bright contrasts. Classic music was more about simplicity than anything else. 

Joseph Hadyn is marketed as one of the earliest composers of the style. He had the power to break down opera and focus more on the tone. Classical music removed the drama from Baroque and broke it down to the basics, without making it empty or boring. Joseph Hadyn wrote more than 40 symphonies in his attempt to make the style more recognized. 

Classical music is much simpler and lighter than Baroque music. The style is predominantly homophonic . Each piece has a single melodic line that has a chordal accompaniment. 

Homophonic music has extra musical strands that support a single harmony. The most interesting part of this style is how composers managed to add extra elements without sacrificing simplicity. 

Variety and Contrast

Even though there was a change in texture, the Classical era still kept the contrast from the previous era. However, instead of mixing up the themes, the focus was on adding a variety of keys, melodies, and dynamics. The composers managed to keep everything simple and add a little excitement at the same time. 

Melodies were shorter than in the previous era. There were clearer changes between each movement, but they weren’t as passionate and emotional as before. The Classical era had clear-cut phrases and clearly marked cadences. Also, the orchestra was extended because they added extra sound elements. 

This era produced some of the greatest composers of all time. Most of the names that we associate with classical music as a whole came up during this period. Beethoven and Mozart are the most popular composers to make music using this style. 

Mozart took over from Haydn and took classical music public. He wanted ordinary people to enjoy the genre as well as the nobles and started performing operas. Mozart also performed his work as virtuous and gained critical acclaim. Apart from his work in making the genre popular, he wrote some of the best compositions in existence. 

Beethoven picked up from where Mozart left and used instruments to add texture. He spearheaded a shift from vocal writing to pianistic writing. Beethoven is arguably the most famous composer of all time. Almost all of us can identify the Moonlight Sonata or Fur Elise from the first notes alone.

Here’s an album where you will find some of the best Classical era music of all time. 

People eventually got bored with the simplicity of classical music. Once again, there was a turn that brought the emotion back to the arts. The turn introduced the beginning of the Romantic era. The Romantic Era reigned between 1800 and 1910. 

Like the Classic era, the Romantic period reflects the art, literature, and political beliefs of the time. It was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution and a revolt against the new Age of Enlightenment. Romantic era music was more politicized than its predecessors. Europe was going through a major upheaval, and this upheaval is reflected in the music. 

Interestingly, Mozart and Beethoven contributed to the start of the Romantic era. They composed music that fit in more with the style than Classical music. 

Their late career compositions were more emotional and played around with operatic themes. Franz Schubert also contributed to the Classic to Romantic transition. He moved from instrumentals to melodic and harmonic songs. 

The Romantic era brought emotion back into music. Out of all of the eras in the baroque vs classical vs romantic debate, there was an emphasis on nature in the Romantic Era. Just like artists, composers wrote symphonies dedicated to nature. 

They were more appreciative of their surroundings and used them as inspiration. Also, composers focused on nostalgia. Their songs remind you of a better time. They were fascinated by the Middle Ages and medieval times. 

On the other hand, they were also looking forward to a bright future. Some composers focused on the mystery of the future and where the world was headed. Since it coincides with the Industrial Revolution, it’s easy to understand why they were so excited about the future. 

Since the classical era had extended orchestras, Romantic-era composers understood the message and added new musical structures. They added nocturnes, arabesques, song cycles, and rhapsodies. 

They also went the extra mile by adding new harmonic structures. 

Brahms and Tchaikovsky are the most famous composers of this time. Brahms is considered the leading composer of the Romantic era. The German pianist was both a traditionalist and an innovator. 

He respected the work of Baroque and Classical composers, and he was brave enough to add a few twists. While his music is considered too academic for the time, his structures are the backbone of classical music as we know it. 

Tchaikovsky is a Russian composer who expertly crafted the perfect opera anthems. Most of his music featured in plays like the Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. He also wrote songs for ballet. His pieces were a hit with audiences because they were full of impressive and colorful harmonies. 

Tchaikovsky’s music represents the passion and excitement that we associate with the Romantic Era. 

Here’s an album where you will find some of the best Romantic era music of all time. 

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The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

6 January 2022, 17:08 | Updated: 10 January 2022, 18:27

By Siena Linton

With centuries of history to consider, it can be easy to get in a bit of a twist when it comes to the various eras of Western classical music. Here’s a quick guide to the four key periods we usually learn about in music theory: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century and beyond.

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The baroque era (c. 1600–1750).

The Baroque era spans from around 1600 to 1750, and includes music by the likes of Bach , Vivaldi , Francesca Caccini, Handel and Purcell .

The era was a busy time for musical development. Composers and musicians were experimenting with new musical styles and different ways to write down their music. They also began to agree on a system for tuning instruments which made it easier to play together.

One of the most defining elements of Baroque music is the harpsichord , an early keyboard instrument which plucked strings to make its distinctive sound.

The Baroque era also gave rise to new musical styles, introducing the concerto, sonata, and opera. Dance suites were in vogue, inspired by music for dancing but actually intended for listening.

Improvisation is common in Baroque music. Composers often did not specify performance directions, allowing the performer to devise their own dynamics, phrasing and ornaments on the spot.

Some Baroque music can be quite complex with more than one melody being played at the same time, also known as polyphony. This is common in much of the keyboard music of the time, and is found in a lot of Bach’s most popular work.

Read more: 10 of the best Baroque composers

Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor played by violist Lech Antonio Uszynski

Instruments began to be grouped together in more standard ways during the Baroque era, creating the first versions of the modern orchestra. Wind and brass instruments had limited ranges and could only play in certain keys. The Baroque era is also home to some wonderfully named instruments, such as the sackbut and the hurdy-gurdy.

The Classical era (1750–1830)

We use ‘classical music’ (small C) as an umbrella term for Western instrumental, orchestral and choral music. But the Classical (big C) era specifically refers to music composed between 1750 and 1830.

Classical era music is sometimes even referred to as ‘Viennese Classicism’. The city was a bustling hub of musical activity at the time, home to Gluck, Haydn , Salieri, Mozart , Beethoven and Schubert .

Leaps and bounds were made in the development of musical instruments during the Classical period. The harpsichord was replaced by the piano as the most common keyboard instrument and was no longer the musical foundation of the orchestra. Instead, Classical orchestras looked far more like those we know and love today, with clarinets, oboes, flutes, horns and trumpets joining the strings to create a far richer sound.

With more advanced instruments able to take on better solo lines, more emphasis was placed on melody. Composers became more specific about how their pieces were performed, writing in instructions for dynamics and ornaments.

Sonata and symphony styles flourished, along with the new string quartet form. Solo instrumental concertos rose in popularity as concerti grossi (concertos for more than one soloist) became less common. The sinfonia concertante form remained popular, however, championed by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Mozart.

Towards the end of the Classical era, musical styles began to shift and change. Beethoven heralded in the new era of Romanticism, defying the traditions passed down by his teacher, Haydn, and becoming more ambitious and inventive.

Read more: 10 of the best Classical era composers

Buskaid: Symphonie Concertante in G major - Allegro - Chevalier de Saint-George

The Romantic era (c. 1830–1900)

Despite its name, the Romantic era isn’t known for its romance. Composers during this era wrote increasingly emotive and intense music inspired by nature, literature, and poetry.

Alongside Beethoven, a host of other German composers were at the frontline of the genre including Brahms , Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn , Carl Maria von Weber, and Robert and Clara Schumann .

Read more: Who was Fanny Mendelssohn, the unsung composer whose music was published under her brother’s name?

While still rooted firmly in tonality, for the most part, composers began to experiment with more chromatic writing, borrowing notes from other keys to create more interesting and adventurous harmonies.

Further instrument developments allowed for increasing virtuosity and longer, more complex phrases. And composers began to write more new musical forms, such as symphonic poems, song cycles, nocturnes and arabesques.

Orchestras flourished during this era, expanding dramatically in size with as many as 120 players called for by Wagner . The sound produced by symphony orchestras was richer than ever before, with virtuosic writing and extended ranges for instruments at both ends of the scale thanks to the addition of piccolos and E flat clarinets in the higher register, and low brass instruments such as trombones and tubas at the lower end.

Romantic composers took inspiration from wherever they could find it, and many began to write ‘programmatic music’ – musical descriptions of a story or setting, such as Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony No. 6 describing countryside scenes. Many were also inspired to write music about their homelands, such as Sibelius’s Finlandia or Smetana’s set of six programmatic symphonic poems, Má vlast , meaning ‘My Homeland’.

Read more: 10 of the best Romantic composers in classical music history

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Towards the end of the era, composers continued to experiment and push boundaries. Their music became increasingly genre-defying until around the turn of the century, when classical music was set for one of its biggest changes to date.

20th Century and beyond (1900s onwards)

Around the turn of the century, musical styles under the ‘classical’ umbrella began to diversify and splinter off into sub-genres more than they ever had before. Divisive political climates across the world and huge technological advancements motivated composers to create new musical styles in reaction to their circumstances.

The 20th Century era of classical music saw the birth of modernism, impressionism, serialism and minimalism, further influence from non-classical styles such as jazz, and even experiments with recorded sound.

The global politics of the 20th century, particularly those in Europe, had a large impact on the musical output of Western classical composers. The Soviet and Nazi regimes placed strict expectations on their nation’s composers, blacklisting those who did not conform. Composers such as Hindemith and Shostakovich wrote music that is rife with political subtext, having been forced to write in styles deemed ‘acceptable’ by their governments in order to avoid persecution.

Read more: 10 of the best 20th-century composers

Read more: Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No.5 in D minor

Shostakovich // Symphony No 5, IV. Allegro non troppo | Michael Tilson Thomas

The 20th Century also saw a complete diversion from tonality in the works of some composers, with Schoenberg developing his 12-tone system for composition rather than sticking to traditional keys. This system was continued by two of his students, Berg and Webern.

Music composed by introducing mathematical elements of chance to decide on notes and rhythms, otherwise known as ‘process music’, became popular with John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Philip Glass and Steve Reich .

Read more: How I Wrote... Clapping Music – Steve Reich

Composers such as Mahler , Strauss and Sibelius signalled the transition from the Romantic era to the 20th Century, experimenting with the popular symphonic forms and pushing boundaries. Meanwhile, Debussy was in France cultivating the beginning of the Impressionist movement, although he rejected the term.

Towards the end of the Century and into the 21st, film and video game music have gained popularity, with composers such as John Williams , Hans Zimmer and Nobuo Uematsu heralding in a new era for orchestral and choral music.

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Home — Essay Samples — History — Romanticism — The Rise of Musical Romanticism

The Rise of Musical Romanticism

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Classical Vs. Romantic Era Music Comparison And Contrast Essay Essay Sample

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Music , Relationships , Love , Harmony , Classical Music , Art , Composers , Style

Published: 02/20/2023

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Some of the best musical pieces ever known to man have been developed during the Classical and Romantic eras. The Classical Era covers the period between 1750 and 1800; the Romantic Era, on the other hand, covers much of the 19th century. As can be seen, the Classical Era of music covers a relatively shorter period of time compared to the Romantic one. This is not enough to say that the musical pieces released during that shorter period are inferior to the ones released during that longer period, however. When it comes to classical music, the role of the composer or the person who creates and writes the music is much more limited compared to romantic music. The highlight of the classical era of western music was the idea of classicalism, a style of arts (not just music, including literature, paintings) that got popularized during the mid-18th century in Europe. It highlighted the significant of instrumental music; its content was mainly composed of traits related to emotional balance and restraint. Some of the famous composers during this era were Ludwig Van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Joseph Hayden. People got so used to the classical music that their rationale for creating and listening to music changed in the era that succeeded—this was the romantic era. The composers’ role and focus during this era included themes that can be related to nature and self-expression. It is important to note that Romanticism was a comprehensive art movement, just like classicalism, that not only affected music but other forms of art as well such as literature, painting, and other intellectual works. Famous composers who emerged during this period would include Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert, and Franz Liszt, among others. In terms of harmonic language and style (and aesthetics), the obvious differences between musical pieces publicized during the two eras can be observed by checking their respective musical arrangements. In the case of classical music pieces, symphonies or long and complex sonata parts are common. This is quite evident in Ludwig Van Beethoven’s works. In fact, among his popular musical works included a large portion of symphonies and sonatas—some of it were even solely symphonies and or sonatas. The same can, in fact, be true for musical pieces publicized during the succeeding period or the romantic era. After all, this era was just around the corner and the years it took to develop new musical pieces were not that many. One distinct feature that romantic era musical pieces had in this aspect would be the presence of larger symphony and sonata compositions that have solo piano works—something that is not typically seen in classical era musical pieces. The harmony of majority of classical era music was mostly diatonic. Diatonic harmony is composed of two parts of music: music that is played diagonally and across or through; so when an instrumentalist plays a certain chord, he only focuses on and plays the notes included in the scale that he selected. During the romantic era, they used chromatic harmony instead of the diatonic one. The difference was that chromatic harmony uses notes that are not a part of selected scale which is why chromatic harmonized musical pieces often contain sounds that are different (but nonetheless harmonious) when one listens to it. In conclusion, romantic and classical eras of music represent a highly significant portion of the western musical history. The latter may be a shorter period than the former but that does not tell a lot of story in terms of their different qualities. It can be said that they are equally good in terms of the quality of music popularized during the respective periods. However, just like any forms of art, the beauty of music would depend highly on the ears of the listener. Classical and Romantic music are played for different reasons or modes of expression; they also differ in terms of harmony, style, and arrangement.

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• Comparison between Classical and Romantic Periods in Western Music

Comparison between Classical and Romantic Periods in Western Music - Essay Example

• Subject: Music
• Type: Essay
• Level: Masters
• Pages: 2 (500 words)
• Downloads: 17
• Author: zcruickshank

Extract of sample "Comparison between Classical and Romantic Periods in Western Music"

Comparison between classical and romantic periods in Western musicClassical western music is the music in the European region between 1720 and 1830. The music had its origin in church music, western art and concert music. Romantic western music refers to the music that evolved after the classical western music. The music carried deep expressions of emotion mainly romance.One of the major differences between the two periods of music is that, during the classical period, music was more restrained while in the romantic period music became more exuberant.

During the classic period, apart from the energy used in playing the instruments, little energy was used during the performance. Movement was minimal as people performed and danced to the music. In contrast, during the romantic music period, both the performers and the dancers to the music became more physically involved in the music. More energy was used in playing the musical instruments and to dance to the music.Another major difference between the two periods is that, during the romantic period, music stressed strong emotions as opposed to the music during the classic period.

Music during the classical period did not portray deep emotions.About harmony, minor tones provided the music framework during the classical music period. Music composers wanted to have more control over their songs. The figured bass was not used during the classical music period. Amateur musicians were incapable of improvising from the bass. On the other hand, harmony during the romantic music period was expanded. Color and chromatic harmonies were added to the music.The performing mediums used during the classical music period were not as sophisticated as the accompaniments used during the romantic music period.

They were, for example, made of wood and strings and were easy to operate as accompaniments to the music. During the romantic music period, accompaniments got more sophisticated. They included pianos and other digital equipment which were not easy to operate.About form, classical music consisted of contrasting movements. The contrast was evident in tempo and character. The forms included opera, concerto and symphony. In the romantic musical period, a few forms have been invented. They include symphonies and sonatas.

During the classical period, composers were used by the ruling class for entertainment. They were paid handsomely by the aristocrats. They were charged with the responsibility of composing and maintaining musical libraries. During the romantic period, they used music to express their emotions. Some of the emotions they expressed included affection. Inspiration was drawn from history, love and the supernatural. About style, during the classical period music was homophonic, elaborately ornamented and light in texture.

In the romantic period, music became more heavily textured.Joseph Haydn is one of the major composers during the classical music period. He was born in Australia and is referred to as the father of the symphony. He pioneered the development of the string quartet and symphony. His biggest work is the London Symphony. Another major composer during the classic period is Wolfgang Amadeus. He is known for the operas like the magic flute and Don Giovanni. Christoph Willibald was a German composer during the classical era.

Operatic reforms represent a big portion of his works.Ludwig Beethoven was one of the major composers during the romantic period. Symphony number nine of 1824 is a representation of his work. Richard Wagner is another composer in the romantic period. He pioneered extreme chromatics in music. Franz Schubert was another great composer in the romantic period. His songs are masterpieces of dramatic beauty.Works cited:Burkholder, J P, and Claude V. Palisca. Norton Anthology of Western Music. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.Kirby, F E.

Music in the Classic Period: An Anthology with Commentary. New York [N.Y.: Schirmer Books, 1979. Print.Rosen, Charles. The Romantic Generation. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1995. Print.Wright, Craig M, and Bryan R. Simms. Music in Western Civilization. Belmont, CA: Thomson Schirmer, 2006. Print.Raeburn, Michael, and Alan Kendall. Heritage of Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989. Print.Schwartz, Judith L, and William Brown. Self-study Module for History of Music in the Classic Period.

Evanston, Ill.: School of Music, Graduate Division, Northwestern University, 1981. Print.Weiss, Piero, and Richard Taruskin. Music in the Western World: A History in Documents. Australia: Thomson/Schirmer, 2008. Internet resource.

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Comparing Classical and Romantic Music Essay

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Comparing Classical and Romantic Music through the finale of Mozart “Clarinet Quintet” and Mailer’s Symphony no. L in D major “Titan” By steps_eve The Music of the classical and Romantic era is a period of time where it shows the development and different styles of music. This can be shown through the manipulation of musical elements, (dynamics, pitch, tempo, rhythm, texture, meter, tonality, structure, melody, harmony, instrument) while contrasting them, but it can also be shown through the composers of the music, the size of the orchestra, musical directions, emotional content, and non-musical developments through that period of time.

After the Renaissance and the Baroque era, the Classical era soon followed at around the 1720-sass’s. During these times in Europe, there were many non musical developments, ideas of the enlightenment, political issues, scientific discoveries and the reexamination of established ideas, including the existence of God. Many of these ideas and has got huge impact on the heavy Monumental baroque style and later developed with a more intimate rococo style, with its light colors, curved lines, and graceful ornaments, which greatly resembles the classical period.

Shortly after the Classical period, the Romantic era appeared during the 1820-sass’s. At these times, non-musical developments such as cultural movements strongly expressed emotion, imagination, and individuality. People such as Romantic painters and writer often emphasized the freedom of expression; they often saw political revolution as a reflection of their own struggles for artistic freedom. This had made a huge impact on Romantic music, because the emotional subjectivity turned into a basic quality of Romanticism.

Comparing the musical elements of Classical era and Romantic era, we would notice the many differences, and hence we can identify and recognize the music of both eroded. The first musical element that I will discuss is rhythm. As we can see, the rhythm of the Classical era tends to be less complex and quite repetitive. Classical style usually includes unexpected pauses, syncopation, and frequent changes from long notes to shorter notes, and the change from one pattern of note lengths to another may be either sudden or gradual.

As we can see in the Finale of Mozart Clarinet Quintet, we can see that during each of those variations, the rhythms are not very complex and quite repetitive, for example, the first 3 – 8 bars of the introduction n Mozart Clarinet Quintet show a somewhat consistent rhythm consisted 4 of crotchets each bar, the 2nd variation show a consistent rhythm of 4 sets of triplets between the 2nd violin and viola, the 3rd variation shows a consistent rhythm of 4 sets of semi-quavers in each bar, with the clarinet normally.

Through what I have changed to shorter and shorter, in this case, from 4 crotchets to 4 triplets to 4 semi- quavers. Also, in variations like Mozart clarinet quintet, triplets and syncopation can be found frequently. In contrast, romantic music tends to not emphasize that much on simple and consistent rhythms. There are often changes in the number of beats in a measure, cross-rhythms, syncopation, etc. For example in Mailer’s Symphony no. L in D major “Titan”, consistent notes goes against syncopation, there are accompaniments with skips and staccatos etc. (p. 16)Both Classical and Romantic eras have written musical directions, unlike Renaissance and Baroque which does not have any. Moreover, I have noticed that the musical directions of both pieces have extreme differences. As we see in Mailer’s symphony no. L in D major “titan” 3rd movement, there are many written musical directions: dynamic, emotional, tempo directions. For example, in the first 20 bars, there are already 7 written musical directions, whereas in Mozart clarinet quintet, there are extremely small amounts of written musical directions, only 2 written musical directions in the first 20 bars.

This significantly shows that there are differences in the use of written musical directions in the Classical and Romantic era. Classical and Romantic music has differences in melodies and structures too. In classical music, the structures emphasize more the grace of proportion and balance, moderation and control; polished and elegance in character with expressiveness and armor structure held in perfect balance. Furthermore, the forms do not vary as much as the Romantic era, they had forms like sonatas, symphonies etc.

The melodic phrases are usually balanced and symmetrical made up of two phrases of the same length. For an example, in Mozart Clarinet Quintet, the music is very symmetrical and well balanced, in a variation form. However, in Romantic music, they rather emphasize on the emotional content than trying to sound balanced and symmetrical, and expanded their use of forms and created new forms, like impromptu, ballade, etude, nocturnes etc,. Moreover, the melodies normally have either really long or short phrases, increased in range, but also increased in chromatics.

For example in Mailer’s symphony no. L in D major “Titan”, we can see that except it is in a ABA form, the whole movement was not as symmetrical and well balanced as the Mozart, although it is in a variation form, the melodic phrases have increased in range, are either really long, for example in the first 18 bars, or really short, where the melody can be hardly seen in bar 134-137. Classical and Romantic era are very different in the use of harmonies too. In Classical music, harmonies were formed from the chords.

If the chords in a music composition are all major chords, then the harmonies would create emotions that express bright, happy and positive feelings, in contrast, if the chords are all minor chords, then the harmony would express the emotion which is sad and depressed, negative feelings. However, in Romantic music, harmonies are more complex due to the development of the complex chords. For example, a diminished chord that is usually found in Romantic music would create a harmony that is rarely found in Classical music.

In general, the use of harmonies is very different in both Classical and Romantic music. F dynamics used. In the Classical era, the dynamic range normally used was between up – if. This range was expanded in the Romantic period, ranging from IPPP – buff. This difference can be evidently proven in Mozart Clarinet Quintet, where the range was kept within the range of p – f, a small range of pitch in each part of instruments. However, in Mailer’s symphony no. In D major “titan”, the range of dynamics increased to IPPP – f, with a big range of dynamics in each of the instrumental parts. In general, the range of pitch of Classical and Romantic era varies hen the classical as small range of dynamics, whilst the Romantic as a larger range of dynamics. The range of pitch of the Classical and Romantic era is used very differently too. In the classical era, the range pitch is not as big as the Romania era, as he range of pitch in the Romantic era was expanded, as the composers seek for more extreme high and low sounds.

For example in Finale of Mozart Clarinet Quintet as a Classical song, the range of pitch of the whole song was only DO – CO with little range of pitch in every instrumental part, but the range of pitch in Mailer’s symphony no. In D major, as a Romantic song, is Bal- DO, with a very broad range in every instrumental part. In general, the range of pitch of Classical and Romantic era varies when the classical as small range of pitch, whilst the Romantic as a larger range of pitch.

The tempo of classical era and Romantic Era is used very differently too. In the Classical era, the tempo only changed when there are written musical directions to change the mood, but tempo of Romantic music changed the mood constantly with not only the written musical directions, which is often underlined by Accelerated, Retardation, and subtle variations of pace: but there are many more fluctuations in tempo than there are in Classical music, which they also intensify their emotions by using effect of Rubout.

As we can see in Mozart clarinet quintet, there are only 3 written musical directions: “Allegretto con Variation”, which means a little lively, moderately fast, with variation, “Adagio” which means at ease: slow, and allegro, which means cheerful or brisk; but commonly interpreted as fast, lively, and there are no written musical directions which guide the tempo within the scores. However, in Mailer’s symphony no. N D major, there are not only main musical directions to guide the tempo, like “Frecklier undo gamesmen, none z schlepped”, which means dignified but not too slow, but there are small ones in between the scores which appears constantly, like Credentialed which means holding back tempo, creating Rubout effect and Pico. Riot etc. These two pieces, Mozart clarinet quintet as a Classical music, Mailer’s titan as a Romantic music, clearly shows that there are significant differences in the tempo of the Classical and Romantic era, Classical with a less frequent change of tempo, Romantic with a frequent change of tempo.

The texture of Classical and Romantic music can be contrasted. Classical music is basically homophobic; for example in Mozart Clarinet Quintet, we can see that the texture is basically homophobic, with a few that is polyphonic, and the pieces shifted 3, there is a gradual change from thin texture to thicker texture. In contrast, even though romantic music can be homophobic and polyphonic and most of the time between the two, the texture turns thicker, it has lots of changes in texture, more drastic and frequent, and they use a lot more instruments to exaggerate this thick and emotional content.

As we can see in Mailer’s symphony no. L “Titan”, the texture is pretty thick in general, due to the size of the orchestra which creates density, and during the bars of 134-137, the whole orchestra is used, which creates the intense and climax moment. In general, although both Classical and Romantic music are mainly homophobic, the thickness of the texture is contrasted significantly. Chromatics was also used differently in the Classical and Romantic era. In the classical era, melodic chromatics was used frequently (especially by Mozart) to balance the harmonic plainness.

In its simplest form of chromatic scales, it occurs a lot in unaccented passing notes. Melodic chromatics does not usually affect the harmony; it is mainly used for color-modification of diatonic notes, to add tone color by composers. However, Romantic music generally uses chromatics to form the music’s harmonies and create chords. This helps the composer to expand the emotional contents and express a few different emotions of the musical piece. In general, chromatics was used very differently in the Classical and Romantic era.

Cadenza chords of Classical and Romantic music is similar, but you can say that addenda chords of Romantic music are built on top of the cadenza chords structures of Classical music. In Classical music, they generally have a cadenza chord structure of I – V- l. In Mozart clarinet quintet, the cadenza chords can easily be recognized as chords I – V- l, as we can see in the first 16 bars. In Mailer’s symphony no. L in D major “titan” however, the cadenza consist of only chord I from bar 158 to the end, 1 1 bars all written in chord l.

This type of chord structure is seldom found in Classical music, because Classical music usually ends a piece of music in an authentic dance, appeal cadence, or deceptive cadence. In Romantic music, these cadences are still used, but composers like to end their music in their own unique way, Just like Mailer’s symphony no. 1 in D major. Another difference that I have noticed between Classical and Romantic music is the size of their orchestra. In a Classical orchestra, there are normally only 20-60 players, which involve strings: 1st & 2nd violins, violas, cellos, double basses.

Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons. Brass: 2 French horns, 2 trumpets. Percussion: 2 timpani. However, towards this end of the Romantic era, the orchestra might have included around 100 musicians. The constant expansion of the orchestra reflected composes changing needs as well as the growing size of concert halls and opera houses, due to technological advances. The brass, woodwind and percussion sections of the orchestra took on a more active role, calling for trombones, tubas, and more horns and trumpets.

The woodwind took on new tone colors such as contrabass, bass clarinet, English horn and piccolo. Orchestral sounds became more brilliant and sensuously appealing through increase uses of cymbals the triangle and the harp. Imposers express their emotion and creating emotional intensity. Composers from the Classical Period tend to focus more on the structure of music, creating music that is structural and compact in form, and captures our attention by the beauty and structure of the music, which usually Just expresses one emotion.

However, composers from the Romantic Period focused more on depicting their emotions in their music, emphasizing on expression rather then structure, expressing several different emotions. When we compare Mozart Clarinet Quintet to Mailer’s Symphony No. In D major “Titan”, Mozart Clarinet Quintet tends to be more focused on perfecting the harmony between the different melodies and also the structure and forms, while Mailer’s Titan emphasized much more on the emotional content.

In short, Classical music tends emphasize on the beauty of balanced structures, expressing one emotion, while Romantic music tends to express more emotional contents, expressing several different emotions. In general, the music of Classical and Romantic era are very different in many ways, in all aspects of the elements, dynamics, pitch, tempo, rhythm, texture, meter, analogy, structure, melody, harmony, instrument, and especially how they express their emotional contents.

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Comparing Classical and Romantic Music Essay. (2017, Nov 23). Retrieved from https://artscolumbia.org/comparing-classical-and-romantic-music-30085/

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