Musical Time Period Fact Sheets

The Romantic Period (C.1815-1900)

Unlike the previous musical time periods, the Romantic Period was an artistic response to a major political and economic transformation throughout France. In the late 1700s, French citizens began to push Enlightenment themes of equality, human rights, and social reform from mere ideas to actual change. A radical political group removed King Louis XVI from his throne because of his poor management of his people’s money, and they eventually killed him as well as tens of thousands of other opponents. Napoleon Bonaparte , an infamous French political leader, then made himself emperor and appointed his own siblings to rule the nations and areas that he took over.

This intense period of revolution and change caused musicians and artists to seek ways to express how the dramatic events made them feel. Also, by this time, the arts were very widespread among classes and countries, so nearly everyone was involved in music-making in some way. As a result, a new musical era emerged: the Romantic period. The name derives inspiration from medieval fairy tales and folk tales, such as of King Arthur. Romantic-era musicians admired these stories’ emphasis on the beauty of nature, importance of the individual person, and deep emotions. They wrote and performed music that caused themselves and their audience to experience all three of these. Music The fictional tale of King Arthur was popular was often written for untrained musicians, making it easy to be able to play inspiration for music of beautifully, and it typically had the same difficulty among the entire piece, versus the Romantic era. some parts being more difficult than others. It contained vivid imagery , tuneful melodies, originality and individuality, and simple structure in order to be appealing to many people. Music was starting to become a market in itself, versus merely something to do for fun: music criticism was a job held by many now-famous composers, and people sought to make a profit on music they wrote and sold to amateurs.

Music during the Romantic era was intended to be deeply Key Composers of the emotional, yet easy to enjoy, so singing became incredibly Romantic Period popular. Opera was a way for people to express the emotional impact of the French Revolution because it focused on themes of Franz Schubert – songs ( lieder) revolution, war, and justice. Lied (German for “song”), however, Richard Wagner – orchestra was a more personal and individual kind of music. Because the lied joined poetry and music and focused on individuality, it is Franz Liszt – piano known as the quintessential (and most popular) musical genre of Ludwig von Beethoven – orchestra the Romantic period. Composers like Franz Schubert wrote hundreds of lied for singer and piano accompaniment. Lied ,

Compiled by Suzie Berndt, Education Intern The Phoenix Symphony especially Schubert’s, were usually short in duration, beautiful, and painted a musical picture. Schubert mastered the Romantic-era art of making the music that accompanied a poem equally as moving and captivating as the poem itself.

The Industrial Revolution accompanied the French Revolution, but had a powerful impact on the European economy. Pianos were mass-produced by steam power, making them cheaper to sell, so middle-class families were able to afford them in order to make music in their homes. Like the lied , the piano rose in popularity because of its accessibility. For the first time, musicians became specialists in a certain aspect of music, such as piano-playing or singing in operas. Franz Liszt is known as the first piano virtuoso , and created new techniques and practices for pianists. In the early 1800s, instrument-makers relied on steam-engine technology to improve, mass-produce, and invent new brass and woodwind

instruments. Composers like Franz Liszt was a performer and composer, whose technical ability and flair made him a superstar. Ludwig von Beethoven used these new instruments to expand the size of the orchestra, which allowed him and others to experiment with alternative sounds in the orchestra texture (the overall sound). Beethoven standardized the wind sections in a symphony orchestra by requiring at least two players per instrument (two clarinets, two horns, etc.). He also added instruments and even a choir of voices to add specific sound combinations to the overall sound for a bigger impact. None of these innovations could occur without developments in industry in 19 th century Europe.

The power of the new Romantic era reached far into the 20 th century because of its broad definition but widespread popularity, thanks to Europeans pushing for freedom and equality among classes in all aspects of life. The influence of the French Revolution caused a surge of new styles, techniques, and approaches to music. Playing music at home became so popular in the 1800s

that musical instrument manufacturers opened shops and even factories in order to meet the demand.

Compiled by Suzie Berndt, Education Intern The Phoenix Symphony