The Romantic Era

1820-1900

By Adam Lloyd

What is it?

The Romantic Era (also known as Romanticism or the

Romantic period) was an artistic, literary, and
intellectual movement that began to appear in
Europe toward the end of the 18th century and in
most areas was at its peak in the approximate period
from 1800 to 1850.

Art

The movement was about intense personal

expression, so artists could focus on whatever
triggered emotion.
The Romantic period was the first time in history
that art focused on teaching people to care
about each other. In this sense, Romanticism
was "art with a heart." Romantic artists were
also concerned with promoting individual liberty,
ending slavery, and supporting democratic and
independence movements.

Some Artwork

The Course of Empire by

Thomas Cole
Wanderer Above the
Sea of Fog by Caspar
David Freidrich

The Forging of the

Sampo by Akseli
Gallen-Kallela

Romantic Music

After Beethoven, composers turned their

attention to the expression of intense feelings in
their music. This expression of emotion was the
focus of all the arts of the Romantic period.
Composers embraced their passionate side and
attempted to use music to express deep
emotions like love, grief and tragedy, and found
the rigid forms used by their musical forefathers
too restrictive to convey these massive ideas.

Stylistic Features

RHYTHM: Rhythmic complexity and changing tempos were

frequently used during the Romantic period. Some music
featured strong beats, meter and rhythm, and other compositions
employed fluid rhythm and meter that obscured the use of the
barline. During this era, the increased technical facility of
virtuoso performers led to faster tempos than prior eras.
MELODY: During this period, melodies became subjective,
emotional and often were virtuosic (with long runs, arpeggios and
ornamentation). Greater technical proficiency by performers led
to an expansion in the range of melodies, and changes in
dynamics and wide leaps between notes were frequently used to
heighten the expressive qualities of the melodies. Many
composers also used folk songs or programmatic ideas as the
basis for their melodies.

Stylistic Features

HARMONY: Although a considerable amount of music from this

period used traditional harmonies based on major and minor
scales, new and complex harmonies were introduced, and
harmonic variations such as the use of modulations and
chromatic tones were commonplace.
TEXTURE: As in the Classical period, during the Romantic era,
homophonic texture was primarily used (melody with
accompaniment), and development sections sometimes used
polyphonic texture.
FORM: Genres used included large forms from prior eras such as
concertos, sonatas, symphonies (often with programmatic
titles), and operas. New forms emerged such as character
pieces for piano or strings such as the nocturne, waltz, and
etude. Other new forms included programmatic works such as
symphonic poems and programmatic pieces.

Some Music

Felix Mendelssohns A Midsummer Nights

Dream: Wedding March
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIM5cWB2w
mM
Peter Tchaikovskys Danse des Mirlitons
https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_BQOKTZ8DM
Richard Wagners Ride of the Valkyries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73Z6291Pt
8

Romantic Orchestra

A typical romantic orchestra included: Piccolo, 2

flutes, 2 oboes, cor Anglais, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet,
2 bassoons, contrabassoon; 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3
trombones, tuba; timpani, snare drum, bass drum,
cymbals, triangle, tambourine, glockenspiel; harp, 14
violins 1, 12 violins 2, 10 violas, 8 cellos, 6 double
basses.
The later romantic orchestra consisted of the same
instruments however there were a few additions and
duplications. A late romantic orchestra had keyboard
instruments such as a piano or a celesta.

Famous Composers

Franz Liszt
Fryderyk Chopin
Richard Wagner
Felix Mendelssohn
Engelbert Humperdinck (not the singer)
Gabriel Faur

Ludwig van
Beethoven

Around 1820, Beethoven began to write passionate

compositions which were very different to the classical
form that he usually composed with. His 1824 Symphony
No.9 is noted for its length and complexity (around 75
minutes) He also introduced vocal soloists and a chorus
into the final movement, since the orchestra itself could
not express all that he felt. It was after this that other
composers felt free to experiment with their compositions
Final movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChygZLpJDNE

Architecture

In architecture, Romanticism often evokes past styles,

such as the Gothic style, seen in the mid-19th-century
Gothic Revival. Other types of Romantic architecture are
illustrated in a variety of styles considered "exotic" due to
their displacement into a "foreign" setting in a more
fanciful, less accurate format. Examples of exotic
architectural styles include Egyptian-influenced homes,
Asian-styled homes, and even Swiss chalets. These homes
contain such "exotic" elements as Egyptian columns and
small sphinx sculptures, or Japanese-inspired rooflines, or
a Swiss chalet A-frame as a decorative overlay to the
traditional European building type.

Architecture

The simplicity and restraint of classical design began

to be valued once more and architects were called
"romantic" for seeking to replicate styles popular in
ancient Roman and Greek buildings such as the
Acropolis and Pompeii. Romantic churches built
during the 18th and 19th centuries feature strong
walls, sharp lines and separate "identities" for each
part of a building.
Well known examples of 19th century architecture are
La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the Semperoper
in Dresden, Germany.

Architecture

Semperoper, Dresden

Baslica i Temple
Expiatori de la Sagrada
Famlia, Barcelona