T
he Romantic movement
arose largely as a reaction
to the rationalization and
urbanization of European society
following the Industrial Revolution.
From the end of the 18th century,
writers, artists, and composers
turned away from the formal
elegance of the Classical period
in favor of personal expression
and a fascination with nature. In
music, this manifested itself in a
gradual expansion of the harmonic
and instrumental palette to appeal
to the emotions rather than the
intellects of the audience.The new style
Beethoven fulfilled the stereotype
of the Romantic musician, as
did the violinist Niccolò Paganini
and some other virtuoso performer-
composers. Long unkempt hair andbohemian clothes replaced the wigs
and formal costumes of the Classical
period, and the lifestyles of the
Romantic composers were often
as colorful as their music.
Beethoven developed a more
personal style of music from 1803.
In what is regarded as his “middle
period,” he produced groundbreaking
piano sonatas, string quartets,
other forms of chamber music, and,
above all, symphonies. In his “late
period,” a final burst of creativity,
when he was isolated from the
world by profound deafness, he
produced work of extraordinary
intensity, such as his last piano
sonatas, string quartets, and
the Ninth Symphony, with its
innovative choral finale.
Not every composer joined the
Romantic tide. The instrumental
works of Franz Schubert, forexample, are in a more Classical
style. Yet Schubert was inspired by
the subjects of German Romantic
poetry in the songs, or Lieder, for
which he is best known. This
aspect of Romanticism, especially
the love of nature, later inspired the
work of Robert Schumann, whose
symphonies and piano pieces were
often programmatic (painting a
picture or telling a story in music),
a genre begun by Beethoven’s
“Pastoral” Sixth Symphony, which
depicts a series of rural scenes.
Hector Berlioz relished the
possibilities offered by a larger
orchestra and extended harmonic
language. His operas, orchestral,
and choral works, all on a grand
scale with large orchestras, were
expressive and highly personal. He
continued the drift away from the
abstract to the programmatic in hisINTRODUCTION
1805
1821
1830
1839
1824
1826
1841
1846
In Paris, Hector
Berlioz premieres
Symphonie fantastique,
one of the most
influential works in the
programmatic genre.Based on a German folk
legend, Carl Maria
von Weber’s opera
Der Freischütz
explores German
national identity.Franz Schubert’s
song cycle Die schöne
Müllerin marks
the high point in
the German Lied
(song) form.The colorful
orchestration of Felix
Mendelssohn’s Elijah
breathes new life
into the oratorio, a
Baroque genre.Epitomizing
Beethoven’s late style,
his String Quartet
No. 14, Op. 131 abandons
the quartet’s traditional
form and development.Niccolò Paganini
composes the first of his
24 Caprices for Solo
Violin, which are among
the most difficult violin
pieces of all time.Intended to convey a
longing for springtime,
Robert Schumann
writes his Symphony
No. 1 over four days
in January.Frédéric Chopin’s
cycle of 24 preludes,
covering all major
and minor keys,
defies conventional
thematic structure.144
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