September 22, 2024
About the Author: Arwen
The Romantic Period was the start of dramatic music full of passion and life, with the piano playing a significant role during the era!
After the French Revolution, artists used the atmosphere it created as inspiration for their works.
People became more open and public about their objections, which radiated through musician’s compositions.
Romanticism was mainly a reaction against political and social injustice.
It was also a way of rebelling against the industrial revolution that replaced people’s jobs with machines.
That probably explains why romantic music is so expressive and dramatic.
Yet this was not the only reason for the music style during the Romantic period; musicians and composers rebelled against the traditional music styles – which were commonly found throughout the classical period – and instead made way for freedom of expression.
Romantic music puts emphasis on emotion, prioritising personal feelings and expression.
There was a growing sense of ‘bigger music’, expanding orchestras, symphonies and more.
The Piano’s Improvement During The Romantic Period
The piano evolved significantly during the Romantic era, which took place between roughly 1820 to 1900.
Many evolutions have happened regarding the piano.
The amount of physical keys expanded from five to eight octaves.
Instead of constructing the piano frames out of wood, during the Romantic period, the frames were made of metal, improving the durability of the instrument.
These advancements enriched the entire tonal quality and pitch of the piano.
Elements of The Romantic Era
Explosion of Emotion and Expression
The Romantic period is known for its expressive melodies and the emotional depth it conveys.
During the era, many musicians and composers rebelled against tradition and the norm of how music was created, thus making it possible for pianists to truly express themselves when playing.
Composers moved away from the strict ‘rules’ Classical music entails and placed focus on free expression and personal emotion.
Musicians were encouraged to play with passion to invoke intense feelings such as sadness, longing, hope, love, etc.
The music tends to be introspective, letting the music reflect the composer’s inner emotions.
Lyrical Melodies
The piano often played lyrical melodies, which is a song-like melody resembling vocal lines.
Many piano pieces mimic songs with their long and flowing phrases.
It is characterised by a smooth-flowing melody and is typically slow.
The melodies were expressive and expansive, generally diatonic, but they allowed for chromatic movements to add to the atmosphere.
Also, the melodic phrases were longer than those you would typically find in the classical period.
Use of Pedal
The pedal was used freely since it was seen as another way to add emotion and colour to the music.
As the pedal’s techniques developed, it allowed pianists to do more leaps without sustaining the sound.
It leads to a richer and warmer sound.
The pedal was used to a much wider extent than compared to the classical period and has improved significantly.
Using the pedal enhances the textures of a composition and helps shape the atmosphere, too.
Harmonic Diversity And Complexity
In the Classical Period, harmonies were more logical, balanced and proportionate.
Whereas in the Romantic period, it is devoid of restraint and objectivity with more colourful and vibrant harmonies.
Dissonance plays a big role in Romantic music, causing the harmonies to be different and distinct.
Chromatic movements and modulations also formed a vital part in the harmonies during this era.
Chromaticism and dissonance were often used to create a tense atmosphere.
Expanded Use of Dynamics
There was a greater range of dynamics used during the Romantic Period.
Instead of the classic piano (p) or just forte (f) for a song, it grew to become a lot more such as fortissimo (ff), fortississimo (fff) and more!
It created an even greater dramatic effect in the music.
This has to do with the fact that Romantic music is extremely expressive, thus needing a greater dynamic range to do so.
In the Baroque period, sudden shifts were common but it was mainly since it was extremely difficult to control the dynamics on a harpsichord.
When the piano was introduced, the Classical Period moved away from sudden shifts and placed focus on gradual dynamic changes.
Yet, during the Romantic Period, sudden shifts of dynamic intensity were a great way to add dramatics and expression.
Technical Virtuosity
Many romantic pieces required fast melodic movements, showcasing pianists’ virtuosity.
The Romantic Period is known for its technically demanding piano pieces with challenging passages, complex rhythms and intense dynamics.
Since the pedal played a bigger role than it did during the Classical period, it added to the difficulty of playing romantic pieces.
Composers liked to experiment with new techniques that pushed the boundaries.
The structure of the piano became more and more perfect with dazzling technicality, requiring expert musicians to deal with the tasks.
All while still trying to invoke emotion and play expressively. Two of the most virtuous pianists were Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin.
Rubato
Rubato is the temporary disregarding of strict tempo to allow an expressive quickening or slackening without altering the overall pace.
Musicians and composers idolised this in most, if not all, of their Romantic works because it allows for an even greater expressive playing.
Programmatic elements
Programmatic elements mean telling a story through music.
It describes non-musical ideas such as poetry, nature and so forth.
An example would be in Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony where in the fourth movement of his work describes a violent thunderstorm.
Beethoven uses the timpani to describe the loud thunder, a piccolo for the lightning and other various instruments to create the idea of a big and thunderous storm.
Another example is The Hebrides, composed by Felix Mendelssohn, a concert overture describing Fingal’s cave and the majesty thereof.
The piano has evolved immensely during the Romantic Period.
It was also the start of shaking up grounds of injustice and speaking out about wrongness.
I can only imagine what a time it would have been to be a pianist then!
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