The Romantic era or period of music is often thought of by people of today as music for lovers. Some of it was but the term "romantic" refers to a musical period where the beliefs, feelings and emotions of the composers began to have a very profound influence on the type of music that was composed.
There are numerous prominent composers of the period including the German school of Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn who were closely allied as classical romantics. They continued the belief in musical poetics (melody based on the word or derived according to the lyrical meter of poetry) and classical form.
Franz Schubert, an able composer - primarily known for composing German lieder and the 9th symphony, is now widely known and respected due to the efforts of Schumann in promoting his music.

Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak represented the Czech or Bohemian tradition and Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky, the Russian.
Frenchman Hector Berlioz wrote symphonies and tone poems requiring large orchestras and listeners with the ability to endure their length, volume and subject matter while Camille Saint-Saens represented a more conservative French tradition of beauty in melody and harmony.

Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt were virtuoso pianist/composers who represented the Polish and Hungarian traditions, respectively, or, in the case of Liszt, himself. Chopin's music was championed by Schumann, as "guns buried in flowers" for the Polish nationalist revolutionaries. As a direct contrast, the music of Liszt was a tour de force of his own ego and sensuality. He was a great favorite with the women as he tossed his long hair while shaking and swaying in flashy, virtuosic performances.

Ludwig van Beethoven was a transitional figure between the classical and romantic periods. There are far more composers worthy of mention from this and all the other musical periods than space at this site allows me to discuss. A visit to the links page at this site or a word search on "music history" or "composers" will reveal a number of pages dedicated to that topic.

In the historical period of music known as the Romantic, the emphasis was on the personal, emotional expression of the composer. This was a tumultuous period as emotions ran high. There was a struggle between those who wished to keep Judeo-Christian philosophy dominant in western society and culture versus an atheistic/humanistic subculture vying for freedom from traditional morality. One group of artists fought to preserve the classical tradition and another sought to break free from the limitations of classical form. Nationalistic movements sought to overthrow oppressive governments and revolted against long-entrenched class structures.
Nationalism was reflected in art music based on ethnic dances and songs and the philosophical and artistic struggles were heard as the rumblings of a revolt against traditional tonalities and forms through expanding and exploring new musical territory.

Tonalities were expanded through the increasing use of secondary dominants and modulation to foreign keys. Although tonality remained strong, more ambiguity entered the harmonic vocabulary through the application of altered chords, expanded tertian harmony (7ths, 9ths, 11ths), the augmented 6th chords and the Neapolitan 6th. Usage of diads (two notes separated by the interval of a third) allowed for harmonic ambiguity as the root note was shifted. Rhythmic ambiguity was also employed. The music of the period moved toward higher points of tension through active dissonances and harmonic chromaticism. Root relationships became less diatonic, moving from the relative minor key through the major to the parallel minor and movement by 3rds or 2nds.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897,) referred to by Claude Debussy as the most Germanic of composers, was a great influence on Debussy, in evidence even from Brahms' first piano sonata. With harmonic wandering, exploration of the triad by holding notes and shifting others a half or whole step up or down, parallel chords and rhythmic fragmentation, Brahms had already begun to move beyond romanticism into modernism. Look at their piano works and find that harmony, tone color and rhythm are often the dominant structural elements. Perhaps Debussy appreciated Brahms also because what you heard was the real Brahms, without pretense or artifice. Surely, he had his technique and style, but he was not above incorporating other national styles in his music (for example, the Hungarian Dances and the often Chopin-like chorale sections in his piano work.)

Personally, he retained his sense of humor, not having married or left Europe in his lifetime. Sometimes gruff, he enjoyed a cigar and an occasional drink.
His piano music is sonorous, often with doubled melodic lines in octaves, thirds or sixths and is marked by broken chord figures and rhythmic interplay. He had an affinity for high octaves with a third above the bottom or below the top note and for bass octaves with a third, fourth or fifth in the middle. Although later more conservative, following the classic line of Beethoven and his friend Schumann, Brahms had begun the break from romanticism to modernism with his first piano sonata. He mused that he missed the purity of the works of his predecessors, Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. Perhaps, this is part of the reason so much of his music has moments of strong traditional harmony, melody and form and wanders away from it with a melancholy overcast . . . a man who longed for the simplicity of the past, but was bound to move his art forward, in new directions, although sadly and reluctantly.

Brahms did not release his first symphony until the age of 43, as he was determined to contribute something new and worthy of those who had come before, especially as regarding the looming portfolio of his German musical ancestor, Ludwig van Beethoven. Among his finest symphonic movements are the Variations on a Theme by Haydn and the 4th movement of the 3rd Symphony.
Brahms wrote three piano sonatas; the first is a revelation of things to come; (Piano sonata No.1) the last is a 30 minute masterpiece from a more mature and conservative style (Piano sonata No.3.)

Other orchestral works include the four Symphonies (Brahms Symphony No.3, 4th movement,) Piano Concerto #2, ; for piano solo - the famous Lullaby and numerous Ballades, Caprices, Fantasies, Intermezzi, Rhapsodies, Waltzes, Variations on a Theme by Handel and the Hungarian Dances; organ - Herzel Mich, O Gott fro Gott, and O Welt dich lassen; choral - the Deutches Requiem and the Liebeslieder Waltzes; chamber music - piano trios and string quartets.

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), a composer with a Polish father and a French mother, is probably the most well known and nationalistic composer representing the musical heritage of Poland. As many other pianist/composers, he spent countless hours with a small circle of artistic friends or the aristocracy in Parisian salons, performing for each other or the audience. His numerous works for piano are the most outstanding, having written in many forms including the Ballade, Etude, Impromptu, Mazurka, Nocturne, Polonaise, Scherzo, Sonata and Waltz (Op.34, No.1.)

The Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) made a name for himself not only within his own country, but around the world as well. Perhaps his best known work is the "Largo," the 2nd movement from Symphony No. 9 in e minor (Op. 95,) "From the New World," a work influenced by themes from American folk music.
The Slavonic Dances (Op. 46), (No.1 - a Bohemian furiant) are also worthy examples of this fine composer's work. Interestingly, the first set of eight dances, composed in 1878, were commissioned at the suggestion of Johannes Brahms who obviously spotted talent in the then young and unknown Dvorak.

Another Czech (Bohemian) composer named Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) wrote a nationalistic symphonic tone poem called Ma Vlast (My Country) from which one of the most beautiful works of the Romantic era is heard. The Moldau is a beautiful river that runs through the Bohemian countryside. You can hear the river run through shallows and rapids, over the rocks and through the lives of the people in this scenic land. The flavor of Czech folk music can be heard throughout this wonderful piece. The National Anthem of Israel, Hatikvah, was adapted from the same Czech folksong on which Smetana based the e-minor melody which forms the main theme of the work.
Smetana also is known for his opera "The Bartered Bride" from which the instrumental "Dances" have become a concert piece.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was a very prolific German composer, who married Clara Wieck, a renowned pianist. Clara and Johannes Brahms, a close friend of the family's, edited Robert's piano music after his passing. He was only 46. A film about his life showed him to overwork, passing up opportunities to enjoy life with his wife and friends. There is a lesson here for us all if that is true.

Other composers passed at what might be considered early ages: Felix Mendelssohn and serial composer Anton Webern for example. Mendelssohn's output was prolific and produced some quite difficult piano compositions, such as the Variations Serieuses. Webern's work was highly compressed and fragmented. Of course, their music reflected their personality, philosophy and the way they lived and worked.

What about Schumann?
He was ahead of his time, already experimenting with melodic chromaticism, occasional usage of sharp dissonance (minor 2nd) and non-traditional, altered harmonies, making an effort to avoid the obvious choice while remaining staunchly classical in the pursuit of poetic beauty and form in music. He was an intellectual activist, leading a campaign against the flashy virtuosity and formlessness of music composed by Romantic-era composers such as Franz Lizst and Richard Wagner. Schumann believed that the traditional laws of morality and social order should be reflected in art as well and protested against the pretentious music wanderings from the likes of Liszt and Wagner who were attempting to establish the romantic ideal of a music that expressed the freedom and sensuality of the free-thinking romantic humanist.

Although, he experimented with some of the same musical devices, Schumann took his work more seriously, believing that a link with the past must be maintained. He wrote individual songs and song cycles in a musical language all his own. No doubt his choice of the poetry of Eichendorff had an impact on the direction of the music. One of the best is "Auf einer burg" from the song cycle "Liederkreis."

His work stands unique in the literature even though it builds from what has come before and certainly influenced the musical future. Grove's Dictionary comments that Schumann's short pieces are distinguished from those of his predecessors and contemporaries not only by their intrinsic charm and fantasy, but also by their literary and musical allusiveness and by their autobiographical nature.

Among these groups of short pieces are the Albumblatter (No.9-Impromptu,) Carnaval, Die Davidsbundler, Kinderscenen (Scenes from Childhood,) Kreisleriana, the Novelletten - Op.21 (1838) and the Concert and Symphonic Etudes. His piano works also include the Piano Sonata, Op.11 dedicated to his wife to be, Clara Wieck, the A minor Concerto and the Grand Sonata (Concerto without Orchestra.)

Schumann influenced the work of Johannes Brahms (elements from No.1 of the Noveletten can be heard in the B section of Brahms' Intermezzo No.1 from Op.117 (published 1892) and many others, including Claude Debussy. Take a look or listen to his Piano Sonata, Op.11, and observe what others would learn from who were yet to begin their compositional careers. Schumann's strong musical gifts from my perspective were a bold, clear and lyrical melodic phrasing along with a unique experimental approach to harmony and rhythm that showed a keen sense of humor. Expressive markings were often found on the scores such as "with humor" or "with good humor." His music also shares the same nostalgic melancholy (perhaps due to the changing world that was leaving behind what he considered to be most important) that is common in the music of Brahms. It is simply unique and the more you explore his piano works and songs, you will hear and see that difference on the page.

Not too many years ago, a major southwestern U.S. city held a concert series honoring a composer known as the classical romantic. Felix Mendelssohn was born 3 February 1809 in Hamburg, Germany and died 4 November 1847 in Leipzig, Germany. His family was Jewish, his father a banker who, according to music historians, added the name Bartholdy and assimilated into Christian Germany to avoid discrimination and hopefully achieve success in an anti-semitic climate. Perhaps their conversion to Christianity was a sincere one as may be pointed out by other biographers or historians. Some success Felix achieved, but he didn't avoid persecution and harsh criticism.

Mendelssohn's style was classical, conservative and mild-mannered by Romantic era standards. Richard Wagner wrote an anti-semitic critique of his music suggesting that all that talent had produced so little new music of value. George Bernard Shaw accused Felix of sentimentality.

Mendelssohn wasn't a big fan of the new, flamboyant style of composition or performance. One of the great Mendelssohn stories has Franz Liszt attending a Musikabend at Mendelssohn's home, dressed in the Hungarian national costume. After announcing that he had prepared something special for Mendelssohn, he seated himself at the piano and played a set of variations on a Hungarian folk song, each more extravagantly virtuosic than the last, accompanied by grandiose movements and gestures. After winning the acclaim of the crowd, Liszt challenged Mendelssohn to play something. Mendelssohn at first demurred, but after continued prodding by Liszt, agreed to play, asking only that Liszt not be angry with him. Mendelssohn, who possessed a remarkable musical memory like that of Mozart, proceeded to replicate the entire folk song, variations, movements and gestures, to the amusement of all.

Mendelssohn, a conservative conductor in the poetic-interpretive style of staying true to the intention of the composer, began a revival of the music of J.S. Bach with a performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829 Berlin. He was conductor of Germany's finest orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus from 1835 to 1845.

As mentioned earlier, Mendelssohn was prolific, writing for all combinations of solo and ensemble voices and instruments. One of his most well-known and difficult works for piano is the Variations Serieuse. Orchestral works include his famous Scottish and Italian Symphonies, the Violin Concerto, the Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) and the Overture and Incidental Music for Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The conservative yet chromatic oratorio Elijah is now being revived in various performances.


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