Romantic Era Research Paper

While "classical music" is often used as a blanket term for serious music based on long-established Western musical traditions, the genre actually consists of diverse approaches to music divided into historical and stylistic periods. Two of the more popular styles are the music of the Classical period and the music of the Romantic period. The Classical period (1750-1820) was a time where individualism and originality were considered less important than reason and logic, and simplicity and clarity were prized above all. The Romantic period (1820-1900), on the other hand, was governed by the ideals of individual freedom and artistic expression. These fundamental distinctions between the two historical periods resulted in musical styles that differ significantly in their use of dynamics, harmony and form.

The Classical period was the Age of Reason, and this is

Dynamics were often taken to extremes, and it was not uncommon for a piece to shift from a whisper (pianississimo) to a tidal wave of sound (fortississimo) in a second. Such exaggerated dynamics were unheard of and would have been considered in bad taste during the Classical period. The Romantic period also brought about changes in the use of harmony. Novel chords, or novel ways of using familiar chords, became tools to create complex and sometimes dissonant harmonies, and chromatic harmony became acceptable. While the musical structures of the Classical period continued to be used in the Romantic period, these were not followed strictly since the emphasis had shifted towards originality and away from convention. New forms were developed to better express emotions and ideas, including the nocturne, the etude, the romance, the scherzo, and the polonaise. In addition, program music associated with a literary or artistic work became popular during the Romantic