Romantic Period Research Paper

Music of the Romantic period was dramatic and very expressive. After the clean, elegant melodies and harmonies of the classical period, many composers wanted to re-create what being an artist meant. They did this by adding virtuoso to pieces, combining instruments together in new ways, and modifying the traditional forms of sonata and rondo. The basso continuo’s role in orchestral work was expanded. Harmony became a prominent work of compositions. Composers also experimented with chord progressions that had not been used prominently before. Dissonance and sharp contrast was used to convey emotions. This was all done in order to have music convey feeling, philosophies, and ideas in a way it had never been presented in music before. Unlike

The composers wanted grand and imposing scores. They did this in part, by bending the traditional rules of genres. An example of this is the string quartet. The string quartet was originally intended for a smaller gathering and not for the orchestra. However, composers of the Romantic period composed string quartets that where played by the string sections of the orchestra. While not limited to four stringed instruments, it was composed in that form. Another way the composers increased total space was with tempo. During the classical period, tempo remained relatively the same during the work. Romantic composers would have scores that went from slow and soft, to loud and fast. In many works the tempo careened and changed. This was also used in trademark ways by different composers to show off their spontaneity and

Many tunes that we all know, such as the tune to The Ride of The Valkyries, are ingrained in our collective consciousness. While no one can quite remember where they heard that tune, it is still known by almost everyone, and it was composed in the eighteen hundreds. The opera La Bohme, inspired the musical Rent, which in turn has gone on to influence many if the musicals made after it. This period also gave us our popular conception of an artist, as well as our modern day orchestra. The Romantic period was self-indulgent and gaudy, but its importance to music, and art in general, is