Romantic period

Some important composers of the Romantic period

Beethoven 1770 - 1827	Schubert 1797 - 1828	Mendelssohn 1809 - 1847	Brahms 1833 - 1897
Verdi 1813 - 1901	Wagner 1813 - 1883	Dvorak 1841 -1904	Tchaikovsky 1840 - 1893

General information

Romanticism is a term applied to music from around 1810 to 1900 and is borrowed from a movement from the end of the 18th century which was used to describe the beginnings of new ideas in literature and art. While in the Classical period there was a fairly even emphasis on the form and expressiveness in music, Romantic composers created greater freedom of form and design in their music.

Romantic composers had a wide interest in all forms of art and befriended artists, writers, poets and other composers. These friendships often provided the inspiration for the composition of new music as the composers experimented with sound to create the feelings of:

• emotions

• the story of poems

• the description of the countryside

• fantasies and dreams

• love

• war

• rivers and lakes

• and in fact any idea that inspired the composer.

Use the links below or in the Navigation bar to access the pages. Any page can be accessed on its own but it is suggested that the best benefit will be gained from following the pages in chronological order.

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