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The Romantic Period is very different from the Classical Period. The Romantic composer stressed the dignity and freedom of man, an idealized nature, the rustic village, the hero-warrior, warm lush sounds, and emotion. The Classical Period had stressed control of form and emotions.
Music, literature, and art reflect the periods in which they are produced. The music of the Baroque Period was written mainly for the church or the court. The Classical composer wrote principally for the rich upper classes and the aristocracy. The Romantic composer wrote for the rising middle class. His music was a passionate expression of personal feelings and thoughts, not just entertainment. Composers such as Paganini on the violin and Liszt and Chopin on the piano, performed brilliantly for their audiences.
During the Romantic Period, the forms of music were varied. Chopin wrote dazzling short works - waltzes, preludes, fantasies and etudes - for the piano. Liszt and Rubenstein wrote thundering concertos. Brahms wrote dark-hued symphonies. Tchaikovsky brought the ballet into prominence, and Berlioz included a waltz in his Symphonie fantastique. The waltz replaced the minuet. Symphonic poems (or tone poems) were popular. They described storms, sunrises, and life with idealized nature. New instruments and improvement of existing instruments gave the orchestras a richer, warmer, more powerful sound.
During the Romantic Period, many composers were conscious of their national heritage. Chopin, Grieg, Dvorak, Smetana, Debussy, Mussorgsky, and Borodin used the folk melodies of their native lands in their music.
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