The Romantic Era

 Tchaikovsky was a composer during the Romantic Era.  The Romantic Era is generally considered to include the entire nineteenth century and was manifested in all forms of art, and even in philosophy and science.  Romanticism emphasized emotion over form and intellect and therefore led to art forms that were more emotionally expressive and passionate.

 Stylistic features of music composed during the Romantic Era include:

 Freedom in form and design

Music during the Romantic era was based on emotion and personal experience being expressed in the music.  Music became full of fantasy and imagination was expressed freely.

·      Lyrical melodies and striking harmonies

Melodies composed during the Romantic period were often songlike, flowing, and beautiful.  Underneath the singing, lyrical melody line, composers used complicated and rich harmonies incorporating dissonance (clashing notes) and chromaticism (moving in semi-tones).  Composers used dissonance to build tension which would climax and then finally be resolved. 

(Activity:  Play these notes in this order together on a keyboard: C, D, F#, A.  Can you feel the tension?  The music feels like it needs to do something, to go somewhere.  Now play the notes: B, D, G.  Did you feel the resolution of the previous dissonance?  This is an example of the way in which composers used dissonance to build tension and then resolve it.  It is a very effective way of taking an audience on an emotional journey – where they can FEEL the music inside of them).

·       Bold dynamics

Composers used a wider range of notes and dynamics during the Romantic era to create bigger contrasts in the music and therefore creating more exaggeration and expression than music had done previously.

·       Expansion of the orchestra

Music composed during the Romantic era called for larger orchestration and bigger representation of instruments.  Brass instruments were being developed during this time, and composers often made use of the bold character of these instruments to heighten the intensity of the music.

·       Closer links to other art forms

Composers of the Romantic era often borrowed from other art forms, especially from literary art forms (such as poetry and fantasies), and incorporated it into their music.  Often pieces were composed around a particular poem, for example, and the music reflects the imagery expressed in the poem. 

·       Greater technical virtuosity

Music of the Romantic era often called for greater and much more difficult technique and ability, as well as flair, especially from violinists, pianists and flautists.  

 Questions: 

 

Note:  You may not refer back to the information on this page to answer these questions.

 

  1. What did Romanticism focus on?   
  2. List 3 of the 6 stylistic features of Romantic music listed above and give a brief explanation of each…  

 CONGRATULATIONS!

By answering those 2 questions and listing 3 features of Romantic music, you have just collected:

The Percussion

The Timpani

And the entire Strings section (Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double Basses)

for your orchestra!

 

And by doing the activity illustrating dissonance and resolution in the text, you have collected:

The Harp

for your orchestra

 Now it's your turn to see all this history and these musical concepts put into practice in real music actually composed by Tchaikovsky!  Press Next to put Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers under the microscope.