Romantic Music: Melody, Rhythm, Texture, and Genres

Melody: Expressive and Emotional

The melody is the predominant element in Romantic music. Composers explore all expressive possibilities, conveying personal feelings and emotions to the listener.

Rhythm: Tempo Rubato

Tempo rubato consists of momentarily changing the speed of the heartbeat for expressive purposes.

Texture: Melody Accompanied

The most commonly used texture is melody accompanied, which can be more or less complex depending on the instrumentation.

Genres of Romantic Music

Religious Vocal Music

Composers used similar methods as before but with a more operatic approach.

Secular Vocal Music

Triumph and growth in operatic realism. Wagner introduced a new concept of opera, integrating all arts and engaging the spectator. The lied, where music and words are closely united, also emerged.

Chamber Music

Works composed for various formations: trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, etc.

Orchestral Music

The large symphony orchestra developed. The symphonic poem, a single-movement programmatic work, emerged. Dance became an important part, particularly with Russian ballet. Living dances included the waltz and polka.

Music for Dance

The central figure was the Italian dancer Marie Taglioni, who was the first to wear a tutu and pointe shoes. Ballets like Giselle and La Sylphide gained prominence.

Piano Music

The piano became the preeminent Romantic instrument, quickly rising in popularity in concert halls and bourgeois homes across Europe.

Lieder

In German, Lied means song. It refers to a special type of song that emerged during this period in Germany and continued into the 20th century.

Italian Opera

In the early 19th century, Italian opera triumphed in Europe, characterized by technical difficulty and vocal virtuosity. The bourgeoisie became its great promoter.

Verdi

Verdi is the epitome of Romantic Italian opera. He and his contemporaries influenced composers across Europe, including Spain, where some even wrote operas in Italian.