History and Context of the Romantic Era of Classical Music

In the field of Western music, there have been several stages of musical progression up until modern times. The medieval period of music lasted from 500 CE until 1400, and then the Renaissance took place from 1400-1600. The post-Renaissance establishment of the Common Practice era of Western music can be split into three categories: Baroque (1600-1760), Classical (1730-1820), and Romantic (1815-1910). Then, music expands into several subcategories of modern classical music that persist to today. The final Common Practice subcategory emphasizes melodic expression and emotion. The Romantic era of music evolved out of the larger Romantic movement in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.

Romanticism was a Renaissance-like development of culture and philosophy that followed the Age of Enlightenment. The Enlightenment occurred from the late seventeenth century through the eighteenth century. This period brought a wave of philosophers and authors advocating individual thought and the advancement of knowledge. The Romantic Era began towards the end of the Enlightenment, and it was more effective as an all-encompassing societal reformation. There were significant changes in the natural sciences, art, literature, history, and music. As opposed to other classical fields of study like realism, the romantic movement encouraged a heavy emphasis on the use of heavy emotion and hyperbole throughout all the artistic mediums. These romantic works in all artistic fields attempt to aesthetically embody the full range of dynamic human emotion, especially extreme emotions. Terror, awe, and surprise are examples of emotions prevalent throughout the Romantic Era. The period is most characterized by artists and academics consciously moving away from the orthodox traditions and practices perpetuated by respective academies. Melody, rhythm, and polyphony were all affected by the collective denouncing of musical institutions, and the more radical products allowed for further progress throughout the period. In the Romantic era, composers and other artists were emancipated from the constraints of academies and conservative artistic institutions.

Several other factors, besides the social context of the late eighteenth century, helped establish the Romantic era. This includes a development of musical technology, such as developments in brass instruments. These technologies allowed a wider range of music and different sounds to be produced. Also, the Romantic movement was catalyzed by the works of Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a key figure in the transition between the preceding Classical and following Romantic eras. As a transitional figure, his music reflects artistic cultures of both categories of the common practice period, and his later compositions are in more accordance with the musical norms of the time. Other popular Romantic composers are Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Chopin, and Schumann. Each of these composers had a unique style, but the foundation of their compositions was similar in their roots of Romanticism.

In a historical context, the Romantic period was an age of revolutions in political arenas as well as fields of study. The American and French Revolutions both took place in the early stages of the era, and the continued revolutions in all different aspects of art reflect the revolutionary time. The Romantic era can be considered a transition into early modern western society, and the music is reflective of such.