During the classical period all music was written for a purpose or occasion, e.g. church, opera house, etc., and the stress was on beauty of form and style. But in the Romantic era, the stress was on expression of emotion. This change was influenced by the change in literature, painting and sculpture at the same period. There was a change both in the ideas expressed and in the manner of expression. The word “romantic” derived from the old “romances”- the tales of chivalry popularized by troubadours in the Middle Ages, and was used to convey the evocative, imaginative qualities typical of these works. “Romantic” composers were from a wider range of social backgrounds and no longer occupied the subordinate position under the patronage system as before. Some of the great composers in this period are Weber, Berlioz, Schumann, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Wagner, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Strauss.

The Romantics opposed Classicism by proclaiming the superiority of emotion over reason. They demanded the right to free expression in place of the old emphasis on restraint, and elevated the power of the imagination to near-divine status. These composers aimed at freedom and self-expression. Consequently these were:

1. Greater appreciation of sound, i.e. greater development in orchestras. More instruments were used, as composers wanted a wider range of colour. From Weber, Schumann onwards, new possibilities of colour and sonority were continually explored.
2. A relaxation and broadening of the attitude to the importance of function of form, free and unrestricted expression of personal emotion. As a result, composers wrote a great number of short characteristic pieces, which do not follow the structure of form, e.g. Chopin’s Prelude, Etude and Nocturne, which have no definite form, especially Nocturne, which is used by him only (inspired by John Field’s nocturne).
3. A tendency to ally music to some literary or other non-musical background. Most composers were influenced by their readings. Berlioz sticks pretty closely to a story. Some of his works are based on Shakespeare, e.g. Overture to King Lear and dramatic symphony- Romeo and Juliet. He introduced the idée fixe in his Symphonie Fantastique. The theme is repeated many times, each of which appears in a mood which suits the emotions indicated.

Opera in Germany, France and Italy had a distinct character during this period. Romantic German opera, given impetus by Beethoven’s Fidelio, was firmly established by Carl Maria von Weber. Weber’s operas Der Freischutz, Euryanthe and Oberon incorporated themes from fantasy and folklore. Together with operas by Heinrich Marschner, they paved the way for the monumental music dramas of Richard Wagner. In France, Auber and later Gounod popularized the comic opera. Meyerbeer, a leading figure of Grand Opera, composed epic five-act operas featuring a host of spectacular effects that impressed the young Wagner. In Italy Rossini’s sparkling comic operas developed the bel canto (beautiful singing) technique, which stressed the lyrical qualities of the voice over raw power, and paved the way for Bellini and Donizetti.