Romantic Period
(1800-1900)
The Romantic Period consists of music written for feeling and emotion, large orchestra sound,
contrasts in dynamics and tempo, more brass & percussion sounds and rhythmic variety and
more. The period consisted of traditional styles too. In this period, these two composers
showcased their high resilience in music.
Ex: Frederic Francois Chopin, Franz Peter Schubert
Frederic Francois Chopin (1810-1849)
Date of Birth: March 1, 1810 (Żelazowa Wola, near Warsaw, Duchy of Warsaw/Poland)
Date of Death: October 17, 1849 (Paris, France)
Chopin is from Warsaw, Poland. He was a Polish French composer and pianist of
the Romantic period, best known for his solo pieces for piano and his piano concerti. Although
he wrote little but piano works, many of them brief, Chopin ranks as one of music’s greatest tone
poets by reason of his superfine imagination and beautiful craftsmanship.
Chopin published his first song at the age of seven
named the Polonaise in G minor which was wrote by
his father as Chopin had not learnt to write yet. In
1821at the age of eleven, Chopin composed his first
surviving musical manuscript and in 1831 at the age of
twenty one, he went to Paris, France and in the
drawing rooms of the French aristocracy he performed
& earned the name Poet of the Piano. Chopin was very
shy, he preferred playing to small crowds but he
contributed the most amounts of works in a piano. Most
of his works were influenced by Polish culture and
music. The Polonaises & Mazurkas were lively and
energetic by conveying his loving to his mother land.
He studied music through Warsaw Conservatory of
Music and Lyceum. He died of Tuberculosis.
Some of his works include: 61 mazurkas, 16 polonaises, 26 preludes, 27 études, 21 nocturnes,
20 waltzes, 3 sonatas, 4 ballades, 4 scherzos, 4 impromptus, and many individual pieces—such
as the Barcarolle , Opus 60 (1846); the Fantasia , Opus 49 (1841); and the Berceuse , Opus
57 (1845)—as well as 17 Polish songs.
Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)
Date of Birth: January 31, 1797 (Himmelpfortgrund, Vienna, Austria)
Date of Death: November 19, 1828 (Vienna, Austria)
Schubert was born in Austria, Vienna. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a vast oeuvre,
including more than 600 secular vocal works (mainly Lieder), seven complete symphonies,
sacred music, operas, incidental music, and a large body of piano and chamber music.
Composer who bridged the worlds of Classical and Romantic music, noted for the melody and
harmony in his songs (lieder) and chamber music.
Among other works are Symphony No. 9 in C
Major ( The Great ; 1828), Symphony in B
Minor ( Unfinished ; 1822), masses, and piano
works. Schubert’s father, Franz Theodor Schubert,
was a schoolmaster; his mother, Elisabeth, whose
maiden name was Vietz, was in domestic service at
the time of her marriage. Franz was their fourth
surviving son. His elder brothers were Ferdinand
Schubert, Ignaz Schubert, Karl Schubert and his
sister was Maria Theresia Schubert. His teacher was
Michael Holzer who helped him become a choir boy
at Imperial Chapeland at the age of eleven. Schubert
was such a music freak that he sold all of his school
books to buy a ticket for Beethoven’s opera, The
Fidelio. His musical voice spread throughout Europe.
When he was nineteen, he composed a flabbergasting 179 works; he later wrote another 600
songs in his lifetime. He died of Typhoid fever.
Some of his works include: Art songs; Erlkönig, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Ave Maria, the Trout
Quintet, Symphony No. 8 in B minor (unfinished), Symphony No. 9 in C major (Great), String
Quartet No. 14 "Death and the Maiden", Winter’s Journey, Swan song, The Shepherd on the
rock, Little rose on the Hearth.
Other Artists
There were a few more artists in this era and some of them included musicians such as:
Anton Diabelli
Anton Reicha
Bartolommeo Bortolazzi
Bernhard Crusell
Bettina von Arnim
Carlo Coccia
Carl Maria von Weber
Catherina Cibbini-Kozeluch
Many more artists too were part of this period but did not gain as much fame as the two
musicians that were described briefly.
The Romantic era consists of many wonderful works and musicians, the songs still do live in our
heart somewhere deep down;
Programme done by
-Hitesh Anand Karthigun
N12928
8B
