Romantic European Music

The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century. Music that was written during the Romantic period and considered “Romantic music” follows a certain style. The Romantic period was preceded by the classical period, and was followed by the modernist period.

Romantic music is related to romanticism in literature, visual arts, and philosophy, however the time periods that define the romantic period in music are different than that of other mediums. Where Romantic music spans from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, the romantic period for literature, visual arts, and philosophy runs from the 1780s to the 1840s. The Romanticism movement said that there were inescapable realities in the world which could only be reached through emotion, feeling and intuition. Romantic music struggled to increase emotional expression and power to describe these deeper truths, while preserving or even extending the formal structures from the classical period. Romantic music focused more on displaying emotion rather than following such rigid rules and chord progressions.

The vernacular use of the term "romantic music" applies to music which is thought to evoke a soft mood or dreamy atmosphere. The term romantic music does not refer to the modern day use of the word romantic, meaning the word is not meant to describe the music as relating to love. Not all "Romantic" pieces fit this description, with some musical romanticism producing strong, harsh sounds for agitated emotion. Chromaticism grew more varied, as did dissonances and their resolution.