The Orchestra of the Romantic Era
The Orchestra of the Romantic Era
The Romantic Era was a time of many changes and innovations. While the Classical era was a time of restrictions and laws, the Romantic period saw the opposite. It was a time of experimentation – artistic freedom and creativity. There was a change in the way that composers wrote. They began utilising various emotions in their writing, as if to tell stories through their music. They began experimenting with new musical ideas. They began to move away from traditional harmonic ideas - melodic lines were emphasised, rhythmic elements became more complex, and tonality was broken down by the use of chromatics and dissonances. Instrumentation played a big role, as they were used to help paint emotion. This also brought the emergence of new musical forms such as lieder, symphonic poems and programme music.
Technological advances allowed for the orchestra to expand in size, at times outnumbering their audiences. This increase only emphasized new musical ideas that were being explored. Current instruments were built better than ever, and new instruments were introduced. As a result, composers began writing for more instruments, sometimes giving prominence to unusual instrument soloists. This resulted in thick, complex textures and rich tone colours. Some examples of works with unusual soloists at the time: Bassoon Concerto by Carl Maria Von Weber (1811), Harold in Italy by Hector Berlioz featured the viola as a soloist.
The orchestra expanded in these ways:
1. Increasing the number of players
Classical – 30 to 40 players
Romantic – 70 to 80 players
2. Increasing and decreasing the size of current instruments in an orchestra
Eg Smaller string section, Larger Percussion section
3. Introduction of new instruments:
Brass instruments Woodwind Instruments
Varied Percussion instruments
As the orchestra grew larger, the addition of a chorus required some balancing so vocalists began being trained to project loud,
The Romantic Era was a time of many changes and innovations. While the Classical era was a time of restrictions and laws, the Romantic period saw the opposite. It was a time of experimentation – artistic freedom and creativity. There was a change in the way that composers wrote. They began utilising various emotions in their writing, as if to tell stories through their music. They began experimenting with new musical ideas. They began to move away from traditional harmonic ideas - melodic lines were emphasised, rhythmic elements became more complex, and tonality was broken down by the use of chromatics and dissonances. Instrumentation played a big role, as they were used to help paint emotion. This also brought the emergence of new musical forms such as lieder, symphonic poems and programme music.
Technological advances allowed for the orchestra to expand in size, at times outnumbering their audiences. This increase only emphasized new musical ideas that were being explored. Current instruments were built better than ever, and new instruments were introduced. As a result, composers began writing for more instruments, sometimes giving prominence to unusual instrument soloists. This resulted in thick, complex textures and rich tone colours. Some examples of works with unusual soloists at the time: Bassoon Concerto by Carl Maria Von Weber (1811), Harold in Italy by Hector Berlioz featured the viola as a soloist.
The orchestra expanded in these ways:
1. Increasing the number of players
Classical – 30 to 40 players
Romantic – 70 to 80 players
2. Increasing and decreasing the size of current instruments in an orchestra
Eg Smaller string section, Larger Percussion section
3. Introduction of new instruments:
Brass instruments Woodwind Instruments
Varied Percussion instruments
As the orchestra grew larger, the addition of a chorus required some balancing so vocalists began being trained to project loud,