"Romantic music reflected the profound changes that were taking place in the nineteenth century at every level of human existence."
             The Industrial Revolution saw the creation of cheaper, more responsive instruments and technical improvements that strongly influenced the sound of Romantic music. Improved manufacturing techniques resulted in the piano acquiring a cast- iron frame and thicker strings which produced a deeper tone. This "new" piano was capable of effects that were impossible in earlier periods, opening the door to musical exploration.
             The Romantic Movement in music coincides with a general Romantic movement in all arts. At this period, the arts of literature and painting also began to have an influence on music.
             While Classicism had a more conservative creativity, with an emphasis on balance, control, proportion, symmetry and restraint, Romanticism was a radical kind of expression. It was a search for the new, the curious, and the adventurous.
             The nineteenth century strove for a harmony that was more emotional and expressive, more fluent in movement and with greater contrasts. This was achieved through a wider dynamic range, fuller instrumentation, a wealth of dynamic and expression marks, performance directions, frequently varying tempo, a large pitch range, longer and more dramatic melodies, modulation to increasingly remote keys, the use of the pedal, octave doublings, extreme tempos, fuller and more dissonant harmonies, a frequent use of diminished sevenths and expanded formal structures.
             So, who were the great composers of the Romantic era? Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, Brahms and Debussy are just a few who have lived on to become a household name.
             Perhaps one of the more well known Romantic composers is Frederic Francois Chopin. His works include that for piano and orchestra, including 2 piano concertos, four ballads, 3 sonatas, preludes, nocturnes, etudes, mazurkas, wa
             ...