Exploring the Peaks and Valleys of Romantic Expression at the Piano
At the heart of Romanticism was the artist’s self-expression and individuality. Unlike the Baroque and Classical periods, which followed clear rules and conventions, Romantic composers pushed boundaries. They searched for new ideas, stretched harmony and melody to their limits, and drew inspiration from imagination and inner feeling rather than logic or order.
The 19th century piano
The development of the piano from the 1790s onwards gave the instrument greater range and power than before with sturdy iron frames, overstringing and cross stringing for longer strings, improved strings and hammers. Overall it became a more expressive and versatile instrument which was perfectly suited for the increased need for self-expressivity of Romantic composers such as Liszt, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann (Robert and Clara) and many more.
A growing repertoire
An impressive repertoire of concert music, usually virtuosic, always vivid, dramatic and often passionate resulted from this meeting of Romantic composers and the technical development of the piano. Piano compositions began to explore the possibilities of the monumental, were often large scale – such as huge sonatas (like the Liszt B minor) – or concerti with enormous scope.
This music evoked a whole range of popular subjects and subjectivities: rural landscapes, merry peasants, wild horsemen, soldiers, intense feelings, loss, triumph, deep melancholy or tragedy. The fashion for these subjects pervaded the 19th century, often flavoured with what was thought of as folk music. They continued in the 20th century and are by no means dead in the 21st.
Music for a domestic setting
Alongside the vogue for this flamboyant and often dashing concert style went perhaps more modest desire to play something like it in the home. The domestic market for piano music catered for the young, the learner and young ladies for whom an ability to play the piano was considered an attractive accomplishment.
Miniatures and moments
Alongside their more virtuosic works composers were attracted to writing miniatures. Schumann’s “Album for the Young” and “Scenes from Childhood” are perfect examples of whole sets of pieces, expressive, self contained and complete.
Chopin’s 24 Preludes are mainly quite challenging to play but contain a handful of technically approachable pieces which nevertheless manage the emotional depth of many a concert piece. The E minor Prelude, the 4th, is exemplary in this sense. It has huge emotional depth and development in the space of merely one page of music!
Most piano composers therefore looked both ways – to the concert hall, the grand piano and the monumental scope of big works, but also to the domestic scene, the miniature or the drawing room piece. What unites both is the Romantic belief that music is the truest expression of the self.
Revealing the rich harmonic palette
If you’d like to learn more about how Romantic composers expanded the harmonic palette to heighten expression and create music that speaks straight to the heart, join Lona Kozik for the third unit in her Harmony, History and Style course!
The course takes a whirlwind tour through 19th-century piano music, exploring the harmonic language and sound worlds of Schubert (Impromptu in G-flat major), Chopin (Prelude in E minor), and Brahms (Intermezzo in A). Click here to find out more and to book your place! More information on the full series is available here.