REVISTA DE INGLES 2

Romantic Style
This was a stark reversal of the Classical style of music;
Romantic music was chock full of emotions and had no
concern for Classical rules. It is said that Beethoven was
almost singly responsible for the transition from Classical
style to Romantic. Beethoven bridged the gap by infusing
his later works with much emotion, and yet keeping within
the Classical bounds. Soon the emotion overran the
Classical bounds and Romanticism was born. There are
many great composers of this era, including Carl Maria von
Weber, Fredric Chopin, Hector Berlioz, and Johannes
Brahms. Romantic music created two smaller movements
in music: music about legends, and nationalistic music.
Music About Legends
Storytelling was and is the prime directive of many musicians. Music has always been a
medium for portraying legends and myths. In Romantic music this is no different. There
have been many compositions telling the story of heroes (like King Arthur) and demons
(especially M ephistopheles). This is just the logical outgrowth of the folk singers and
wandering minstrels who had performed since the time of Beowulf. Wagner wrote many
pieces on the basis of a story or myth. His famous "Ride of the Valkyries" is a great
example.
Nationalistic Music
Nationalism had been a growing craze after Napoleon's fall and
Germany's unification, and this nationalism which led to World
War I also led to some of the most inspiring music out there.
Composers like Bedrich Smetana and Jan Sibelius wrote
beautiful music to praise their homelands. In fact, Jan Sibelius
is considered a national hero for the Finnish people. But if there
was to be an epitome of nationalistic music it would be Peter
Tchaikovsky, whose music about Russia defined a country's
composing style for almost a century.
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