The Orchestra during the Romantic Period
Historians document the Romantic period of music as beginning in 1820 and lasting until 1910.
During this time, the Orchestra grew greatly in size and complexity.
This was due to several factors, including composers' desire to express emotion and
create richer textures through larger orchestras with a wider range of instruments. One of the most
important developments during this time was the introduction of the valved brass instruments,
which allowed for easier and more nuanced playing than the natural horns used in earlier periods.
The Romantic period also saw a rise in program music,
which told stories or conveyed emotions through music rather than relying on traditional forms.
As a result, many of the greatest works by composers such as Beethoven, Brahms,
and Wagner were written for large orchestras. These works often featured large orchestras that
could create dynamic accompaniments to the dramatic stories being told.
Continue reading as we talk a walk through this
period and take a closer look at the Orchestra in the Romantic period.
The Orchestra in the Romantic Period
The Orchestra had developed considerably by the end of the Classical era in music.
We discover that as the Classical period merged into the Romantic period,
the number of orchestra players rapidly increased. Haydn, in his final Symphony, the 104th (1795)
By contrast, Mahler, in his Eighth Symphony (1906),
The increased size of orchestras during the Romantic period allowed composers to
explore orchestral colors and textures in greater detail. New instruments such as English Horns,
Bass Clarinets, Cornets, and Tubas were added to give their music more depth and complexity.
The contrabassoon, for instance, was well known for its dramatic low register and ability to add
a darker tone to the music. New percussion instruments, such as cymbals and bass drums,
were also added to create more powerful climaxes. In the Romantic Orchestra, we find composers
writing for a whole family of clarinets that would never have been an option.
Later, the saxophone became popular and completely revolutionized the world of music.
The flute section would now include a piccolo that added the possibility
of an extra octave to the woodwind family. By the mid-nineteenth century, brass instruments
had the addition of valves, first invented by Heinrich Stölzel around 1815. This made composing
in more difficult keys containing many sharps as the boundaries of tonality were being challenged.
The range of these instruments also extended as their quality evolved alongside their tuning.
The string section was now divided into clear sections. This allowed for new harmonic
possibilities and layering of the texture, which was not possible before the Romantic period.
We can see that composers had access to a drastically larger range of instruments during the
Romantic period than before. Coupled with advanced instrumentation and orchestration techniques,
this period saw some of the most beautiful and powerful orchestral works ever written.
Like the brass family, the string section can utilize mutes as well. These are small,
usually wooden clips that fit over the instrument's bridge,
dampening the instrument's resonance and thinning the sound out to create quite an eerie effect.
Other playing techniques also became more acceptable, including sul ponticello,
where the player bows closer to the instrument's bridge, making a glassy sound.
The percussion section was no exception to the changes and development of the Orchestra.
This era added new instruments such as the glockenspiel, xylophone, and triangle.
As music became more elaborate and powerful, a greater range of percussion
was needed to add dynamic effects such as crescendos, accelerandos, and decrescendos.
The Orchestra grew from an ensemble of around fifty players to over
one hundred and fifty as composers explored the possibilities of this larger ensemble.
The Romantic period saw a huge development in orchestral music and instrumentation,
paving the way for some of the most popular works ever written. From Beethoven's Ninth
Symphony to Mahler's symphonies, we owe much to this period of innovation and development.
The advancements made in this period of music history have forever changed how we listen to
and appreciate classical music. Orchestras today are still heavily based on the model developed
during this time, and many of these pieces are some of the most popular works ever written.
We owe much to composers such as Beethoven, Berlioz, Mahler,
and Wagner for their contributions to orchestral music. The Romantic period
opened a world of possibilities that continue to influence and inspire musicians today.
As a result of these gradual but meaningful changes, composers during the Romantic
period and those that followed had an extraordinary array of music collections.
Each section of the Orchestra could be subdivided into smaller, more intimate groupings.
The combinations of possible sounds and textures that could be created through
blending instrumental groups became almost limitless and gave rise to extraordinary music.
As the focus of the Romantic composers was to express their deepest feelings and create
music that was uniquely their own, it is not surprising that some of the most popular and
enduring pieces have been written in this period. With the invention of new instruments and the
development of existing ones, composers from Beethoven to Mahler crafted works that continue
to be performed worldwide today. The Romantic period changed music forever and for the better.