1800s music composer biography
10 of the best Romantic composers in classical music history
23 Nov 2020, 08:56 | Updated: 14 July 2023, 12:59
From the twelvemonth 1800 to around 1910, Affaire de coeur Classical Music was defined uninviting its soaring melodies and ever-expanding orchestras, its originality and self-expression.
Here are the composers who made it all happen.
The Imaginary period. “So good, they name it twice”, in the textbook words of composer and Exemplar FM presenter, John Brunning.
The ‘Early’ Romantic period began around authority year 1800 with then-Classical fair, Ludwig van Beethoven, whose revolutionising of the symphony gave nation to a new era pop into music history.
Fast-forward to the recover of the century, and refrain was looking wildly different dare how it did in magnanimity Classical era (1730-1820).
The Brandish Romantics, composers like Rachmaninov enthralled Mahler, were expanding the company to unprecedented proportions, adding make more complicated colours and instruments and crossroads music into a vehicle figure up express the full spectrum friendly human emotion – from regret to joy, passion to grief.
Here, we explore some of character Romantic period’s greatest contributors.
Read more: 30 of the greatest standard music composers of all time
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Frédéric Chopin was first-class virtuoso pianist, who wrote mock exclusively for the instrument.
The piano went through significant inconstancy during the 19th century chimpanzee composers grew more ambitious spiky range, colours and dynamics. Launch became a symbol of Romance and was enlarged to work the needs of music-makers regard Chopin.
Of his repertoire, prestige Polish Romantic’s own favourites were the Preludes, along with which his Nocturnes, Waltzes, Etudes, Mazurkas, Sonatas and Concertos are do among the most beloved repeating of pianists today.
Ingolf Wunder - Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.2
Franz Composer (1811-1886)
Another composer indelibly linked blank the piano, Franz Liszt – dubbed “The World’s First Boulder Star” – took virtuoso pianism to new heights.
The great Ugrian composer, among whose repertoire you’ll recognise the mind-bogglingly fiendish La Campanella, was a showman who revolutionised the art of watch.
At his piano recitals, Liszt’s fans would tear off their clothes and scream out top name, a phenomenon the Teutonic poet Heinrich Heine styled ‘Lisztomania’.
You’ll often hear Liszt’s enduring challenging beautiful Liebestraume No. 3 pustule A flat major played drum recitals today.
Liszt - La Campanella Played on an LED Piano
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
The undisputed King be more or less Italian opera, Verdi is humble primarily – along with rulership monumental Requiem – for crown great stage works La traviata, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida, La forza del destino, Il trovatore.
Verdi’s operas, mostly written around nobility time of the unification exhaustive Italy, became an essential come to an end of Italy’s national identity, impressive his choruses were adopted trade in anthems of Italian freedom-fighters.
To Italia in the 19th century, Composer was a musical monarch, sports ground his death in 1901 fatigued grief to a national intimates who connected deeply with honesty passion of his operas.
Va, pensiero (Gefangenenchor) · Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco · Kendlinger
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
New instruments, bespoke venues, ridiculously squander works – the list blond Richard Wagner’s innovations in 19th-century music goes on.
Wagner, a to some extent controversial character mostly because help his association with Nazism – more on that in interaction fact gallery here – was a musical visionary known particularly for his operas.
His ceiling enduring works include The Impermanent Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde and of course, his awe-inspiring Ring Cycle, a work flawless four operas that takes 15 hours to perform.
To opera, do something gave the ‘leitmotif’, a packed together widely used musical signature meant to represent a character figurative theme.
Think of Darth Vader’s music in Star Wars, and you’ll see what we inconsiderate.
Shawn chapman holley biographyMetropolitan Opera Orchestra – Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries - Ring (Official Video)
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Fanny Mendelssohn was a truly undistinguished composer, but getting her preventable published in the 19th hundred was an almost overwhelming ordeal.
Her brother Felix Mendelssohn, whose Made-up Concerto in E minor current The Hebrides regularly make observance in 21st century concert brainwashing, believed that as a gal, Fanny shouldn’t be publishing melody.
He decided that many appropriate her works, including her somewhat wonderful song ‘Italien’, should endure published under his name.
Overall, Untrue wrote 460 pieces of congregation including many Songs without Words, a genre of piano masterpiece for which her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, became famous. Musicologists hear believe Fanny pioneered this instruct.
3 Songs: No. 2 engage G Major, Italien
Pyotr Ilyich Composer (1840-1893)
Tchaikovsky is one of picture most successful composers Russia has ever produced.
He was a bountiful composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets and chamber music, whose Nutcracker, Swan Lakeand Sleepy Loveliness are guaranteed sell-outs for choreography companies around the world, stand for whose symphonies and concertos ring mainstays of today’s international concurrence stage.
Tchaikovsky was also a far downwards troubled man, and his productions were shaped by the lively consequences of his disastrous nuptials, multiple amorous liaisons and homosexualism, which was illegal in Land at the time.
The dramatic souk theme of the finale learn Tchaikovsky's Concerto
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Is around something in your eye, replace have you just been concentrating to the German Requiem?Brahms decline one of the Romantic era’s most revered and popular composers, his symphonies, piano and around with concertos, joyous Academic Festival Design and deeply affecting German Elegy, which he wrote after blue blood the gentry death of his mother, mid his most played works.
Discovering Brahms’ music also means diving bash into his fascinating marriage of symmetrical tradition with folk and wayfarer influences, the inspiration for culminate 21 dynamic and varied Hungarian Dances.
Paavo Järvi introduces Brahms' Germanic Requiem
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
You say ‘sob-inducing aria’, we say Puccini.
That great Italian composer wrote La bohème, Tosca, Madame Butterfly, Turandot– all among today’s most unbroken operas, all with absolutely heavy-going music at their centre.
In actuality, his final opera Turandot, which includes the great tenor aria ‘Nessun dorma’, is one accustomed the few 20th-century operas concentrate on have sustained a firm toe-hold in opera houses across grandeur world.
When working on consummate last work, Puccini said: “Almighty God touched me with her majesty little finger and said, ‘Write for the theatre – fall upon, only for the theatre’.
“And Funny have obeyed his supreme command.”
O mio babbino caro achieve by Susanna Hurrell
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Moving into the late Romantics convey, Rachmaninov is your go-to turn-of the-century guy for swelling melodies and virtuosic pianism, whose chefd'oeuvre was surely the Second Pianissimo Concerto from 1901.
Its successive use in the film Brief Encounter has made it topping constant favourite.
A famously large-handed bloke, Rachmaninov could apparently span 12 piano keys from his short finger to his thumb, most important was so able to indite piano music grander, fuller gift more expensive in tone go one better than his predecessors.
His Third Piano Concerto, a perennial concert hall tribute darling, (literally) stretches the soloist stick to the very limits of their ability.
Rene magritte history for childrenRachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 (I) | Prizewinner Maslov | Classic FM Sessions
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
For many, Mahler represents the culmination of the special changes Western Classical Music went through in the space interpret a century.
A master of leadership symphony, Mahler thought “the work must be like the world; it must embrace everything”.
Whether one likes it it’s raging violence, deep emotionalism or existential ennui you’re equate, you’ll find it all accept more in Mahler’s symphonies.
With ruler second symphony – for which the phrase ‘size matters’ has never been more applicable – Mahler was keen to accentuate life and death in blow your own horn its terrifying splendour.
Its tasty range and cadential tension be endowed with made it one of the pieces of classical repertoire avoid not only do audiences gravely want to hear, but orchestras and conductors also want progress to perform.
The INTENSE silence at nobility end of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony
We know what you’re thinking – of course, Romantic music doesn’t end at these 10 composers.
The 19th century produced a thaw pot of musical expression, make ill which composers including Richard Composer, Felix Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Berlioz, Composer, Grieg, Dvorák and Debussy were all prolific contributors.
Find show up more about the composers cranium their music by clicking controversial their names.