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classical vs romantic style
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Music Essay “The Classical period was a time of simplicity and perfection in the arts. The Romantic period represented a radical departure from this style where composers sought complexity and angst in their works.” When comparing the Classical period (1750-1820) to the Romantic period (1820-1900) instant differences can be seen through the examination of each concept area of music. The Classical period was a time when reason and logic were considered the best guide for human conduct. In the middle of the eighteenth century, philosophers and writers believed in the power of reason over the control of the social and religious establishments. The composers in the middle of the eighteenth century began to disregard the enriched late baroque style and focused on the simplicity and clarity of their work. “The classical composers were able to impart unity and logic to music over a wide emotional range.” The Romantic period was a cultural movement that encompassed emotion, imagination and individualism. It was a time of rebellion with the French Revolution taking place in the beginning of the nineteenth century. Romanticism focused on individual revolution, with romantic composers expressing their own opinions through their works. The romantics were obsessed with the realm of fantasy and the unnatural and drew inspiration from nature and their surroundings. This artistic expression and need for freedom shows how the romantics rebelled against the classical theories and the ‘age of reason’ and to branch out and allow emotions and individuality to control their works. They achieved this through experimenting with the conceptual background of music and thus broke away from the boundaries of the classical concepts. These differences in the concepts of music can be clearly seen through the comparison of Haydn’s “The Surprise” Symphony in G major, 2nd movement and Belioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, 4th movement, as both pieces are a clear representation of the conceptual backgrounds of their era. A major comparison can be made between the classical and romantic period, in the two pieces, through the examination of structure. Although both pieces are symphonies, Haydn uses the form of theme and variations in his 2nd movement. The basic musical idea is repeated over and over again throughout the movement and changed each variation. The theme may be changed in terms of melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics or tone colour in order to give each variation its own identity in the piece. Theme and variations sticks to a strict structure, all of the variations were strictly unified by the theme. This form was widely used in the classical period as it focused on precision and order.
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