Romantic Style

[scherzo123]

Hi, I'm learning some Chopin, and I know well enough that he is a Romantic titan. I have some ideas on how to interpret his music, but I want to hear other peoples' opinions as well. What do you think the Romantic style is? Lately, I've been thinking that it is abstract, but what do you all think? Hope you guys reply! Thanks.

[hfmadopter]

Start here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Romantic-era_composers

[scherzo123]

Start here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Romantic-era_composers

This is just a timeline with VERY basic information about the composers. Thanks for trying though...

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Well I think it's supposed to be played as expressive, and as emotional as possible.  A lot less Formal than Baroque and classical music. 

So when you play this, let your feelings flow through!  Seriously, it may sound cliche and I may sound like a loser, but I think it's about evoking as much emotion as possible. 

[asuhayda]

Very expressive.  Lots of imagery.  You need to have some life experiences under your belt.  If you don't feel it, the audience won't either.

You can play Rubato with Chopin.  Just make sure that your Rubato balances out.  You've gotta "Rob Peter to pay Paul"

Lots of arm weight, lots of pressure, lots of pedaling.

... advice, get yourself into a relationship, treat the person like garbage, get dumped, then play Chopin... it will be awesome!  haha j/k

Check out Paul Barton's tutorials on Youtube.com regarding Chopin (and Liszt). He's awesome at breaking them down and showing how to apply imagery.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

[j_menz]

... advice, get yourself into a relationship, treat the person like garbage, get dumped, then play Chopin... it will be awesome!  haha j/k

Haha. It's how he came to write them (the later ones, anyway).

[ajspiano]

... advice, get yourself into a relationship, treat the person like garbage, get dumped, then play Chopin... it will be awesome!  haha j/k

hahah - treat them well, get dumped anyway may also work just as well for some pieces.

[hfmadopter]

This is just a timeline with VERY basic information about the composers. Thanks for trying though...

That was kind of the point of my post, that it's multi composers and pieces in a timeline or period that fits the romantic period. You can listen to works of most of them played several different ways and hear the difference between romantic and other periods of music.

I do believe my favorite pianist of Chopin was Horowitz though. Listen to his expression in just about any Chopin piece and you should get the gist of Chopin and the romantic period. There are many Youtube clips of Horowiz. There are two or three out there of his White House recitals, I like to watch and listen to one that he did with Jimmy Carter as president. It was shown here at Pianostreet recently but I've been watching a lot longer than that. I have not heard anyone do the Chopin Funeral March better than Horowitz, it gives me goose bumps to listen to him play that.

 You have more great descriptions now from other members, I say now listen to some artists versions of Chopin pieces.. Try to get the feeling into your marrow, when you feel a tear forming and or goose bumps from the music you're hitting on a good rendition ! That's what happens to me anyway, I have to calm myself to play any of this stuff. It's so obvious the difference between romantic period music and other periods to me. You will learn soon enough for yourself.

[jugular]

I think one of the beautiful things about romantic music is that no one can really tell you how to play it (to an extent of course...don't be putting rubatos every single measure just because you "can"). Romantic music is meant to express the emotions that the performer pours into the piece, subsequently evoked into the audience.

I agree with you that it is the first style of music to be abstract (followed by Impressionism and then the ever so lovely atonal music of Schoenberg, Berg, etc.), since it broke many conventions (harmonically and structurally) from its preceding styles.