Famous composers of the Romantic Era

The Romantic era in music is generally taken to mean the period from about 1820 to 1920, which was a century during which a massive amount of music in all genres was produced, and it must also represent the greatest concentration of “famous” composers, if by that is meant those whose works are performed regularly today and which are instantly recognisable.

This was an age when composers wrote music that spoke to the heart and used it to express deep feelings and emotions. They were happy to break the rules and to experiment with new forms that might shock but might also strike a chord with their audiences. The audience was also an important factor, in that Romantic music was largely intended to be heard by the general public as opposed to private patrons and small elite audiences.

It is convenient to divide this era into sub-eras, each of which featured a large number of composers, but some stand out more than others.

The classification below relates to the birth dates of the composers rather than their active periods.


Classical/Romantic Transition

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827, German). He is often regarded as the first Romantic composer, with his 9th Symphony (first performed in 1825) fitting the “Romantic” bill as a huge emotional outburst that crossed the boundary between symphony and opera with its 4th movement setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy for soloists and chorus.

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826, German). He is known mostly for his operas, including “Der Freischütz” (first performed in1821) which belongs squarely in the Gothic tradition.

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868, Italian). He was a prolific writer of operas (including The Barber of Seville) in his youth, but later retired from composing.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828, Austrian). He composed more than 600 songs as well as nine symphonies and a huge amount of chamber and sacred music.

Early Romantic Era

Hector Berlioz (1803-69, French). He ticked all the “Romantic” boxes by writing music for huge orchestral and choral forces, and his programmatic symphonies such as the Symphonie Fantastique, as well as his love of all things Gothic and his turbulent love life.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47, German). He is known for his highly expressive symphonies, concertos and overtures, plus a wealth of songs and music for chamber ensembles and solo piano. His “Hebrides Overture” of 1830 (otherwise known as “Fingal’s Cave”) is an early example of a tone poem or symphonic poem.

Frederic Chopin (1810-49, Polish). He never wrote anything that was not intended for the piano, played either as a solo instrument or with other instruments, including two piano concertos. He developed a number of musical forms, including the polonaise, prelude, nocturne and mazurka.

Robert Schumann (1810-56, German). At first he wrote little apart from piano music but later became a prolific composer of songs and other music, including four symphonies. The change was inspired by his love affair with Clara Wieck. He suffered from mental illness later in his life.

Franz Liszt (1811-86, Hungarian). He is best known for his piano works, included transcriptions of orchestral works by other composers. He also wrote symphonic poems, dances (such as his “Hungarian Rhapsodies”) and songs.

Richard Wagner (1813-83, German). He composed little apart from operas, some of which were based on German folklore. Many of these, such as the four-opera Ring Cycle, were large-scale works that demand a great deal from their audiences, hence the comment by Rossini that Wagner had “wonderful moments but dreadful quarters of an hour”.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901, Italian). One of opera’s greatest exponents, his works included many that are performed today, including La Traviata, Rigoletto and Aida. His “Requiem” of 1874 is notable for its highly operatic scoring and orchestration.


Middle Romantic Era

Anton Bruckner (1824-96, Austrian). He is best known for his nine symphonies (plus his “Symphony No. 0”) which are massive in scope and construction. He also wrote some major sacred choral works.

Johann Strauss II (1825-99, Austrian). Known as the “Waltz King”, he was the chief composer of waltzes, polkas and other dance music during the heyday of Vienna as the entertainment capital of Europe. He also composed light operas including Die Fledermaus.

Johannes Brahms (1833-97, German). He was seen at first as the natural successor to Beethoven, with his long-awaited First Symphony being dubbed “Beethoven’s 10th”. His orchestral works included four symphonies and two piano concertos, and he also wrote many songs, much chamber music, and choral masterpieces such as “A German Requiem”.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921, French). A composer of symphonies, concertos, operas and chamber music who is best known for a piece he suppressed during his lifetime, namely the humorous and satirical “Carnival of the Animals”.

Max Bruch (1838-1920, German). He is best known for his ever-popular 1st Violin Concerto, which is highly melodic and typifies the Romantic style. He also wrote several other concertos plus four symphonies, songs, chamber music and his often heard “Scottish Fantasy” for violin and orchestra.


Late Romantic Era

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-93, Russian). One of the most melodic of all composers, he wrote six symphonies, three piano concertos, a violin concerto, ten operas, three ballets, and a number of other orchestral works including the “1812 Overture” with cannon fire and church bells.

Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904, Czech). He was greatly influenced by the folk music of his native country, as evidenced by his “Slavonic Dances” of 1878 and 1886. The best known of his nine symphonies was his last, “From the New World”, in which he incorporated American themes and idioms gathered during a three-year stay in the United States.

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907, Norwegian). He is renowned for his Piano Concerto but also for his incidental music to Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt” and his “Holberg Suite”. Folk tunes from Norway pervade his music.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908, Russian). He wrote operas and orchestral works, such as the lushly romantic Scheherazade, and edited and completed the works of other Russian composers.

Edward Elgar (1857-1934, British). He could write music that was either lyrical and light, as in most of the “Enigma Variations”, or directly nationalistic, as in his “Pomp and Circumstance Marches”. His best-loved works include the passionate Violin Concerto of 1910 and the elegiac Cello Concerto of 1919.

Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924, Italian). He wrote some of the best-loved operas of all time that are regularly performed worldwide, including Tosca, La Bohème, Madame Butterfly and Turandot.


Transition to the 20th Century

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911, Austrian). He wrote nine completed symphonies, some of which were of large compass and highly experimental, using soloists and choruses as well as unusual orchestrations. He also excelled in song cycles, including the early “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen” and the late “Das Lied von der Erde”.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918, French). He has been termed an “impressionist” composer, who used both piano and orchestra to evoke mood and colour. Typical pieces are "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune", and “La Mer”.

Frederick Delius (1862-1934, British). Although he wrote several operas and much chamber music, he is best known for his evocative orchestral tone poems such as “On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring” and “A Song of Summer”.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957, Finnish). Much of his music was deeply nationalistic in tone, particularly his orchestral overture “Finlandia” and his more lyrical “Karelia Suite”. He wrote seven symphonies and an often-played violin concerto.

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943, Russian). Often dubbed the last Romantic, two of his four piano concertos (the second and third) are among the most popular ever played. He also composed three symphonies, a set of “Symphonic Dances” and his “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” that is a set of variations for piano and orchestra.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937, French). Like Debussy, he was a musical impressionist, best known for his “Bolero” which consists of an extended theme that is repeated time after time with added orchestration and volume. Other works that are heard regularly include his “Piano Concerto in G”, his “Daphnis and Chloe” ballet suite and his orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”.

As mentioned above, this is only a selection of composers who deserve to be termed “famous” and who fit into the Romantic mould. It would be quite possible to double the number and still leave out some important contributors to the era! It should be safe to say that some 70% of the music played on a popular “classical” music radio station, such as Classic FM in the United Kingdom, was composed during the 100-year period specified above, such is the enduring appeal of the music of the Romantic composers.

© John Welford

The Rite of Spring riot, 1913

How many times have you heard someone say “it was a riot!” when expressing approval of a dramatic or musical performance? Usually they don’t mean it literally, but that was just about a fair description of the first night of Stravinsky’s ballet “The Rite of Spring” when it premiered in Paris on 29^th May 1913.

The Rite of Spring riot

The Rite of Spring was the third ballet that the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) wrote for his fellow Russian, the impresario Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929). His previous ballets, “The Firebird” (1910) and “Petrushka” (1911) had both been great successes for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes during their Paris seasons, so there was every reason to expect that The Rite of Spring would be received equally warmly.

However, this turned out to be a huge overestimate of the reaction of the audience at the Théâtre de Champs Elysées. The shouting and screaming started moments after the curtain rose and the music started to play. The ballet had been choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky, who was reduced to shouting out numbers from the wings, standing on a chair, to tell the dancers what to do because they could not hear the music above the noise from the auditorium.

Not all members of the audience were antagonistic to the performance, and that was part of the trouble. Fights broke out between the “pros” and the “antis” and the police had to be called to separate people who were throwing punches at each other.

Why the riot?

So why did the ballet excite such violent reactions? It was a combination of Stravinsky’s music and Nijinsky’s choreography that that was too much for a section of the Paris audience. The theme of “The Rite”, subtitled “Pictures of Pagan Russia”, was an ancient fertility rite in which a virgin is sacrificed to placate the forces of nature and ensure the return  of spring after a long winter. The music is earthy and sensual, and Nijinsky did everything he could to portray earthiness and sensuality in the movements of the dancers.

The whole thing was highly original, but also shocking for people who were not expecting anything along those lines. If you think that spring is all about cherry blossom and bunny rabbits bouncing through green meadows, then images of orgiastic rites and virgins being sacrificed are quite likely to be upsetting!

The reactions of the people who created the performance were quite revealing. Stravinsky was pleased with how the music was played, although puzzled by what Nijinksky was doing in the wings. He described his reaction to the night as “excited, angry, disgusted and happy”. Diaghilev commented that it was “Exactly what I wanted”, which made Stravinsky wonder if Diaghilev had not foreseen such a reaction from the very beginning of the project.

In all events, The Rite of Spring, which is more often performed these days as an orchestral work than as a ballet, has become a standard “classic” that is highly acclaimed all over the world. It is still a disturbing and no-holds-barred piece of music that hits one in the solar plexus, but audiences no longer feel the urge to pick fights with each other when they hear it!

© John Welford

The Magic Flute, by W A Mozart: a summary of the plot

This was Mozart's final opera, receiving its premiere only three months before his death in December 1791. It is an allegorical fantasy, full of fairy story elements and also references to Freemasonry. Mozart and the librettist, Emanuel Schickaneder, were members of the same Masonic lodge.

The music of the opera is notable both for its extreme difficulty and its simplicity. The librettist was also an amateur singer for whom the part of Papageno was written, so his music is notable for having all the lines stated by the orchestra in advance, so that he could find his pitch. However, the part of the Queen of the Night was sung by a soprano of the highest musical ability, as is evident from her famous aria "Hell's vengeance boils in my heart" which is generally regarded as one of the most difficult in all opera. It was famously mangled by Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944), who thought she could sing, but couldn't, which didn't stop her from proving the point to thousands at the Carnegie Hall and elsewhere. 

However, back to the plot. This was originally written in two acts, but the opera has also been performed in four. As it is easier to take it all in as a four-acter, here we go:


Act 1. A Forest. (This is supposed to be Egypt, which is not renowned for the denseness of its forests)

Prince Tamino has lost his way, and is being pursued by a giant serpent (suspend your disbelief NOW!). His cries bring three fairies to his aid, who promptly slay the serpent with their spears. A strange being now enters - a man clad in birds' feathers. This is Papageno, who claims that this is by far the best way to catch birds. He also claims that it was he who slew the serpent. The fairies will have none of this and fasten a padlock on his lips to punish him for telling porkies.

They also show the prince a picture of the beautiful maiden Pamina, who is being held captive by Sarastro at the Temple of Isis. Right on cue, Pamina's mother, the Queen of the Night, enters and calls on Tamino to rescue the girl. As is always the case on these occasions, he agrees, and is given a magic flute that will protect him from danger. Papageno is to accompany him, and he is given a chime of bells in place of the padlock.

Act II. Scene 1. The Palace of Sarastro 

Monastatos, a moor, has been annoying Pamina with his attentions and is about to make off with her when Papageno arrives to announce the coming of the prince. Pamina makes ready to escape with them.


Scene 2. Entrance to the Temple

The Temple of Isis has three doors. At two of them Tamino is denied entry, but at the third a priest appears and tells him that he is all wrong about Sarastro, who is really the good guy; it's Pamina's mother, who is a sorceress, that he should be worried about. Pamina and Papageno now appear, but Monastatos prevents their escape. Sarastro enters, hears the story so far, and orders that Monastatos be punished. He greets Tamino who, naturally enough, has fallen in love with Pamina, but tells him that he must prove his worth by undergoing a series of ordeals.


Act III. Scene 1. A Palm Grove

The temple priests meet to consider the case of the two lovers and agree that they can be united if Tamino passes the tests he is about to face.


Scene 2. A Courtyard

The first ordeal is that neither Tamino nor Papageno must speak. Three attendants of the Queen of the Night appear and try to tempt them, but they hold firm, although this is a struggle for Papageno.


Scene 3. A Garden

Pamina is asleep and is approached by Monastatos, but he hides himself when the Queen of the Night enters and hands Pamina a dagger, which she is commanded to use to kill Sarastro. When the Queen goes, Monastatos threatens Pamina but is foiled when Sarastro appears.


Scene 4. A Corridor in the Temple

The ordeal of silence becomes too much for Papageno, but Tamino stays silent even when Pamina whispers sweet nothings to him. She is somewhat put out when he refuses to reply.


Act IV. Scene 1. The Pyramids

For his next ordeal, the prince is commanded to wander off into the desert, leaving Pamina behind. Papageno wishes that he had a girlfriend too, at which an old hag appears who turns into the young and pretty Papagena. However, he must also prove himself to be worthy before she can be his.


Scene 2. The Desert

Pamina believes that the prince has been faithless to her, by not speaking and then wandering off, and is about to kill herself with her mother's dagger when she is prevented by the temple servants. Papageno is also distraught that Papagena has disappeared, but happiness returns when he discovers that ringing his chime of bells brings her back.


Scene 3. A Fiery Cavern

For the last of his ordeals, Tamino is menaced by waterfalls and tongues of flame, beyond which he can see Pamina. He calls to her, his lips now being unsealed, and the lovers are reunited. A few notes from the flute cause all the remaining dangers to vanish.


Scene 4. The Temple of Isis

Sarastro welcomes the prince and the maiden and joins their hands. Papageno and Papagena also make a lovely couple, while the Queen of the Night and her servant the moor (who would have guessed it?) are vanquished.

© John Welford