MR

Instrumental Music

Romantic (1820-1900)

2 min readLast updated November 2026 Sign in to track progress
Table of contents

programmatic music

Hector Berlioz

Symphonie fantastique (March to the Scaffold)

Detail (4th movement of a program symphony)
  • Recurring "idée fixe" representing the beloved, appearing in the solo clarinet
  • Heavy brass and percussion creating a macabre, military atmosphere
  • Pizzicato string "thud" depicting the severed head falling
  • Sudden dynamic shifts from pianissimo to fortissimo

Harold in Italy (Serenade)

Detail (Symphony with solo viola)
  • Solo viola obbligato representing the wandering protagonist
  • Rhythmic woodwind accompaniment imitating folk instruments
  • Arpeggiated harp figures adding a pastoral quality
  • Layered polyphonic textures as themes overlap

Franz Liszt

Les Préludes

Detail (Symphonic poem)
  • Thematic transformation where a simple three-note motif changes character
  • Dramatic brass fanfares representing strife and victory
  • Sweeping harp cadenzas introducing lyrical sections
  • Extended orchestral range using low brass and high woodwinds

Mazeppa

Detail (Tone poem based on Victor Hugo)
  • Rapid, galloping triplets in the strings and woodwinds
  • Dissonant brass clusters representing the protagonist's suffering
  • Grandioso finale in a major key signaling triumph
  • Virtuosic technical demands across the entire orchestra

Bedřich Smetana

Vltava (The Moldau)

Detail (From the cycle Má vlast)
  • Running flute scales representing the river's source
  • Flowing E minor melody in the violins (the main river theme)
  • Staccato hunting horns echoing from the forest banks
  • Polka rhythm used to depict a peasant wedding on the shore

Šárka

Detail (From the cycle Má vlast)
  • Aggressive, jagged rhythms depicting the female warrior's rage
  • Lyrical clarinet melody used as a deceptive "love" theme
  • Wild, triple-meter dance ending in a violent orchestral crash
  • Heavy use of percussion to mark the final slaughter

others

Chopin

Nocturne in E♭ major

Detail
  • Right-hand ornamented melodic line
  • Left-hand broken-chord accompaniment
  • Rubato implied in melody
  • Mostly diatonic harmony with light chromaticism
  • Homophonic texture

Prelude in E minor

Detail
  • Chordal texture throughout
  • Chromatic inner-voice movement
  • Repeated harmonic rhythm
  • Narrow melodic range
  • Short, through-composed structure

Ballade No.1 (opening)

Detail
  • Slow introduction
  • Octave Doubling melody
  • Wide registral spacing in piano
  • Tonal ambiguity at opening
  • Frequent dynamic contrasts
  • Free, rhapsodic phrasing

Brahms

Symphony No.3 (3rd movement)

Detail
  • Continuous motivic development( The F-A♭-F figure, the most important motto of the symphony, is immediately blasted out in full measures from the woodwinds and high brass. )
  • Homophonic orchestral texture
  • F Major however its also F minor as A and Ab are in constant competition

Hungarian Dance No.5

Detail
  • Strong influence in Hungarian Gypsy(Verbunkos) style
  • Abrupt tempo changes between slow (lassú) and fast (friss) sections.
  • Accented rhythms and syncopation drive the dance character.
  • Clear Ternary Form
  • Bold Contrast and sharp articulations

Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake (Dance of the Swans)

Detail ( A ballet)
  • Oboe solo melody doubled later by violins
  • Conjunct, stepwise melodic movement
  • Chromatic inflections within a minor key
  • Tremolo string accompaniment sustaining harmony

Romeo and Juliet Overture (opening)

Detail
  • Broad, lyrical string melody with wide interval leaps
  • Harp arpeggios supporting the texture
  • Homophonic orchestration with melody over accompaniment
  • Chromatic harmony within a clear tonal framework

Piano Trio in A minor

Detail
  • Broad, lyrical string melody with wide interval leaps
  • Harp arpeggios supporting the texture
  • Homophonic orchestration with melody over accompaniment
  • Chromatic harmony within a clear tonal framework
PreviousClassical (1750-1820)