Some of the main characteristics of the Romantic era are:
Freedom in form and design; a more intense personal expression of emotion in which fantasy and imagination play an important part.
Emphasis on lyricalen lo lírico, en el fraseo, songlike melodies that are longer, dramatic and emotional. Tempos are more extreme and tempo rubatoTérmino italiano. Se refiere al juego sobre el el tiempo -acelerar y frenar- is common.
Denser textures exploring a wider rangeÁmplio rango of pitch, dynamics and timbres.
Expansion of the orchestra, sometimes to huge proportions; the invention of the valve system leads to development of the brass section, whose weight and power often dominate the texture.
Rich variety of types of piece, from songs and short piano pieces to huge musical compositions for orchestra.
Music has closer links with other arts. Composers are frequently inspired by external sourcesFuentes externas like poems or landscapes.
Greater technical virtuosity – especially from pianists and violinists.
Nationalism: reaction against German influences in music by composers of other countries (specifically Russia, Bohemia and Poland)
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2. VOCAL MUSIC
2.1. THE LIED
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2. VOCAL MUSIC
2.1. THE LIED
2.2. ROMANTIC OPERA
Romantic opera gave more dimension to the imagination and extreme emotions. Opera was a marriage of the artsLa ópera era la unión de muchas artes, a musical drama, glorious songs, costume and orchestral music.
Gioacchino Rossini initiated the Romantic period in the Italian opera. His reputation still survives todaytodavía sobrevive hoy through his Barber of Seville. He was one of the earlier composers of bel canto. The bel canto opera movement flourishedfloreció in the early 19th century. Literally "beautiful singing", bel canto opera derives from the Italian stylistic singing school of the same name. Bel canto lines are difficult for the singers, requiring agility and pitch control.
Rossini's successors in the Italian bel canto were Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi, the most important Italian opera composer in the 19th century. Verdi's operas are relatedrelacionadas with Italy´s nationalism in the post-Napoleonic era, and he quickly became an icon of the patriotic movement. In the early 1850s, Verdi produced his three most popular operas: Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata. 
In Germany, Wagner was one of the most revolutionary and controversial composers in musical history. He created a new concept of opera as a complete work of art, a fusion of music, poetry and painting. In his mature music dramasdramas musicales maduros, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Der Ring des Nibelungen and Parsifal, he To abolish: abolir, acabardramas musicales maduros the distinction between aria and recitative in favour of the "endless melodymelodía infinita". He increased the role and power of the orchestra and developed the leitmotivs, recurring themes often associated with the characters and concepts of the drama. Wagner also brought a new philosophical dimension to opera in his works, which were usually based on stories from Germanic or Arthurian legend.
3. INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
3.1. THE PIANO
3.2. PROGRAM MUSIC
Program music is a type of composition that is inspired in an external sourcefuente externa (for instance a poem or image) and try to invoke in the listenerevocar en el oyente a specific experience other than listening just only music. Normally, the composers presented their music with an extensive program text where they explained the object of their composition. Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique) and Franz Liszt, the inventor of the term symphonic poem, were important composers of program music.
4. Musical nationalism in the middle of the 19th Century
The increasing importance of nationalism as a political force in the 19th century was mirrored in music and the other arts. Many composers expressed their nationalism by incorporating elements unique to their native cultures, such as folk song, dances, and legendary histories. In addition to these exterior elements, there was an increasing diversification of musical language, as composers used elements of rhythm or melodic characteristics of their respective nations. Many composers wrote nationalist music, especially towards the middle and end of the 19th centuryhacia la mitad y el final del siglo XIX. Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák both used rhythms and themes from Czech folk dances and songs, and Jean Sibelius wrote music based on the Finnish epic. Chopin wrote in forms like the polonaise and mazurka, that were derived from Polish folk music. Finally, some Russian composers, for example Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov or Mussorsgsky, shared the common dream to write music that was inspired by Russian folk music.
WORLD MUSIC: GYPSY MUSIC
The origin of gypsy ethnicity is from India, where it migrated from different countries. Mainly, we call gypsy music the music composed and interpreted by the gypsies from Eastern Europe (Romania, Hungry, etc.) We must differentiate from the music composed by the Spanish gypsies which we call flamenco.
Gypsies are nomads so in their music we can find a lot of influences from different cultures. They began in India and crossed to Europe through the Middle East and the Easter European countries. You can hear the eastern and western fusion in the elements of their music.
Characteristics
They normally use scales with eight sounds instead of the normal seven western scale. The most common is the Hungarian scale.
They are popular for their virtuosity and ability to ornament the melodies. Traditionally they didn´t read sheet music so they were free to play whatever they wanted to express.
The main instrument was and still is the violin and others were the guitar, the accordion and an odd striking string instrument which is called cimbalom.
PRACTICE
El lago de los cisnes
Gypsy for recorder
Braveheart
PRACTICE
El lago de los cisnes
Gypsy for recorder
Braveheart
