The differing means of expressing classicism and romanticism are:
Classical Expression | Romantic Expression | |
Limited Volume Changes | Extreme Volume Changes | |
Steady pace throughout (like a clock) | Pace speeds up & slows down (rubato) | |
Continuous flow of notes | Sudden stops & starts / Silences | |
Minor chords used infrequently | Minor chords used more frequently | |
Consonance | Dissonance / Chromaticism | |
Tonal Certainty | Tonal Ambiguity | |
A method classical era composers liked to use to emphasize order and logic was to
play a phrase and repeat it immediately. This can be done in several ways...
1. Play a phrase (maybe 2 bars long) and then repeat it exactly. Many times one section (e.g. the
strings) would play the first one and another section (e.g. the woodwinds) would play the second
as if they were having a conversation.
2. Play a phrase and then play its inverse. For instance, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - the first
2. Play a phrase and then play its inverse. For instance, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - the first
nine notes move in an upward pattern, the second nine notes move downward in an inverted pattern.
3. Play a phrase, repeat that phrase, play a variation of the phrase, and have a fourth pattern that
3. Play a phrase, repeat that phrase, play a variation of the phrase, and have a fourth pattern that
resolves the variation.
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