The turn of the 19th century saw the dawn of Romanticism. This artistic and cultural movement was constantly striving for new ideas and new beginnings, during a particularly turbulent time in social, political and natural history. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all the romantic masters and their works today.
The reason and order of the classical period were balanced out in the romantic period by emotion and imagination. The word romanticism is derived from the French literary terms roman and romantique. Programme music uses melodies and instrumental colours to tell a story, to take the listener on a musical journey. The most prominent of all program music is undoubtedly the symphonic poem, created, explored and developed by composers such as Franz Liszt and Bedřich Smetana.
Compared to the Classical Period, the melodies of the romantic period became less and less regular and symmetrical, and the harmony more and more chromatic and dissonant. As the romantic period progressed, the possibilities of traditional tonality became more and more exhausted, and the beginning of the 20th century saw the departure from classical structure and form, and the movement towards modern and contemporary classical music.
In order to broaden the sound palate which set the mood and atmosphere for the romantic period, new instruments began to appear in the orchestra, and voices began to be deployed, choirs and soloists began to be introduced into traditional instrumental works. Throughout the 19th century, the fashion was expansion, both in music for Symphony Orchestra and in Choral Music, the forces grew and grew, far beyond the imagination of any of the classical composers of the previous century.
In the 19th century, Opera flourished, be it Italian verismo, French "Grand Opera", or Wagner’s new world of music theatre. The most important opera composers of the 19th century were Giacomo Meyerbeer, Gioacchino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, Jacques Offenbach, Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi.
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1010893
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1010667
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1010528
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 949544
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 949519
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 949483
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 949450
for: Mixed choir (SSATB), organ
Score
Item no.: 1136533
for: Mixed choir (SABar), piano
Score
Item no.: 1136480
for: Brass band
Score
Item no.: 1145103
for: Brass band
Score
Item no.: 1143780
for: Brass band
Score
Item no.: 1143706
Piano reduction
Item no.: 307806
for: 2 pianos
Music score
Item no.: 1540181
for: Double bass, piano
Item no.: 282523
for: 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 bassoons (sextet)
Set of parts
Item no.: 305388
for: Small wind band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 644898
for: 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2 bassoons (winds octet)
Study score
Item no.: 310119
for: Small Wind Ensemble
Score
Item no.: 1163754
for: Small Wind Ensemble
Score
Item no.: 1163753
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Score
Item no.: 1171408
for: Choir
Choir score
Item no.: 1002580
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 895665
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 1002224
for: Choir
Choir score
Item no.: 1003061
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 1002517
for: SA or tenor
Choir score
Item no.: 1002214
for: Violin, cello, piano (piano trio)
Score, Parts
Item no.: 837214
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Piano reduction
Item no.: 1053336
Choir score
Item no.: 839468
for: Voice
Piano reduction
Item no.: 838387
Choir score
Item no.: 839302
for: Piano
Item no.: 382257
for: Mixed choir, piano
Score
Item no.: 384420
Item no.: 432291
Item no.: 362373
for: 2 Flugelhorns, Horn, Trombone and Tuba
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1108759
for: Flute
Single part
Item no.: 129532
CD
Item no.: 275645
for: 2 violins, viola, cello (string quartet)
Study score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1615870
for: Voice (high), piano
Piano reduction
Item no.: 286178
(Urtext)
for: Symphonic orchestra
Solo part(s)
Item no.: 464999
for: Symphonic orchestra
Viola (orchestral part)
Item no.: 294082
for: Symphonic orchestra
Cello (orchestral part)
Item no.: 182444
(Urtext)
for: Symphonic orchestra
Solo part(s)
Item no.: 182147