romantic period
The era of Western music from roughly 1820 to 1900, characterised by emotional expression and expanded orchestral forces.
In Depth
The Romantic period followed the Classical era and embraced emotional intensity, individual expression, and nationalistic themes. Orchestras grew dramatically in size — from the 30-40 players of Mozart's time to the 100+ of Mahler's — and compositions expanded in length and ambition.
Key developments include the rise of the virtuoso performer (Liszt, Paganini), the expansion of harmonic language, the birth of the tone poem and music drama, and the emergence of national schools (Russian, Czech, Scandinavian, Spanish). The period ended as Romantic chromaticism pushed tonal harmony to its breaking point, leading to the radical experiments of the early 20th century.
Mahler's Symphony No. 8, nicknamed the Symphony of a Thousand, requires over 1,000 performers — the largest forces ever called for in a standard symphonic work.