Formal Challenges and Solutions in Early Romantic Music

Overview

The paradox of the spontaneity and creative freedom of the composer at odds with the concept of preordained musical forms was recognized and dealt with in a variety of ways by Romantic composers. Some Romantic composers continued to use Classical-era forms and some used them contextually. Some abandoned them altogether, replacing them with new forms that included compositional miniatures. Two masters of this idiom were Franz Schubert, one of the greatest composers of lieder, and Frederic Chopin, whose music for solo piano is unique in the repertoire.