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: Women's choir, organ [piano]
Score
Item no.: 161598
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 837407
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Score
Item no.: 424910
for: Male choir, guitar
Score
Item no.: 638442
for: Violin, guitar
Set of parts
Item no.: 119044
Lyric book
Item no.: 185990
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 804227
for: Clarinet
Music score
Item no.: 809648
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 317221
for: Oboe, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 773058
Selected pieces commented by Alfred Cortot
for: Piano
Music lesson book
Item no.: 649862
Opera Vocal Score Series (Ricordi)
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 388545
for: Classical guitar
Music score (reprint)
Item no.: 119068
Symphony cantata
Arrangement for chamber orchestra
MWV A 18
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SSAATB), chamber orchestra
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 1558389
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1023051
for: 2 mixed choirs (SSAT, ATBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 745673
A Symphony-Cantata after Texts from the Holy Scriptures
Bärenreiter Urtext
for: 3 soloists (SST), mixed choir (SATB), orchestra, organ
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 695976
Oratorio
Leipzig Edition of the Works of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (LMA Serie VI/11)
for: Soloists, mixed choir (SATB), orchestra, organ
Score (Hardcover, Urtext edition)
Item no.: 487164
for: Piano
Music score, online audio
Item no.: 902852
for: Male choir (TTBB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 320474
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 638724
for: Unison Voices and Piano
Choir score
Item no.: 490848
for: Guitar
Music score
Item no.: 612543
for: Voice
Piano reduction
Item no.: 318141
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 318131
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 317705
for: Piano
Music lesson book
Item no.: 395146
for: Piano
Score
Item no.: 982708
for: Mixed choir (SSATB), piano
Score
Item no.: 321235
for: Choir (2 voices), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 320398
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 325351
for: Cello
Music score
Item no.: 388987
for: Voice, piano
Music lesson book
Item no.: 619137
für gemischten Chor (SATB) und Orchester
for: Mixed choir (SATB), orchestra
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 632324
Hugo Wolf Gesamtausgabe (Complete edition)
for: Voice, piano
Music score
Item no.: 1684596
for: Symphonic orchestra
Book (critical commentary)
Item no.: 682882
for: Voice (high), piano
Score (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 620957
for: Soloists, children's choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 339672
for: Voice, cello, piano
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1689595
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 293441
for: Voice, piano
Music score, CD (audio)
Item no.: 694793
for: Mixed choir (SATB), organ
Score
Item no.: 886404
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 316337
for: Women's choir (SSA), piano
Piano reduction
Item no.: 964782
for: Classical guitar
Music score
Item no.: 324331
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction (Urtext edition)
Item no.: 660019