Beethoven's Influence on the Romantic Movement

The music of Ludwig van Beethoven served as a pivot between the styles of the classical and romantic periods. In his early career, Beethoven worked primarily in the classical idiom. However, in his later work, Beethoven often "pushed the classical forms to their furthest extreme." According to Francis Claudon, Beethoven was not truly a romantic composer because he "never overstepped the boundaries of classical art." At the same time, Claudon claims that Beethoven was a "revolutionary" whose innovations paved the way toward the increased expressionism which was characteristic of romantic music. It is commonly known that Beethoven's personality had a strong influence on the composers of the romantic period. In this regard, it has been noted that Beethoven was "the object of a real cult after his death in 1827." However, Beethoven influenced the romantic composers with his music as well. According to Harper's Dictionary of Music, the major elements of romantic music include: the use of folk songs and other exotic melodies; an emphasis on the expression of emotions; expansion in the use of form; and the expansion of harmony from tonality toward increased chromaticism. All of these elements can be seen in Beethoven's music, and they are especially notable in his later work. Thus, although Beethoven was basically a composer of the classical period, he was also a forerunner of the romantic period in terms of his personal musical style.

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hows how Beethoven was a pivot between the earlier classical style and the later romantic style. One of the classical forms that Beethoven expanded was the sonata. In both the classical and romantic periods, the sonata form was usually the basis for the first movement of a symphony, and it was often used as the basis for the last movement as well. One of Beethoven's greatest contributions to romantic music was his "reinterpretation of the sonata principle." Mies argues that the formal changes made by Beethoven in his symphonies were minimal. Thus, with the exception of the Ninth Symphony, the second movements of Beethoven's symphonies usually followed the tradition of being slow, while the third movements were usually quick dance pieces or scherzos. Mies further notes that the Sixth Symphony, with its uncharacteristic five movements, is "really a four-movement work like all the others; the 'storm' is an intermezzo, suggested by the general idea of the work, between scherzo and finale." Nevertheless, Beethoven greatly expanded the first-movement sonata form in his symphonies. He especially expanded that form in terms of the development of musical themes. The classical use of the sonata form also involved the development

Category: Arts - B