A Comparison of Romantic and Classical Eras

The romantic and classical eras of music were contrasting stylistically in terms of melody, orchestration, harmony and use of tone colour. This is demonstrated when comparing Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1st mvt-Allegro) and Symphony No. 40 (1st Mvt) to Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (5th mvt).

The variation in melody-writing styles between these two eras is demonstrated when comparing the opening theme in Bar 1 of the Nachtmusik to the flute part in bar 265 (Witch's round dance) of the Berlioz. The Mozart provides a typically classical example of a logical, symmetrical melody consisting of 2 phrases of equal length the second beginning similarly to the first but ending more conclusively, using an even balance of steps and leaps. This is in direct contrast to the Berlioz excerpt, which has asymmetrical phrasal structure and utilizes an asymmetrical melodic contour with an uneven balance of wide leaps and jumps played in the higher register of the flute. Comparing these two melodies demonstrates how the clean-cut, lyrical nature of classical themes differed greatly from the flexibility and individuality of expression through melody explored in the Romantic period.

The contrast in the use of harmony and tonality between the classical and romantic eras is demonstrated in these works. The clear-cut, simple nature of classical harmony is demonstrated in the Mozart throughout, particularly in the first ten bars when the chord progression simply consists of the root chord of G changing repeatedly to D dominant seventh and back. The romantic period brought increasing exploration of rich, colourful and complex harmonies, which is seen in the Berlioz through its utilisation of harmonic devices such as dissonance and chromaticism, which had an unstable and unpredictable effect on tonality. This is demonstrated in descending chromatic semiquaver run in Bar 3 which is played in unison by the violin and viola sections to create an eerie