With the romantic age in the early nineteenth century, composers becaome

impatient and started thinking bigger about th e music in bigger size as , one of
the principle characteristics of romanticism. Performances expanded and the
orchestras are getting biggerwere becoming larger, however it was the time of
the piano and its enlargement increase in size and volume. The new romantic
piano compositions, started giving a wild possibility for performers to show their
artistic ability and reveal unseen creativity in their musical interpretation. In the
period from 1800-1880 the romantic music brings with it a huge among variety
of different kinds of genres:- Songs, Waltzes, Mazurkas, Nocturnes, Ballades,
Scherzos, Fantasies and many others. A big inspiration for a new style of
composing is the historical context, the richness and the art reflection on art,
from which the sound starts coming out from the instrument. Each different
composer- Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, Schubert,- apart from the common reason of
the romantic thought, has theiran own personal and musical vision.
With the invention of the modern pianoforte in 1709 in Florence by Bartolomeo
Cristofori the composers starts to reject the clavichord and harpsichord, inf fact
with Beethovens ( 1770-1827) romantic piano style, the classicism is over. Never
regarding the piano as a harpsichord with hammers, Beethoven had a moren
innovative manner than his predecessors, more legato and depth of sound. His
revolutionary pieces are definitely the Sonatas, which are divided in three stages.
The romantic stage is apparently comingcomes with his late Sonatas. The angry
maen in Beethoven becomes more philosophical. If the player is to succeed he
must achieve deep internal understanding of his compositions. The last three
Sonatas op.101, 106, 110 have the principle characteristics of the Fugue or
Fugato passages, as in Bach. This is not about the architectural construction but
it is for the tension, spiritualization and expansion of the music itself. Beethoven
introduced the idea of the solo beginning in his Piano Concerto no.4 (example)

As Beethoven had developed the passage from the structure of the piece
expressing the real meaning of the music, on the other hand Chopin produced
the most remarkable works, such as his Studies, written between 1829 -1836.
The Studies alone can intimidate the strongest pianist, particularly on our
contemporary pianos. The main difficulty is there for, not only technical but also
to express the artistic part in them as a piece of music. The highest point in his
romanticism, are his Nocturnes, Preludes and Polonaises. There he combines his
unique style, revealing variety and richness of sound. Chopin is often badly

served by those interpreters who give a wrong sentimentality toon his

masterpieces. To make the real Chopins rubato, which is essential in many of his
compositions, there must be an underlying beat without overindulgence.
Common to his melody line is the specific legato, helped by flexible wrist of the
hand. Chopins classical line is evident his Sonatas, particularly in the Second
one in B flat minor (1837) full of romantic pride and gesture. The color tone in
the Funeral march is achieved by deep pressure, in which the participation of the
whole arm has to be balanced.

The fourth movement needs maximum self-control of the fingers, lightness and
relaxed hands. One of the biggest independent pieces is also the Fantasy in fminor.

Certainly more sense of structure represents the Schumanns Fantasy including

enthusiasm and impetuosity.
Schumanns new music offers rich expressive capabilities for the interpreter,
including many different types of sounds. Another aspect of his interpretation is
frequent large harmonies, chords, and intervals which givemake a big difficulty
infor the use of pedal which creates the general tone construction. The pianist
should keep ion mind about the delineation of the syncopes, to avoid interrupting
the melody line, and also to amplify the expression of agitation and inner
tension.
For example: the theme in the Symphony Etudes,

the beginning of the second part in his Fantasy op.17,

and the left hand in the second

piece of Kreisleriana.

Mendelssohns romanticism was not that literary as Schumanns, more

melancholy as the Keatsian expression of Chopin. By composing His compostion
of the Midsummer Nights Dream music gives gaiety, lightness and melodic
charm which we can find in his Songs Without Words for piano
Liszt was inspired by the Paganinis virtuoso style on the violin and passed a big
part of his lifve researching the perfect connection between technique and
expression. In fact we may find the sufficient difference between Chopins Etudes
and Liszt Etudes Transcendental. Of course, the well-known inspiration fromfor
the literature, in particularly the Italian works of Dante and Petrarca, are aone big
field ininfluence on his compositions. There for Hhe retired from the concert
stage to devote himself to study in depth of transcriptions ofr early version of
pieces to be revised in his maturity: Annees de Pelerinage the heroics in Liszt
must be distinguished from the tawdry. It is characteristic for Liszts style in his
compositions to show the demonic inspiration which is reflected in such to the
pieces as: Sonata b minor, Mephisto Waltz, After Reading of a Dante. The
Hungarian Rhapsodies are based on gipsy song but just a few players are aware
of them. In my opinion,ning in our times, Horowitz has all the requisites of the
Liszt player. The pianists must possess a strong sense of construction and
increased technical resistance in order to recreate the general line of Liszt
atmosphere. In the interpretation of Liszt, the expressive means cover different
kinds of techniques from the most brilliant and sparklingpearls passages to the
dense chords and different octave passages. Furthermore the player must
manage the full range of finer shades, fade with elegant transparent pianissimo

passages in plays like Leggerezza

second half on E major Polonaise and a few themes form the Tarantella.
Foremost the pianist should have greater independence and strength of fingers
in freedom of wrist and hand. Also not only from the hand, as in Brahms, in Liszt
there are many places, requiring perfect articulation.
The style of piano works by Brahms features an extensive line of tone and
density achieved in some orchestral music range. The second piano concerto
with its caliber and wideness makesputs extraordinary tonal tier tasks
fordemands on the pianist. As was said of his pre-occupation with the
melancholy themes: Brahms is never so happy as when composing about the
grief.
In some of his pieces, particularly in those of his last years, there is a feeling of a
personal complaint, prophetic of Mahler. Like Chopin he hid the feeling with
abstract titles such as Intermezzo or Capriccio. His style of piano playing was
massive. The Second Piano Concerto with its large scale and the wideness of its
construction brings a high level of complex tone tasks for the pianist, for which
he needs a large range of expressive possibilities. Very characteristic for the
interpretation of Brahmss works is that fingerprint technique should have great
application, for example in: 5th movement in Sonata F minor, the 3rd movement of
Piano Concerto in D minor, some variations from Paganini-Brahms and HandelBrahms. This is why the sound projection in Brahms should be done using the
weight of the hand and not only the fingers strength. This does not mean that
the pianist should not haves a good articulation but this must be used only to
reach the inner technical freedom throught which the performer shcould
dominate the whole keyboard and balance the weight and the participation of
the whole arm achieving many different types of sound. The specificity of
Brahmss extensively decomposed arpeggios, in which the gaps between the
different tones are very big, needs the maximum adjustment of the arm. The
pianist, in fact, should use auxiliary movements of the wrist, while the fingers
have their own slope.

Likewise Schumann, Brahms, like Schumann also uses the technique of to

beginning the phrase on an up beat as well as the syncopic appearance of
melodic tones. Also vVery important is also to avoid breaking the melodic line.
Together with the big tone range typical for Brahms is the tenderness of the
sound in piano and pianissimo thought in which the pianist could communicate
the dramatic and piteous character in many places. For example Ballade no.4
and the Choral episode in F sharp minor from the A major Intermezzo. There the
fingers should stay very close to the keys in order together to sink without a
strong push from the whole arm. This of course is not enough to complete
Brahmss tone sounding, the performer will need also the deep musical feeling
and the excellent use of the pedal.

One of the most important parts for completing certain style is the tempo. This is
usually supported by a metronome sign which musicians must be sure that it is
the composers marking, and not that of the editor. Tempo is based on a speed
which is suitable to the composer and his own style, and one which allows
comfortable articulation for the performer. There is not necessarily only one
correct tempo. There may be variations between different players and yet the
work can sound equally effective. Among different composers in different eras
that for example Allegro, for example, implies different speeds. Some of the
modifications to Allegro are well worth nothing ma non troppo and maestoso.
Allegro maestoso, in fact generally indicates a majestic tempo rather than a fast
one. A performers temperament and his reaction under the stress of public
performance also affect the tempo. Some pianists play faster, others slower than
they would normally. Tempo may also vary according to acoustic conditions, as
very live acoustics in a hall may play havoc with too fast a tempo. For example it
happened to me a few days ago during my Duo exam with a clarinettist. We were
playing Joseph Horowitzs Sonatina, and in the third movement I played too fast,
in consequence my clarinettist become red.
Tempo rubato (robbed time) is a controversial term, often sinned against by
those who do not distinguish sufficiently between sentiment and sentimentality.
Most pianists have a natural rubato, as being human, they are not metronomes.
Rubato can be considered as similar to the inflection of speech, a waywardness
which yet falls within a strict time pattern. It is freedom, as opposite to a strict
beaet, and it takes its shape from the phrase itself. We should not be aware of a
performers rubato. To be successful it must sounds natural. I f it is a conscious
rubato, imposed artificially from the outside, it will fail in effect. When it is
employed mechanically simply because a pianist has heard that Chopin should
be played with rubato, it is meaningless. Chopin kept a metronome a metronome
on his piano and used it as a corrective to pupils who could not be prciseprecise
d in time. Used occasionally in this way a metronome can be of great value in
showing a pianist just how much licence he has taken with the beat, and at what
point. It is very helpful when you play ceurtain melodies to imagine how a singer
would phrase them, the result will be one of natural elasticity. It is only in such
elastic music that rubato is appropriate. Only certain romantic or post-romantic

composers such as Chopin, Liszt and Rachmannainoff are suited to rubato. In

Liszts Fantasia quasi Sonata dapres une lecture de Dante,
has the

large gesture and elasticity are even more appropriate thaen the B minor Sonata.
It is inappropriate in certain romantic pieces where a steady clear drive is
indicated as in the so-called Revolutionary Study of Chopin.

The subjective element in a performance is deducted through disregard for

composerssitors rights or negligent treatment. The important things for the
performer should be represented by: the sonority of each dynamic, the strength
of the touch, and the rubato. It is very important that the teacher should guide
the students in a way to leave room for an individual interpretation. The more
complex is a piece of music, the more difficult is the interpretation of it.
The pedal represents another difficulty for the romantic style. Most of Chopins
music requires the use of the pedal therefore it needs the constant
accuracyteness for it. This also comports the knowledge to create a personal
taste to limit the pedal technique, which in Chopin is irreplaceable.
Famous pianists once looked like musicians and played as such, but now they
often look like bank managers and play with the impersonality of computers. I
will mention some of them which in my opinion are the most outstanding pianists
of our time: Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter.
Vladimir Horowitz remains unchallenged in our time, the beautiful sounds he
draws from the instrument, his application of tone- colour and his phenomenal
technique give his playing a distinction not attained by anyone else. It is within
the Romantic composers, that he can identified better himself with best. Arthur
Rubinstein, the headmaen of pianists, can fill any hall anywhere in the world with
thehis strength of histhe legend. His energy was once a feature of his playing
with a movable virtuosity. Nowadays, he sometimes sounds indifferent and

impersonal, maybe, because his strength seems to be declining. Sviatoslav

Richter, remains famous with his interpretation of the Chopin F minor Ballade
and 1st Piano Concerto by Rachmaninoff, with which he has a tremendous
temperamental affinity.
Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow in 1953.
We can make a good conclusion in the final analysis of the topic by going
through the interpretation of some Romantic composers which who were inspired
to work on the masters of the baroque-classical period such as: Bach, Haydn,
Mozart, and Beethoven.
First of all is Czernys interpretation of Preludes and Fugues by J.S.Bach. In this
revising we can deducet exactly how Czernys vision of Bach was reflected on the
piano,. aAdding: slurs, tempo marks, dynamic marks, articulations, character
marks etc.
Another good example could be made by Liszt interpreting Beethovens Sonatas
.InTo exploring that particular topic we should consider his own playing of the
sonatas as reported in contemporary reviews, his discussing of them as found in
his letters or in remarks quoted by his contemporaries, his editing of the sonatas
as well as his concern with the celebrated Biilow-Lebert edition of them and,
finally, his teaching of the sonatas as recalled in the memoirs of his own
students. I have found no previous exploration about that.
Among the Beethoven piano sonatas that Liszt actually per formed, there are ten
that he played publicly at least twice. They are Op 26, 27/2, 31/2, 57, and 90,
and all of the last five sonatas Op 101, 106, 109, 110, and 111. In fact, for
some of the sonatas, the credit undoubtedly goes to Liszt for making them the
most popular ones. He himself found three sonatas to have been the most
favoured that were admired when he started to play piano: Op 13, 27/2, and 57.