The Formation of Romantic Violin Music and Art Style
In the history of Western art, Romantic music marks a specific musical trend and creative inclination of the 19th century.
It is a product of 19th-century culture, pursuing individual liberation, emphasizing the expression of personal emotions, and characterized by emotional, national, and natural aesthetic features.
Romantic music endowed the art of music with unprecedented and profound spiritual connotations. Along with changes in the content, musical language, and style of Romantic music, violin performance entered an unprecedentedly advanced new stage in the 19th century.
Professional composers created a plethora of violin music masterpieces of diverse styles and rigorous structures. These compositions exhibited brilliant and sophisticated techniques, resonating with the spirit of the times, and greatly advancing violin performance techniques and expressiveness.
Notably, Paganini's astonishing violin skills broke through the technical boundaries of the time, significantly refining violin performance techniques.
During this period, Romantic musicians used various musical means to express subjective emotional changes. Romantic composers employed harmonies to convey emotional color. Through the rhythm of tension and relaxation in harmonic changes, they formed special variations in harmonic structures. Particularly, the increased use of dissonant chords created a new system of harmonic language. In terms of melody, Romantic masters emphasized "lyrical elements" with a singing quality. In rhythm, Romantic works placed greater importance on the expressive meaning of tempo and meter than before. In terms of sound and timbre, the sound became sweeter, more harmonious, comfortable, and full, with a strong pursuit of new timbres and vivid color, allowing music to express personal emotions and endow it with a heart-stirring power.
During the Romantic period, there was a trend towards the expansion of forms such as violin symphonies, sonatas, and concertos, leading to the creation of many forms that met the content requirements:
Firstly, the sonata reached its greatest development during this period, with many composers leaving behind immortal works for the violin sonata. Schubert composed three small sonatas for violin and piano that differ from the works of Mozart and Beethoven. In Mozart's era, the primary role belonged to the piano, with the violin in a supporting role. By Beethoven's time, the violin and piano achieved complete harmonic balance, producing a stereoscopic ensemble effect. Although Schubert's violin sonatas are not as highly regarded as Mozart's, they are charming with their beautiful melodies and song-like style. Norwegian composer Grieg wrote three violin sonatas that are filled with beautiful melodies and rich lyricism, reflecting the transparent and crystalline atmosphere of the North. Especially, his third sonata vividly combines dramatic and lyrical elements, making it a powerful yet exceptionally sweet masterpiece, representing the Romantic spirit. Strauss's violin sonata is full of beautiful colors, with a very free handling technique, and bold attempts at counterpoint, making it more technically demanding than most concertos.
Secondly, the variation form opened new Romantic content in composition and was one of the favorite forms of Romantic composers and performers. Paganini, who excelled in composing variations, used various novel techniques in large variation pieces such as "Barucaba Variations," "Moses Fantasy," and "Carnival of Venice," enhancing the dramatic contrast.
Finally, during the Romantic period, the creation of small, medium, and even large pieces, such as ballads, romances, elegies, nocturnes, legends, or national dances, increased continuously. These compositions greatly expanded the repertoire of violin performance in various performances. Works like Chausson's "Poème," Saint-Saëns' "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso," Vieuxtemps' "Ballade and Polonaise," and Tchaikovsky's "Sérénade Mélancolique" profoundly influenced the artistic style and aesthetic concept of Romantic violin concertos.