Romantic Piano Masterpieces

The piano underwent enormous changes during the Romantic period, and composers wasted no time taking advantage of the instrument's many evolutions. The Romantic piano was a sturdier, mightier instrument with extra octaves, soundboard frames made of cast iron, improved key action, and thicker strings at a higher tension, all of which allowed for unprecedented dynamic range, an expanded tonal palette, and greater speed and subtlety in repeated notes and melodic runs. With these new tools at hand, composers like Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, and Liszt crafted gargantuan, virtuosic concertos, as well as new standalone forms that left behind the strictures of the Classical sonata to explore uncharted realms of expressiveness and emotion.