The term romance (, , , , , , ) has a centuries-long history. Applied to narrative ballads in Spain, it came to be used by the 18th century for simple lyrical pieces not only for voice, but also for instruments alone. The ''Oxford Dictionary of Music'' states that "generally it implies a specially personal or tender quality".

Instrumental music bearing the title "Romance"

Typically, a Classical piece or movement called a "Romance" is in three, meaning three beats in the bar *

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

: two violin romances (''Romanzen'') for violin and orchestra, No. 1 G major, Op. 40; No. 2 in F major, Op. 50 take the form of a loose theme and variations *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

: ''Romanze'' in F major for piano, Op. 118, No. 5 (1893) *

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic Music, Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin ...

: "Romance for Viola and Orchestra in F" *

Arthur Butterworth Arthur Eckersley Butterworth, (4 August 1923 – 20 November 2014) was an English composer, conductor, trumpeter and teacher. Biography Early life and education Butterworth was born in New Moston, near Manchester. His father ran the church ...

: Romanza for horn and string quartet with double bass ad libitum (or piano), Op. 12 (1951) *

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

: ''Romance in F minor'' for violin and orchestra, Op. 11 (1873/1877) *

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

: ** ''Romance'' for bassoon and orchestra, Op. 62 (1910) ** Enigma Variation XIII (Romanza: Moderato) *

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

: String Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 27 (1878), second movement *

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential comp ...

: ''Romance'' from Concerto for violin and orchestra, second movement *

Miguel Llobet Miguel Llobet Solés (18 October 187822 February 1938) was a classical guitarist, born in Barcelona, Spain. Llobet was a renowned virtuoso who toured Europe and Americas, America extensively. He made well known arrangements of Catalan folk son ...

: ''Romanza'' *

Nikolai Medtner Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (; – 13 November 1951) was a Russian composer and pianist. After a period of comparative obscurity in the 25 years immediately after his death, he is now becoming recognized as one of the most significant Russian com ...

: Piano Sonata "Romantica" in B-flat minor, Op. 53, No. 1 (1929/1930), first movement *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

: ''Romanze'' from

Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major), K. 525, is a 1787 composition for a chamber ensemble by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791). The German title means "a little night music" and is one of Mozart's most famous works. The serena ...

, the second movement; Piano Concerto No. 20, second movement *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

: "Romance: Allegretto" from Symphony No. 85 in B, "La Reine," the second movement * ''Romanza'' (Paganini-Ponce) *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

: ** ''Romance'' in E major for cello and piano, from ''Suite for Cello and Piano'' Op. 16 (1862), later published as Op. 67 in 1866 as a standalone work for horn or cello and piano ** ''Romance'' in F major for horn (or cello) and orchestra, Op. 36 (1874) ** ''Romance'' in D-flat major for flute and piano (or orchestra), Op. 37 (1871) ** ''Romance'' in D major for cello and orchestra, Op. 51 (1877) *

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

: '' Drei Romanzen'' for violin and piano, Op. 22 (1853) *

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

: ''Drei Romanzen'' (for piano), Op. 28 (1839) * Robert Schumann: ''Drei Romanzen'' (for oboe or violin and piano), Op. 94 (1849) *

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

: ''Romance'' from

The Gadfly Suite ''The Gadfly Suite'', Op. 97a, is a suite for orchestra arranged by Levon Atovmyan from Dmitri Shostakovich's score for the 1955 Soviet film ''The Gadfly'', based on the novel of the same name by Ethel Lilian Voynich.Fay, Laurel E.. Shosta ...

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

: ''Romances'' for piano Op 24, Nos. 2, 5, and 9; Op. 78, No. 2 *

Johan Svendsen Johan Severin Svendsen (30 September 184014 June 1911) was a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist. Born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway, he lived most of his life in Copenhagen, Denmark. Svendsen's output includes two symphonies, a vi ...

: ''Romance for violin and orchestra'', Op. 26 (1881) *

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

: ''Romanza'', in his Tuba Concerto (1954), and Romance for viola and piano (unknown) * Anonymous: "Romance/Romanza" for the classical guitar, known variously as ''Spanish Romance'', ''Romance D'Amour'', etc.

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

subtitled the second movement of his piano concerto no. 20 in D minor (K.466) "Romanze" and the second movement of his third horn concerto "Romance".

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

wrote a Romance in E minor in 1842 in Moscow.

was particularly fond of the title for lyrical piano pieces.

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', w ...

's "Je crois entendre encore" from ''

The Pearl Fishers ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1863) is labelled a romance in the score.

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's " Celeste Aida" from ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' (1871) is labelled ''romanza''. Franz Lehar's "Wie einen Rosenknospe" from "

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

" is labelled "Romance".

Works with voice parts

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

er by

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

: ** 114, "Romanze" Ein Fräulein klagt’ im finstern Turm'for voice and piano (1814; 2 versions) ** D 144, "Romanze" In der Väter Hallen ruhte'for voice and piano (1816, sketch) ** D 222, "Lieb Minna" Schwüler Hauch weht mir herüber'for voice and piano (1815, also appears as "Lieb Minna. Romanze") ** D 907, "Romanze des Richard Löwenherz" Großer Taten tat der Ritter fern im heiligen Lande viel'for voice and piano (1826?, two versions, 2nd version is Op. 86) ** "Romanze", No. 3b of Schubert's ''

Rosamunde ''Rosamunde, Fürstin von Zypern'' (''Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus'') is a play by Helmina von Chézy, which is primarily remembered for the incidental music which Franz Schubert composed for it. Music and play premiered in Vienna's Theater a ...

'' *

Wilhelm Killmayer Wilhelm Killmayer (21 August 1927 – 20 August 2017) was a German composer of classical music, a conductor and an academic teacher of composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München from 1973 to 1992. He composed symphonies and so ...

: '' Romanzen'' (1954)

Romances sans paroles

So many composers in the French tradition wrote ''Romances sans paroles'', "Romances without words", from the 1840s onwards

Sigismond Thalberg Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century. Family Thalberg was born in Pâquis near Geneva on 8 January 1812. Thalberg asserted that he ...

Henri Vieuxtemps Henri François Joseph Vieuxtemps (; 17 February 18206 June 1881) was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th c ...

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

, Alexandre Guilmant, Alexander Dreyschock,

Cécile Chaminade Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (8 August 1857 – 13 April 1944) was a French composer and pianist. In 1913, she was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer. Ambroise Thomas said, "This is not a woman who composes, but a ...

, Zygmunt Stojowski that the radical poet

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine ( ; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' ...

in turn published a collection of his impressionistic poems as ''Romances sans paroles'' (1874).

Russian romance

During the 19th century

Alexander Alyabyev Alexander Aleksandrovich Alyabyev (; ), also rendered as Alabiev or Alabieff, was a Russian composer known as one of the fathers of the Russian art song. He wrote seven operas, twenty musical comedies, a symphony, three string quartets, more th ...

(1787–1851), Alexander Varlamov (1801–48) and Alexander Gurilyov (1803–58) developed the French variety of the romance as a sentimental category of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

art song An art song is a Western world, Western vocal music Musical composition, composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical music, classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is ...

. '' Black Eyes'' is perhaps the best known example. Among other notable examples of the Russian Romance are ''

Shine, Shine, My Star "Shine, Shine, My Star" () is an acclaimed Russian romance. The authorship of the song was uncertain for some time, being ascribed to various people, including Nikolay Gumilyov and Ivan Bunin. A popular belief attributed it to Russian Admiral Alek ...

'' and '' Along the Long Road''. British singer

Marc Almond Peter Mark Almond (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop/ new wave duo Soft Cell. He has a distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has had a diverse career as a ...

is the only Western artist to receive acclaim in Western Europe as well as in Russia for singing English versions of Russian romances and Russian chanson on his albums '' Heart on Snow'' and '' Orpheus in Exile''.

Notes

References

* Henri Gougelot, ''La Romance française sous la Révolution et l'Empire : choix de textes musicaux'' (Melun:Legrand & Fils, 1937) nd ed., 1943* Henri Gougelot, ''Catalogue des romances françaises parues sous la Révolution et l'Empire, les recueils de romances'' (Melun:Legrand & Fils, 1937)
Russian romances on YouTube

External links

''Romance'' from ''l’Art du facteur d’orgues''
played by Jean-Luc Perrot, Dom Bedos de Celles on the organ François-Henri Clicquot,

Souvigny Souvigny () is a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. Today the main town of a canton of the Allier department, Souvigny has long been one of the major towns in the Bourbonnais (of which it was once the ...

Romances
at The LiederNet Archive {{Schubert lieder Classical music styles