The
Romantic period indeed had more extended musical forms. One must not forget that the romantic period was a reaction to the
Classical Period in
form and in
structure.
Mood,
passion, and
love were reflected in the music of
Chopin,
Liszt,
Berlioz, and
Brahms, to name a few. Chopin's
Nocturnes for piano were inspired from the nocturnes of composer
John Field. The
Symphonic Poem appeared in the music of
Franz Liszt and
Richard Strauss.
But there is a lot of confusion when it comes to classifying music into specific
genres. Just like the romatic period, there is the classical period. I find it rather amusing that when you go to a music store it seems that the entire western music section from the 1600's to the present is categorized as "classical" music. It is true that it would be difficult to put specific genres into specific categories, but I find it rather amusing to see Ravel who was an
"Impressionistic" composer, be classified as a "romantic" composer. Composers are trying to explore new ways to make music. Composers have always tried to explore the rules of music and find ways to break them.
Beethoven reacted to the early forms of classical music and brought forth a new passion. This led to the romantic period. This is evident as Beethoven can be categorized into three periods. When looking at his
32 piano sonatas, one can see the tribute to form and structure in his early sonatas. He even dedicated his first piano sonatas to
Haydn a "Classical" composer. But in the later piano sonatas, Beethoven breaks away from the strong rigid form, and they become passionate, with storm and stress. Composers are trying to break the mold and go forward. To be classified as a classical/romatic composer to
Ravel would have been an insult to him. Ravel wanted to explore new territories. To be classified as a "romantic" composer would have been an
insult to his
creativity and to his
genius.