In general, there are two meanings of the word 'romantic'. Talking about it with my students (to prepare for our group lesson on 11/2/23), 'romantic' seems to mean warm, beautiful, loving, good feeling, dreamy, calming, passionate; more or less something in this category.
The other meaning of 'romantic' is related to the artistic movement in Europe which was roughly around 1800-1900. Some key words: emphasis on the individuals, nature, emotion; inspired by 'Sturm und Drang'; more program music, more social/political/nationalistic influences in the music; exploring bigger range of sound and intensity giving birth to more virtuosi. Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism.
We're going to use both meanings loosely, and the period will also cover 20th century and 21th century music next to the romantic-period as an art movement around 1800-1900.
A student calls Einaudi's Una Mattina 'romantic' because it feels like a love letter, he said. When I was a teenager, I found JS Bach's Siciliano -from the flute and harpsichord sonata- 'very romantic' because in my fantasy, it would make a perfect background music for a perfect first kiss ;)) Personally I also notice that harp-like pieces sound 'romantic'; many angels in the 'romantic-style' paintings also play harp. To begin learning to play the piano, harp-like pieces can be effectief, they are often musically satisfying and "not so difficult" to play because both hands play by turn.
Many students associate Debussy with 'romantic' music and they actually meant 'very beautiful'. The way I play Bach according to some colleagues is 'romantic' and fortunately some also call it 'inspiring' :-) Even with composers we don't associate quickly to 'beautiful, warm' kind of 'romantic', we can experience their music as such too.
Above all, we often don't need labeling, and just want to experience and enjoy music no matter what it is called, at least I do.
How about you?
Here is a list of the Romantic-Period and 20th Century+ Repertoire I'd love to teach. Some of my references - besides my personal preferences- are the Suzuki books, Mastering the Piano books, The Pianissimo Series (Piano Picollo, Fur Elise & Liebestraum), and Jane Magrath's The Pianist's Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature.
Some repertoire ideas:
Louis Köhler (1820–1886)
Op. 190 no. 27, 30, 31 (Piano Picollo)
Heinrich Lichner (1829-1898)
A short story (Suzuki 2)
Jean-Baptiste Duvernoy (1802 – 1880)
Op. 176
Frédéric Burgmüller (1806-1874)
Op. 100
Op. 109
Stephen Heller (1813-1888)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
See: The Beethoven Method
F. Schubert (1797-1828)
Impromptu op. 90
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847)
Scherzo op. 16 no. 2
Songs Without Words op. 19 no. 1-6
Gondola Song in F#m, op. 30/6 - (Suzuki 6)
Gondola Song in Gm, op. 19/6 (ABRSM 6)
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Album for the Youth op. 68
Kinderscenes op. 15
Arabesque
Bhrams
Intermezzo
Hungarian Dance no. 5 in F#m
F. Chopin (1810–1849)
Waltz - op. 18 in Eb; op. 34 no. 2 in Am; op. 64 no. 1, 2, 3; op. 69 no. 1,2; op. 70 no. 2; Posthumous in Am, in Em
Nocturnes - Posthumous in Emi, Cmi, C#m; op. 9 no. 1, 2, 3; op. 27 no. 2; op. 55 no. 1, 2
Mazurka
Preludes
Impromptu - Impromptu no. 1 in Ab, Fantasie Impromptu
Funeral March (from Sonata no. 2 in Bb minor)
Etudes - Trois Nouvelles Etudes no. 1, 2, 3
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
op. 12
op. 38
op. 57/2 - Gade
op. 43/1 - Butterfly
op. 54/3 - March of the Trolls
op. 65/6 - Wedding day at Troldhaugen
P. Tjaikovsky
Children's Album op. 39
June
F. Liszt
Romance in Emi
Liebestraum
Balakirev
The Lark
Rachmaninoff
Prelude in D, op. 23 no. 4
Prelude in C# minor
C. Debussy
Children's Corner: Dr. Gradus ad Parnasum, The Little Sheperd
The Little Negro
Reverie
Arabesques no. 1, 2
Preludes: La fille aux cheveux de lin, Ministrels
Suite Bargamasque: Clair de Lune, Passepied
Erik Satie (1866–1925)
Trois Gymnopedies (1888)
Trois Gnossiennes (1890)
Gnossiennes no. 4-6 (postuum publication in 1968)
Sonatine Bureaucratique (1917)
Ettore Pozzoli (1873-1957)
Sonatine facili nello stile classico no. 1
Prokofief
Harp Prelude
Sostakovic
Children's Notebook op 69: March, Waltz
Kabalevsky
op. 39
op. 27
Sonatina in C op. 13 no. 1
Katjaturiaan
Children Book
Sonatina in C (1958)
Bartok
For Children
Rumanian Folk Dances
J. Andriessen (1925 - 1996)
Drie dansen: Allegro vivace, Adagio, Presto
Sat, 04 February 2023