Question

Music of the Romantic period had a great deal of realism - literal representations of people, places, and events in the various musical expressions. Impressionism utilizes the concept of a musical piece representing people, places, or events, but in a very different way than Romanticism. How does the "representation" of people, places, or events differ in Romantic music and Impressionist music?

Answer 1

Romanticism uses, as stated, literal representation. This means that a person, place or thing is represented by a realistic, easily relatable motif which is often achieved through the use of contrast and/or recognisable styles and themes.

Impressionism on the other hand makes use of less literal and more subtle stylistic choices. The style comes from the impressionist movement within art itself. Like these paintings rather than clearly state what or who is featured, the composer choose to elude more subtly or give the impression of who or what they are. This can give a sense of mystery and freedom to a piece which may be less seen in pieces from the Romantic Era.