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The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century. Music that was written during the Romantic period and considered "Romantic music" follows a certain style. The Romantic period was preceded by the classical period, and was followed by the modernist period.

Romantic music is related to romanticism in literature, visual arts, and philosophy, however the time periods that define the romantic period in music are different than that of other mediums. Where Romantic music spans from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, the romantic period for literature, visual arts, and philosophy runs from the 1780s to the 1840s. The Romanticism movement said that there were inescapable realities in the world which could only be reached through emotion, feeling and intuition. Romantic music struggled to increase emotional expression and power to describe these deeper truths, while preserving or even extending the formal structures from the classical period. Romantic music focused more on displaying emotion rather than following such rigid rules and chord progressions.

The vernacular use of the term "romantic music" applies to music which is thought to evoke a soft mood or dreamy atmosphere. The term romantic music does not refer to the modern day use of the word romantic, meaning the word is not meant to describe the music as relating to love. Not all "Romantic" pieces fit this description, with some musical romanticism producing strong, harsh sounds for agitated emotion. Chromaticism grew more varied, as did dissonances and their resolution. Composers modulated to increasingly remote keys, and their music often prepared the listener less for these modulations than the music of the classical era. There was an increasing focus on melodies and themes, as well as an explosion in the composition of songs. The emphasis on melody found expression in the increasingly extensive use of cyclic form, which was an important unifying device for some of the longer pieces that became common during the period. The greater harmonic fluidity and the longer melodies were all present prior to the Romantic period. However, some composers of the Romantic period adopted them as the central pursuit of music itself. Romantic composers were also influenced by technological advances, including an increase in the range and power of the piano and the improved chromatic abilities and greater projection of wind instruments. Now composers were not limited to having strings play chromatic lines.

Some well known musicians from the Romantic period are Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, and Chopin Robert. Another accomplished composer from the Romantic period is Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 - July 29, 1856). He was the son of a bookseller and he early showed ability as a pianist and an interest in composing as well as literary leanings. He grew up to be a German composer and pianist. He was one of the most famous and well known Romantic composers. In 1834 Schumann founded a music journal, the Neue Zeitschrift fÑŒr Musik. He was its editor and leading writer for ten years. He drew attention to many promising young composers. In addition he was a famous music critic. His music is incredibly passionate and personal, as was most music in the Romantic period. He was an intellectual and was a lover of music art and poetry. His early music was an attempt to break free from the tradition of classical forms and structure. He thought it was too restrictive and wanted to