What characterizes the music of the Romantic period compared to earlier periods?

The music of the Romantic period is characterized by a heightened emphasis on nationalism and expressiveness. Composers sought to convey deep emotions and personal experiences through their music, often reflecting the cultural and historical contexts of their nations. This was a time when music became a powerful means of expressing individual feelings and national identities, which demonstrated a significant departure from the more structured and restrained qualities of classical music. The Romantic period valued subjective experience, leading composers to experiment with harmony, form, and instrumentation in ways that conveyed intense emotional states.

In contrast, simplicity, strict adherence to forms, and a focus on polyphony are more characteristics of earlier periods, such as the Classical and Baroque eras, where clarity, structure, and intricate counterpoint were more predominant than the emotional expressiveness found in Romantic compositions.