During the Romantic Era of music there were many different styles of songs that were written. Chopin composed more music than almost any other Romantic Era composer.
Prelude
The definition of a Prelude is: “An introductory section or movement.” However, during the Romantic era it could also be, “A non-descriptive title used by Chopin and others for instrumental solo music, usually piano.”
Chopin composed many preludes, the most famous probably being his 24 Preludes which are in the 24 different keys and each convey a different idea or emotion.
Etude
Etude is a French word meaning “study,” thus the style of an Etude is as a piece to strengthen and enhance your playing skills in some technical capacity. An Etude is generally a more difficult piece to master because of the fact that it is written to challenge the correctness of your playing style.
An Etude is; “A study, usually focusing on a single technical problem.”
Waltz
Waltzes written for the piano usually consist of flowery melodic passages in the right hand, accompanied by left-hand chords, and are composed in ¾ time.
First introduced in the late 17th century as a new dance, it was often considered indecent by those in the upper classes due to the closeness of the “closed” position of the dance steps, the “open” position was not considered as improper. It was not until 1825 or later, though, that those in Britain’s upper class accepted the dance.
Polonaise
Originally used as carnival dances, the Polonaise is a lively, festive dance in triple meter. Chopin is one of the most well known composers of the songs. His later compositions of Polonaises developed a more somber tone. And this style of the song became very popular in other countries’ classical music.
Nocturne
Most Nocturnes (Night pieces) are thought to be evocative of the night, or night sounds, with a lyrical melody over a broken-chord accompaniment. One of the more famous composers of Nocturnes was Chopin who wrote 21 of the style. Bartok, in a movement entitled “The Night’s Music,” imitated the sounds of the night, with croaking and twittering. Many other composers also wrote Nocturnes, the songs often lyrical, tranquil and sometimes slightly gloomy or haunting.
Mazurka
Although the Mazurka is best represented by Chopin for his amazing 58 Mazurkas, many of the surrounding countries also had Mazurkas or songs of similar origin.
A Polish folk dance in triple meter, the Mazurka is always found to have a triplet, trill, dotted eighth note pair, or an ordinary eighth note pair before two quarter notes.
