The Details That Make Music Romantic

What makes music sound romantic!

Before we answer those questions, we need to look into the meaning of romantic music.  Are we talking about Romantic music in the sense of European art music created in the 19^th century?  Or, when talking about romance in music, do we have sentimental love in mind? If our topic is the Romantic period in music, we can say that there are very clear characteristics that can help define the piece we are listening to as romantic.  For example, if you hear a piece performed mainly by stringed instruments with dramatic changes in keys and unfinished chords, it will likely belong to this era. Such music pieces are characterized by the composer’s desire to convey strong emotions and explore nature. Composers of the Romantic period were often also fascinated by the supernatural, and they relied on folklore.

But what happens when we want to listen to romantic music with someone that we met on free dating sites or in real life? What exactly defines romantic love songs? The lyrics? The composition? Both of those things?  We talked about this question with music experts. In today’s post, we are going to share information we gathered on what makes romantic songs.

Features of Romantic Music

The crucial things that define the love song are the tempo, dynamics, and arrangement.  Key, harmony, and modes are more in the background.  Let’s see what that means on a more practical level. It is also important to say that these notions of romantic music refer to Western music.

Melodic Tensions

Melody is the main factor that makes a truly romantic song. The melody of these types of songs needs to be expressive. A good example of a romantic song is Yesterday by The Beatles.  Here you have the first beat of almost every bar, which is characterized by the non-chord tone, which resolves to chord tone to add intensity.  We have the tension in the non-chord. Talking about harmony, it is necessary to point out that there are some chords such as maj7 and add9 that people often see as nostalgic, which is an important element is if you are looking for romantic stuff.

Minor Chords

Although many people think of minor chords as something that adds sadness to the song, that doesn’t always have to be the case. It is true that they add more intensity, or let’s say moodiness than any major chord. This is something that you can hear in Elvis Presley’s version of O Sole Mio, which we know as It’s Now or Never.  The original is a classic love song, so the emphasis is on the word “Sole (Sun,)” and we hear all the intensity there. The Elvis version is different because the minor chord is used on the word “tomorrow”, emphasizing another kind of intensity, which can be interpreted as sexual. 

Descending Line

Some incredibly sentimental songs, such as David Gates’s “If”, rely on this well-known cliché. Hence in the lyric “if the picture paints 1000 words,” you have this sweetish effect.  Then it keeps on descending to the IV chord, which contributes to the sensation of warmth and intimacy.  We can see the same in Bob Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate.” However, the difference here is in the lyrics, as he focuses more on regret than on the declaration of love.

Authors bio

Rebecca Shinn is a freelance writer and dating and relationship expert with a psychology degree. Her field of expertise is relationship, dating, and marriage. The important part of Rebecca’s practice is to help couples with communication skills, problem-solving skills, stress management, and financial skills.

Rebecca started writing 2 years ago to inspire and help people to have a better dating life, healthy relationships, or find a way to keep a marriage strong for long years.

With all said above, Rebecca is proud to be a mother and a wife so she doesn’t only use her knowledge for helping others but keeping her family strong and happy.