Romantic Period Music for Classical Guitar – Free Sheet Music and TABs

The Romantic period in music spanned the late 1700s/early 1800s to the early 1900s. It was a time of great expressive and emotional depth and discontentment with convention.

The guitar continued to be a significant instrument. It had evolved into its modern form by this time.  And innovations from Antonio de Torres offered greater compositional potential.

Below you’ll find PDF sheet music and TABs for guitar music from the Romantic Era.
See also the full library of over 1000 PDFs of sheet music for guitar.
Enjoy!

Beginner-Level Sheet Music from the Romantic Period

Early-Intermediate Sheet Music from the Romantic Period

Intermediate Sheet Music from the Romantic Period

Advanced Sheet Music from the Romantic Period

Guitar Composers of the Romantic Period

Notable composers of guitar music in this era include Francisco Tárrega, Julián Arcas, Napoleón Coste, and Luigi Legnani.

Spanish composer Francisco Tárrega is often regarded as the father of modern classical guitar.

His music and teachings were the foundation for the 20th-century classical guitar renaissance. His compositions, including “Recuerdos de la Alhambra,” remain central to the guitar repertoire.

Julián Arcas was another prominent Spanish guitarist and composer.

Arcas significantly influenced the development of flamenco music. He collaborated with Torres on the design of his early guitars and was a mentor to Tárrega.

His compositions combine classical and flamenco elements.  They helped to elevate the status of the guitar.

Napoleón Coste was a French guitarist and composer.  He was one of the first to compose for the modern, six-stringed guitar. His works were often characterized by their lyricism and technical demands.

Legnani was an Italian guitarist and luthier. He was a friend of the great violinist Paganini, and they performed together.  Legnani is perhaps best known for his 36 Caprices which are written in all the major and minor keys.

Other Composers of the Period

Other notable composers during the Romantic era include Frédéric Chopin, Richard Wagner, and Johannes Brahms.

Frédéric Chopin, a Polish composer, was one of the leading figures of the time.

His compositions have been described as “poems of the piano.” His nocturnes and waltzes display the emotional depth and expressiveness typical of this period. And his ballades are some of the most important pieces in the piano repertoire.

Richard Wagner, a German composer, revolutionized opera with his concept of the “Gesamtkunstwerk”, or “total work of art”. He considered music, poetry, drama, and visual arts unified as a single cohesive whole.

His cycle of four operas, “The Ring of the Nibelung,” is considered one of the most important works of the Romantic era.

Johannes Brahms, also German, is known for his symphonies, concertos, and chamber music. His music’s structural complexity and emotional depth is a testament to the period’s originality.

Musical Trends in the Romantic Period

The Romantic era saw a shift away from the Classical period’s focus on form and balance.  Now there was a greater emphasis on experimentation.

Beethoven and Schubert bridged both these periods. Their musical techniques were of the Classical school. But their later works were intensely personal and programmatic.

Musical compositions became larger, more complex, and more emotionally charged.  They were often inspired by poetic texts, legends or folk stories.

The era saw an increased focus on thematic development. And a new chromaticism pushed the boundaries of the tonal system.

Guitar Music in the Romantic Period

The Romantic era was a time of significant evolution for guitar music.

The instrument underwent changes in design and construction. And it moved from a five-course guitar to the six-stringed instrument we recognize today.

Romantic guitar music reflected the broader trends of the era. The compositions featured greater emotional depth, expressiveness, and technical demands.