Classical-Romantic transition

The period roughly 1800–1830 during which the formal clarity and harmonic stability of Classical style gave way to the more expressive, harmonically adventurous, and individually characterised language of Romanticism. Hummel sits precisely at this transition: his earliest sonatas are thoroughly Classical in language; his Op.81 Sonata in F♯ minor and the concertos of the 1820s show a harmonic richness and emotional directness that anticipate Chopin and Schumann; and his later works like Op.85 directly influenced the young Romantics. Understanding this transition is essential to performing Hummel with style — neither the over-pedalled opulence of late Romantic playing nor the dry, metronomic detachment of some early music performance is appropriate.

Approach Hummel's music with flexibility and cantabile phrasing. The Classical formal clarity is there — clear phrase structure, balanced periods, logical harmonic movement — but the expression is warmer and freer than Haydn or even Mozart. Let the long-spanned melody sing over the figuration. Think of it as Mozart who has been listening to the latest Beethoven.