If you recall from previous discussion of opera and the scenes in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, there was a clear distinction between the recitative and the aria (or ensemble). The recitative almost always had a simple harpsichord accompaniment and was musically less interesting. The arias and ensembles provided the musical interest. In a certain sense, the piece essentially switched back-and-forth between drama (recitative) and music (aria/ensemble). In the Romantic Period however, composers were interested in creating a more fluid and unified opera, one in which the music works hand-in-hand with the drama continuously. … they use the orchestra throughout the whole opera.