Music History of the Romantic Era

The Nineteenth century was marked by a lot of social and political change. The growth of industry and trade led to a commercially driven society. After the revolutions of the late 18th century the public viewed any self-proclaimed authority with skepticism. The independence and leisure of the individual became all-important.

All of the above had an impact on the fine arts. In fact, it wasn't until the 19th century that music, poetry, literature, painting, architecture, and sculpture were lumped together and distinguished from other forms of art. Philosophers such as Kant, Schopenhauer, and Hegel all sought to define the significance of Romantic music.

The Romantic period is one of the most popular and well known periods of music history. Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Schubert are the names of only a few composers to write during this period. Explore this site to gain an introduction to the broad topic of 19th century music history.