Romantic Era:Continued

Composers of the Romantic Era were no longer beholden to wealthy patrons or the Church, either to support them financially or provide inspiration or direction for their musical works.  For the first time, musicians and composers could support themselves through performance and composition.  Some of the first musical “superstars” emerged during this time period.  Because of their newfound independence, musicians and composers had a newfound freedom to explore new musical forms and influences. 
European Nationalism, or patriotic sentiments, brought about an interesting turn of events for musical composition. Through most of the nineteenth century, composers were striving to perfect the German-Austrian styles of writing music, such as that of Haydn or Mozart. Later in the century they started using musical ideas which were common in their own native countries, such as folk songs, melodies, and instruments unique to their country. Traditionally, each country’s folk music had been kept separate from the more classical compositions, but suddenly it was becoming the basis for many works. Music was becoming a symbol of national pride.