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= Progression of Classical to Romantic Music = The progression from Classical to Romantic music took place in the 18th and19th Century as a result of several composers reacting to the political and philosophical change brought by the Age of Enlightenment which proposed a scientific rationale to nature. Composers revolted against these ideals that were not prominent at the commencement of the Classical Era, and began naturally transitioning their compositional and melodic techniques into a new musical form which is what became known as the Romantic Era or Romanticism. This era "romanticized" the past. The Classical Era lasted from 1750-1820, while the Romantic Era took place during 1815-1910. Perhaps the most famous classical piece acknowledged as a lead contributor to this movement was Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor due to the implementation of lyrical melodies as opposed to the linear compositional style of Classical music.

Classical music was known for its clarity and regularity of structure or "natural simplicity". It consistently was proven to be an elegant international musical style with symmetrical four-bar phrases, clear-cut cadences, repetition, and sequence. After several developments took place within the Classical period such as dynamic changes, homophonic texture, and broken chord; additionally the most important contribution of Sonata Form developed as well curating a lasting impression which grew on many composers of the 19th Century. Sonata form laid foundations for a revolutionary quantity of pieces by which the new era of Romanticism was built upon. Characterized by lyrical melodies, chromaticism, and dramatic dynamics; the Romantic Era evoked emotions assembled by sovereign story lines and nationalist marches reflecting change.

The spirit of Romantic music was a self-conscious break from Enlightenment ideals. Inspired by liberty, fraternity, and equality; writers of the time such as Heinrich Heine and Victor Hugo even began new lyric poetry. Improvements to established instruments such as the piano, began to come in cast-iron frames with thicker strings and deeper brilliant tones. Likewise, new instruments were born such as the tuba, saxophone, piccolo, English horn, contrabassoon to contribute to the new dream-like interpretation of the past.

Transitional Characteristics
A key method of understanding which aspects of Classicism evolved into Romanticism is noting the expansion of characteristic techniques used during the decline of Classical music birthing Romanticism. The Sturm und Drang or "storm and drive" was a proto-romantíc movement curated by Haydn which contrasted simple pieces of the Classical era into obvious and dramatic emotionalism highly sought by Romantic composers. It was a component of aesthetic taste highly utilized in the Romantic Era. The extreme emotion was generated as reaction to socio-political concern for greater human freedom from despotism. In fact, Haydn was so fond of having his work reflect the turbulent political climate, that he composed the Farewell Symphony No. 45 in F♯ Minor, containing several characteristics of this transition through long slow adagio and sharp turns to exemplifying the demands of wavering opinions and philosophical themes taking place socially.

Furthermore, given the reaction to the Industrial Revolution, a dramatic expansion in orchestra size and the use of diversity in instruments such as strings was implemented. New public concert halls made way to fit the growing size of orchestras, and conductors were the central figures responsible for the sonic flow of these larger pieces. There was a new surrender to nature, a "romanticism" to the past, a turn towards all things mystic, new attention to national identity, interest in the autobiographical, and a general discontentment with musical formulas and conventions exercised in Classical compositions. As the musical vocabulary began to further develop using terms like "dolce" or "dolente", enriched harmonic and rhythmic language did as well. Notable Romantic Era harmonies had more chromatic and dissonant traits contrasting the established simplicity of Classicism. New orchestral forms like symphonic poem, choral symphony, works for solo voice and orchestra even began to draw other art forms closer.

It was during the transitional period between of the 1800s, that a distinction among "highbrow" and "lowbrow" compositional works was established depending upon popular "light music" seen as entertainment and "art music" viewed as serious listening.

Transitional Artists, Composers, and Pieces
The final push approaching change came from Gaspare Spontini, who was deeply admired by later romantic composers such as Weber, Berlioz, and Wagner. He composed inventive harmonic language in his operas that cultivated closed numbers the structural pattern adopted by Wagner. Spontini was responsible for the romantic beginnings of Opera.

Moreover, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, better known for shaping Classical music using opera, concerto, symphony, sonata, and string quartets, also incorporated the likes of Romantic-esque qualities. Another noted composer working at the forefront of this transition was Haydn who composed a string quartet known as "The Lark" which perfectly embodied the Romantic and Neoclassical styles in addition to the Apollonian Order aesthetic. Despite Ludwig van Beethoven still being the father of this classicism to romanticism transition with Symphony No. 5, the prince of the Romantics Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt virtuoso piano traits significantly solidified the becoming of the new Era with Franz Schubert, Carl Maria von Weber, and John Field being prominent in the generation of "Proto-Romantics".