Introduction:
Romantic musicians, inspired by the image of Beethoven as a "free artist," often composed to fulfill an inner need rather than to execute a comission or meet the demands of an aristocratic or church patron. Romantic composers came from the middle class, wrote primarily for a middle-class audience, and had to sell their wares in the marketplace. Because few could support themselves through composition alone, they also worked as conductors (like Wagner), music teachers (like Chopin), and music critics (like Berlioz). Some were touring virtuosos, like the Hungarian Franz Liszt. The rise of the urban middle class led to the formation of many orchestras and opera groups, and the development of regular subsription concerts. Private music making increased and piano became a fixture in every middle-class home. Another influence on romantic music was audiences' fascination with virtuosity.
