The Concept of Classic-Romantic as One Entity in Western Music History

Abstract

Any periods of Western music history prior to 1720s – Antiquity, Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque – can be regarded as independent eras in essence, which are marked by a definable boundary that are clearly noticeable from one another; however, the term classicism and romanticism refer to one phenomenon that is essentially dependent to one another. The two eras cover one same period since they complement each other, which extends roughly from the years of 1720s to the first decade of the twentieth century. The purpose of this writing is to provide descriptive explanations why the terms “classic” and “romantic” are two aspects of one – the same phenomenon, and of one same historical period.