1. The general public was becoming increasingly aware of and interested in the virtuoso. It could be argued that this was the beginning of the “cult of personality.” Audiences were drawn to concerts as much to see the performers as to hear the music. Many virtuosos, such as Clara Schumann, the great Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini, and the clarinetist Heinrich Bärmann, were composers, too, but more successful as concert artists.

2. Composers of the nineteenth century fell into one of two camps: the absolutists, who felt that music should not try to attach itself to a narrative, but rather be appreciated for its own aesthetic; and the programmatic composers, who felt that the only meaning derived from music was associative. 

3. Composers, as well as artists and literary figures, liked subjects that dealt with themes of nature, heroism, and nationalism. Even Chopin, who didn’t write programmatic works, used elements of his Polish heritage in his music.