The style and intrinsic qualities of music so faithfully reflect the state of human affairs of the time at which it is produced, that it becomes a sort of symbol of the spirit of the world. At the end of the eighteenth century, in things quite independent of art, society in general had arrived at a crisis in secular affairs which inspired men with a fervour of spirit analogous to the fervour of religious enthusiasm which had sprung up at the time of the Reformation. In certain senses the new ardour was akin to the old. For it was the same protest against the conventions and formalities by which the true spirit of things was hidden, and the development of man's nature and aspirations checked and thwarted. The spirit of the old uprising was illustrated in its highest aspect by the sincerity, depth, and nobility of sentiment of J. S. Bach, and by the best utterances of Handel; and the spirit of the modern uprising found its first adequate musical expression in the work of Beethoven.

As has often been pointed out, a period of art in which rich and powerful expression is manifested must necessarily be preceded by a long period in which the resources of design and the methods of artistic treatment are developed. Artistic matters are on no different footing in that respect from the ordinary work of everyday life.