Abstract
Introduction: Music as a National and Transnational Practice in 19th Century History
During the 19th Century serious music was increasingly assessed in national terms. «National» music was created to fulfil political needs and to express cultural aspirations. People in all major European capitals tried to establish national schools of music and national opera traditions. The rise of «national» music meant to exchange, to communicate and to imitate styles and practices, but at the same time to demarcate differences between musical traditions. The nationalistic conflicts and enmities of the 19th century actually encouraged cultural transfers between nations rather than inhibited them. The importance of the assessment of music for the history of European culture allows for the study of common European practices and traditions.