Out of the six historical periods of Western Art music, the period that sounds most interesting of all is The Romantic Period (ca. 1820-1900). This period is described as an exciting time where new sounds and concepts were explored. The description mentions the influence of “industrialization and nationalism” causing the focus on topics such as “individual experience”. The textbook mentions, “Extremes were embraced. Some performances featured soloists in private salons; others massed hundreds of musicians in outdoor venues for audiences of tens of thousands.” This description of this specific period is what calls most my attention. As if music was taken to an extreme level, either having a solo musician, or a huge orchestra, but out of the ordinary. Musicians trying to express their identity in the form of music. A well known composer from The Romantic Period is Ludwig van Beethoven. The type of music he performs does not meet the expected exaggeration that the book mentions. I imagined diverse sounds on top of each other. However, compositions such as “Moonlight Sonata” is very pleasing to listen to and the audience is able to grasp the emotional sound of the piano (with solo artist). Another piece that assimilated more to the exaggeration described in the book is the Symphony No. 5. Here we can se the culmination of many sounds together guided and exposed in a pleasing manner.