Music has developed as a form of self-expression that influences and impacts people’s lives in many different ways. By studying the evolution of music throughout centuries of time, one can compare and contrast the similarities and differences in style, theme, and instrumentation. Many styles that are used in today’s modern music can be related to the styles that were developed hundreds of years ago. Along with music, poetry is also an art form that has developed as a form of self-expression, helping to cultivate the minds of people and allowing them to interact with their inner thoughts and passions. By studying two different art forms, one can discover the similarities in how they affect their audiences. More specifically, the song “Moonlight Sonata” composed by Ludwig von Beethoven during the Romantic Era, and the poem “Frost at Midnight” written by the famous poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, can be compared by focusing on their personal influences, desired moods, and the messages they are trying to portray.
When examining different works of art, it is evident that composers and writers have many personal influences in their works. Because art is a form of self-expression, many factors can be taken into consideration. These include living environment, time periods, and other personal occurrences. Both Beethoven and Coleridge struggled with problems that developed in their early childhoods and progressed into their adulthoods.
Coleridge was forced to deal with many problems in his life: the death of his father and a terrible relationship with his mother and nine older siblings at a young age, and several relationship issue and opium addiction in the future (1). Beethoven also dealt with the death of family members, including the death of several of his siblings. He also showed signs of bipolar disorder and struggled with romantic disabilities (2). Coleridge’s and Beethoven’s past conditions and social disorders greatly
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