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19th Century Romantic Music

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Composers of the 19th-century Romantic period were composers of passion. They sought to express a wide range of emotions, from joy and love to sorrow and despair. They often focused on personal experiences and inner feelings. Romantic composers rejected the strict rules and conventions of Classical music, and instead sought to express their own unique voices and styles.
In music, the spark of a deeply committed orchestral conductor is electrifying, lifting the spirits and performance of everyone around them.

We see this in passionate political figures and captivating media personalities. At the right level, their enthusiasm pushes teams and organisations towards greatness. Passion is the stretching of the structured state by creating tension and suspending its release. Passion’s elements are created by the increased use of dissonance, the clash of uncomfortable notes, the unexpected changes of key, and the shock of suspension. Whatever the musician does with these elements will often produce a feeling of ambiguity. In the mind of the listener, these must be resolved, and resolved they are, just at the right moment.

However, this very power is a double-edged sword. When unchecked, a leader's influence will morph into domination, silencing dissent and creating an environment where individuals bend to the leader's will, their very existence tethered to belief and obedience. This is the dark alley of dictators and abusers, where the line between inspiration and control blurs dangerously.

Some leaders rise to power on a wave of popular enthusiasm, promising radical change and national renewal. Their initial energy might energise the nation, but over time, dissent is silenced, power is consolidated, and individual freedoms erode. The authoritarian regimes of Stalin and Mussolini offer cautionary tales of how excessive power can morph a leader into a dictator.

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