Two centuries in one: Musical romanticism and the twentieth century

Few twentieth-century composers were considered more untimely than those who persisted in using the “old” tonal and romantic-sounding idioms. However, the best of them contributed many enduring works to the daily repertoire, and now many minor twentieth-century romantics are also proving to be of strong interest, particularly for discerning connoisseurs. Adding to their stature, the once-common progress narrative of musical evolution has been largely abandoned today, and we have reached the point where some of the major romantic figures have been recast as modern or even modernist