Short answers, pulled from the story.
The transition began in the 1760s when a group of young intellectuals gathered in Germany. This period marked the start of the Sturm und Drang movement which challenged the calm logic of the Enlightenment.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert were central figures. Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt later solidified the Romantic movement after this transitional period.
Cast-iron frames enabled piano strings to become thicker while producing deeper brilliant tones for new sonic possibilities. Public concert halls were built to accommodate the growing size of orchestras performing these larger works.
Composers used emotional intensity over balanced four-bar phrases and introduced dissonance and dramatic dynamics. Programmatic music became prevalent with characteristic names like Eroica and Pastoral symphonies establishing narrative focus.
Beethoven gave compositions characteristic names such as Eroica and Pastoral symphonies to establish narrative focus. This approach made instrumental music tell stories rather than just follow abstract structural rules.