The music of Ludwig van Beethoven served as a pivot between the styles of the classical and romantic periods. In his early career, Beethoven worked primarily in the classical idiom. However, in his later work, Beethoven often "pushed the classical forms to their furthest extreme." According to Francis Claudon, Beethoven was not truly a romantic composer because he "never overstepped the boundaries of classical art." At the same time, Claudon claims that Beethoven was a "revolutionary" whose innovations paved the way toward the increased expressionism which was characteristic of romantic music. It is commonly known that Beethoven's personality had a strong influence on the composers of the romantic period. In this regard, it has been noted that Beethoven was "the object of a real cult after his death in 1827." However, Beethoven influenced the romantic composers with his music as well. According to Harper's Dictionary of Music, the major elements of romantic music include: the use of folk songs and other exotic melodies; an emphasis on the expression of emotions; expansion in the use of form; and the expansion of harmony from tonality toward increased chromaticism. All of these elements can be seen in Beethoven's music, and they are especially notable in his later work. Thus, although Beethoven was basically a composer of the classical period, he was also a forerunner of the romantic period in terms of his personal musical style.
One of the ways that Beethoven influenced the romantic composers was in his use of melodies. He did not go as far as the later romantics in terms of using exotic melodies from Oriental music. As noted by Mies, he was aware of such music; however, he was inspired more by the idea behind the music than by the melodies themselves. Thus, for example, while some elements of Turkish music can be seen in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, they have been "symbolically transmuted" in order to serve the compo...