the late 18th century Western Europe. Of it's major themes - revolution,

individualism, nature, innocence/experience, nature was a recurrent theme

that was stressed with great importance. Stressing the importance of

"nature" in art and language, and music and poetry, was evident in a variety

of works. As we follow the theme of nature by examining its impact on a

variety of art forms, we will see how the individual imagination was viewed

as a critical authority which permitted freedom within classical notions on

art, music, and poetry.

Many examples of the importance of nature's theme in the Romantic

Period of music exist. One of the most compelling examples is in the area of

opera. In opera, a new Romantic atmosphere combining supernatural terror and

folklore was evolving as Carl Weber composed, "Der Freischutz." Weber's

works had a...