The difference between romantic music and classical music is that it inherits the tradition of classical composers and also has new explorations on this basis. For example, it emphasizes that music should be combined with other arts other than music, such as poetry, drama, and painting, and advocates a comprehensive art; advocates title music; emphasizes the expression of personal subjective feelings, and the works often have an autobiographical color; the works are full of fantasy, There are many works describing nature, because nature is very peaceful and has no contradictions, which is an ideal state. We attach great importance to drama, study national and folk music and literature, and draw nutrients from them. The works have national characteristics. In terms of artistic form and expression techniques, it is inherited from the classical music school, but the content is very different, and exaggerated techniques are also used a lot. In terms of musical form, it breaks through the limitations of the balanced and complete formal structure of classical music and has greater freedom. There are many single-movement instrumental music, mainly instrumental pieces, such as improvisations, nocturnes, etudes, ballades, fantasies, preludes, music without words, and various dance music - mazurkas, waltzes, polkas, etc. Among the many instrumental pieces, piano pieces are the most common. A large number of art songs appear in vocal works, and many vocal sketches are connected together to form suites, such as Schubert's "The Beautiful Mill Girl" and "Winter Journey", which are innovative artistic themes of the Romantic music school. Harmony is an important tool to express romanticism. The expansion and free use of dissonance, the frequent appearance of 7th and 9th chords, as well as chromatic methods and modulations in music have expanded the range of harmony and expressive power, and enhanced harmony. The color of sound. The composer created the multi-movement title symphony and the single-movement title symphony poem, which are important forms of romantic music.

Generally speaking, classical music is music with a regular nature, balance, clarity, attention to the beauty of form, and is considered to have lasting value and is not just popular in a specific era. .

Classical music originally refers specifically to the German and Austrian music represented by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven from 1750 to 1830, that is, the so-called "Music of the Viennese Classical School" (some are inaccurate Translated as "Viennese Classical Music"). This is classical music in the narrow sense.

Starting from this narrow concept of classical music, we can go back to Bach, Handel and even earlier Catholic Christian religious music, and extend backward to Romanticism, the National Music School, and the 20th century Western of modern music. These are classical music in a broad sense. The definition of classical music is based on this tradition. Whether it is inheriting and carrying forward this tradition, or trying to break through this tradition with innovation, music creation attempts can be included in classical music. Although music that developed independently outside this tradition has borrowed from and influenced classical music creation, it is generally not included in classical music, such as jazz, rock music, and the music of some Eastern ethnic groups.

Classical music, as a name for a category in music, exists relative to light music, popular music and other categories. It does not have a strict and clear explanation or definition. In the field of light music, the concept of "classical" is sometimes used to refer to certain light music works that have been tested by time and are regarded as models by people, such as classical operetta, classical jazz, etc. Classical here is understood as "ancient + classic" , seems more appropriate.

Romanticism is mainly used to describe literary creation between 1830 and 1850, and musical creation between 1830 and 1900.

Compared with the previous music of the Viennese Classical School, Romantic music pays more attention to the expression of emotions and images, and relatively underestimates the considerations of form and structure. Romantic music is often full of imagination, and a lot of romantic music is influenced by unrealistic literary works, and has a considerable composition of title music. The elements of romanticism are included in music creation from ancient times to the present, and are not limited to a certain era, because music creation itself is an expression of imagination, and romanticism is the best embodiment of imagination.