Both Classical and Romantic tendencies co-exist in Beethoven's music. In the case of Beethoven at least, it would be more appropriate to see Classical and Romantic as tendencies rather than consecutive periods. When exhausted the tools of the current classical style, Beethoven turned to new ways of expression and new kinds of content. In contrast to Romantics, Beethoven found these in his own imagination. His interest in folk songs is very well known not only because of the arrangements he made for folk songs, but also because he wrote a lot of German Dances. As his expressive purposes changed, he sometimes found it necessary to increase the length of single movements as in the Eroica. Like other Romantic composers would do, he turned to the past in search of new expressive means. His fore fathers, J.S. Bach, Handel and Mozart aided to his inspiration but gave him a different purpose to write music. His works were fitting the classical mold, yet he expanded the form, texture, tonality and spirit of music that produced all kinds of new sounds and tastes. The amount of fugues he wrote increased later in his life which was a whole different type of personal expression and contribution to Romanticism. He also created the short, lyrical piano pieces called bagatelles. Whatever innovations, modifications and revolutions he has brought into music, he never forgot to keep the balance and order. He appears to have remained a Classical composer throughout his life, but the instinctive imagination Beethoven shows for the form, texture and tonality is more characteristic of Romantics....
