By the mid-19th century, Western classical music had become a phenomenon. At its peak, music was the inspiration for all other inspired arts. The inevitable paradigm shifts in music, depending on the evolution of societies, have been met with slow adaptation or resistance, or both. Therefore, when the atmosphere of prominence and celebration of music flourished, the critical culture of it also flourished. These critical practices have often precipitated public debates. In the history of music, few musical changes have sparked such polarizing discourse as Wagner versus Brahm and Tchaikovsky versus The German and Russian Five, respectively. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Aesthetic divisions centered on conservatism or progressive positions, among prominent musicians, in and around Europe, emerged in the mid-19th century . The divisions gave rise to a conservative faction, favoring traditional music, and progressive factions, who preferred new musical forms. Consequently, a polarizing discourse on music characterizes this period. Musical structure, the limits of harmony and representation, program music versus non-representational and absolute music were the main areas of contention. In Russia, the period of the 19th century was marked by the emergence of great native classical composers. The most important of these composers was a group known as The Five or The Mighty Handful. It consisted of notable composers Alexander Borodin, Mily Balakirev, Modest Mussorgsky, Cesar Cui and Nikolai R. Korsakov. The Five differed from Pyotr Tchaikovsky because of their preference for a modern, nationalist approach to music, in contrast to his preservation of traditional classical music aesthetics in his work. Tchaikovsky, the embodiment of conservatism, favored Western Russian compositions. The traditional classical music style adhered to conventional Western practices, tonality and tonal progression, in its structure. Although it also allowed for the infusion of Russian folk music forms, it primarily covered and maintained Western music standards. The Five preferred to exclusively produce music centered on Russian art. Meanwhile, Johannes Brahms and others, including Clara Schumann, favored maintaining conservatism while Richard Wagner and other progressives, including Franz Liszt, commandeered the "Music of the Future" or the New German School. The new German school of musical thought allowed music to be combined with narrative and pictorial ideas such as poetic, visual and dramatic arts to create mixed art units, while traditionalists preferred the preservation of traditional aesthetics and rules of engagement of the musical art. The speeches against Brahm and Tchaikovsky against The Five were both triggered by a fundamental change in the elementary composition of the music. Richard Wagner and other progressives moved from traditional musical aesthetics to modern music by producing music mixed with other arts such as poetry, visual arts, and theater, while conservatives avoided what they considered a falsification of music. The Five, on the other hand, sought to completely abandon the influences of traditional Western musical art in favor of a musical art centered on Russian culture, while the.