Abstract
The second article in the series Classicism and Romanticism in Music and Art, published in the larger cycle Music and ..., focuses on the role of the Third Estate in the social and political domain, but especially on its influence on fine arts. It traces the root causes of the formation of the socio-historical position of the Third Estate from the sudden rise of the middle class in 15th century Netherlands and Italy in context of the contemporary thought and the gradual rise of protestantism to the 18th century Enlightenment and the development od fine arts and music with regard not only to the style changes in each epoch, but also to the changing methods and work environment.