ABSTRACT
As the Industrial Revolution that had transformed England began to affect the United States, Americans gradually moved from the country to the cities, where they could find employment. The United States slowly changed from an agricultural to an industrial society. The growing middle and upper classes rejected the archaic music of the singing schools as they became familiar with the music of contemporary composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann. They wanted their country to develop a cultural life similar to that of Europe.
