 The rise of this new musical aesthetics is particularly evident in the works of Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder (1773–1798). His Fantasies on Art for Friends of Art [Phantasien über die Kunst für Freunde der Kunst] (1799), while unsystematic and lacking argumentation, is rich in suggestions. For instance, we find in it a tell-tale comparison between music and the visual arts. The latter can at best aim at a convincing imitation of natural objects, though their productions hardly compare to the beauty of nature. Not so with music, as natural sounds have little value when compared to musical tones, since these