Classical, 1776: The rise of the American and French Revolutions were signs of deep changes in the Western world in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Not only was the Age of Enlightenment a period of political upheaval, it was also marked by economic change as a thriving middle class began to grow in Europe and across the sea in the new world. This shift had very real and practical effects on the world of music. It changed the way composers created work and supported themselves.