The Transcendentalists greatly valued art and music, taking interest in aesthetics and the philosophy of beauty. As they did not have modern distractions like television or the internet, they devoted much time to reading, writing, and contemplation. The Transcendentalists were at the center of the American Renaissance in literature, poetry, and other artistic fields. Their writings philosophically influenced the works of authors like Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

1. Art / Music Many Transcendentalists were music and art lovers. The Transcendentalists were also interested in aesthetics which is the branch of philosophy dealing with beauty and taste The Transcendentalists did not have television, the Internet, and films to compete with reading, writing, and contemplation The Transcendentalists stood at the center of the American Renaissance in literature, poetry, painting, sculpture, architecture, and music. The writings of the Transcendentalists laid the philosophical foundations for the work of contemporaries such as Walt Whitman , Herman Melville , and Nathaniel Hawthorne . Music Type = Classical Music

2. Works Cited http:// www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/ideas/rosecrans.html http://www.jewsinamerica.org/home_page/twist_safari2.swf www.transcendentalists.com/what.htm English Literature Book Pages 210-212 http://www.scribd.com/doc/7814500/Transcendentalism-and-Materialism-Classical-Music-and-Improvisation-in-the-United-States http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Transcendentalism