The stylistic opposition between Robert Schumann’s narrative and Richard Wagner’s polemic Musikkritiken exemplifies the rich formal variety within 19th century German Musikkritik. My study will examine the stylistic processes within the writings and situate them within a poetics of instruction vis-à-vis the reader which challenges previous notions of ‘romantic elitism’. As such, my project will accredit Schumann’s and Wagner’s fundamental innovation of the genre conventions of Musikkritik.