Question

The following passage explores the transition of classical music patronage in late eighteenth-century Vienna.

[1] In mid-eighteenth-century Vienna, classical music was almost entirely sustained by the aristocratic patronage system. Composers such as Joseph Haydn operated essentially as court servants, bound by contract to produce music exclusively for the private chapels and salons of their noble employers. While this arrangement provided composers with exceptional financial security and dedicated ensembles, it severely restricted their creative autonomy. Music remained a private luxury, shielded from the general public and tailor-made to reflect the refined tastes of a small ruling class.

[2] By the late 1780s, however, this insular model began to crack. The expansion of a wealthy, educated middle class created a demand for public cultural participation, driving the establishment of public concert halls and subscription-based performances. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart became a prominent figure in this shift, choosing to forgo permanent court positions in Vienna to work as an independent artist staging his own public concerts. This commercialization transformed the composer's role, requiring them to engage directly with a diverse, ticket-buying audience and compose works with broader, more dramatic appeal.

[3] Yet, this transition from the salon to the public stage was not a simple triumph of artistic freedom. Although freed from the direct supervision of a single noble patron, composers were thrust into a highly volatile marketplace. Without court-sponsored stipends, they had to rely on unpredictable ticket sales, sheet music publishing, and shifting public whims. Consequently, the commercial concert hall did not eliminate artistic constraints; rather, it substituted the rigid demands of an aristocratic patron for the financial precarity of public taste.

Based on the passage, which of the following best describes the relationship between the third paragraph and the second paragraph?