Abstract
The paper considers the present-day condition of music history and its teaching in conservatories, as well as its actual dependence on college education in musical literature. The ways of (i) extending the scope of topics and improving the structure of music history courses in conservatories and (ii) achieving more active inherent systemization of musical history as a science and raising its theoretical potential are outlined. The latter aim is associated with in-depth and comprehensive consideration of the fundamental concept of historical style. The problems and difficulties of style analysis are shown by the example of the attitude to the concept of romanticism in recent publications.