What books did composers of the romantic era read and learn composition from?
Forgive a greybearded, wizened and indeed battle scarred prof. musician counselling caution in what you wish for, and inevitably thus disregarding to a degree your “don’ts” trailing your post. You will learn good craft from good teachers and, yes, good texts. Whether these were written yesterday or a few centuries back. Craft & knowledge ‘in period costume stipulated in advance’ will not necessarily do what you might wish for it to do. Beyond Bach in every or any guise, Chopin found great benefit from engaging with Cherubini’s “Treatise on Counterpoint & Fugue”, in his middle years in particular, when he returned to it for some intensive private study in 1840/41.
