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The long 19th century was not only the era of the industrial and political revolutions -- it was the heyday of musical performances and musical representations as well. Opera-going was an integral part of the leisure time of the European aristocracy and the bourgeoisie in the 19th century. Opera-houses, therefore, mattered because they were not only musical but social spheres as well. Thus, in the framework of social conventions, the public appropriation and evaluation of music had a twofold function in the metropolitan societies during the 19th century: on the one hand, it confirmed social identity by a habitualized social practice; on the other hand, a taste for art practically displayed served as a means of distinction, in order to maintain and sustain borderlines and distances within society and in order to label oneself as an individual or a social group. The article concentrates on the social influence, cultural practice and political significance of opera-going in Berlin and London, and it intends to reveal the primarily social and habitual functions of musical entertainments by analysing the behaviour of audiences, rather than by looking at the music itself. Of particular importance was the development of a new behaviour of listening during the performances. The article demonstrates with the help of Norbert Elias categories, how a more or less inattentive audience increasingly disciplined itself and gradually turned into »listeners« in the second half of the 19th century as a part of a »process of civilization«. Moreover, the transfer of cultural norms between the two cities -- like, first and foremost, the habit of silent listening and the elevation of »absolute music« -- epitomizes the emergence of a common European culture of music. The point is to compare the development of common cultural practices and forms of public representation in Europe. The communication about music, therefore, can be understood as an integral part of an emerging European elite culture, which referred to common cultural institutions, ideals, and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]