This comparison of 10 Bildungsromane (novels of formation) in German and French from the mid 19th century to the present is motivated by a dual interest. It sets out both to investigate the relations between literature and music and to elucidate the concept of Bildung. The study examines works such as George Sand's "Consuelo", Romain Rolland's "Jean-Christophe", Thomas Mann's "Doktor Faustus" and Thomas Bernhard's "Der Untergeher" with a view to delineating and providing a synthesis of the evolution and specific features of the 'musical Bildungsroman', notably pointing up the analogies between musical and literary structures discernible in them.