THEMES OF THE CLASSICAL ERA (1750-1825)
- the Industrial Revolution
- the philosophy of the Enlightenment
- the political ideals of republican government
- the social role of music
- the concept of nature in the arts
The style of the Classical era can be understood as a reaction to the values of the Baroque. It is marked by many of these ideals, and it is reflected in a number of musical elements:
- simpler textures: Homophonic textures (usually melody and accompaniment) became the standard. Contrapuntal texture was used sparingly, and for specific purposes.
- simpler melodies: Classical melodies usually fall into even phrases, and often were organized into symmetrical “question and answer” structures.
- the piano: With its ability to produce gradations of dynamics, the piano became the most important solo instrument for Classical composers.
- simple, rational forms: Simple two- and three-part forms became the essential building blocks of all Classical forms, especially the Sonata Allegro form.
MUSICAL EXAMPLES BY THREE COMPOSERS OF THE CLASSICAL ERA
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Famous as early as the mid-1760s, by the 1780s he had become the most celebrated composer of his time, and from the 1790s until his death was a culture-hero throughout Europe. Since the early 19th century he has been venerated as the first of the three ‘Viennese Classics’ (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven). He excelled in every musical genre; during the first half of his career his vocal works were as famous as his instrumental ones, although after his death the reception of his music focused on the latter (except for The Creation). He is familiarly known as the ‘father of the symphony and could with greater justice be thus regarded for the string quartet; no other composer approaches his combination of productivity, quality and historical importance in these genres. In the 20th century he was understood primarily as an ‘absolute’ musician (exhibiting wit, originality of form, motivic saturation and a ‘modernist’ tendency to problematize music rather than merely to compose it), but earnestness, depth of feeling and referential tendencies are equally important to his art. (Grove)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O83w6rfdNTw[/youtube]
String Quartet Op.33, in C Major (“The Bird”)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Austrian composer, son of Leopold Mozart. His style essentially represents a synthesis of many different elements, which coalesced in his Viennese years, from 1781 on, into an idiom now regarded as a peak of Viennese Classicism. The mature music, distinguished by its melodic beauty, its formal elegance and its richness of harmony and texture, is deeply coloured by Italian opera though also rooted in Austrian and south German instrumental traditions. Unlike Haydn, his senior by 24 years, and Beethoven, his junior by 15, he excelled in every medium current in his time. He may thus be regarded as the most universal composer in the history of Western music. (Grove)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtQGIJJS6FU[/youtube]
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K.488