1750 to 1820.
During the early eighteenth century, the heavy, monumental baroque style gave way to the more intimate rococo style, with its light colors, curved lines, and graceful ornaments.
Neoclassical artists emphasized firm lines, clear structure, and moralistic subject matter.
Around the middle of the eighteenth century, composers concentrated on simplicity and clarity.
Polyphonic texture was neglected in favor of tuneful melody and simple harmony.
The style galant in music is comparable to the rococo style in art.
Great variety and contrast of mood received new emphasis in classical music.
Mood in classical music may change gradually or suddenly, expressing conflicting surges of elation and depression.
A classical composition has a wealth of rhythmic patterns, whereas a baroque piece contains a few patterns.
In contrast to the polyphonic texture of late baroque music, classical music is basically homophonic.
The late eighteenth-century piano—called a fortepiano—weighed much less than the modern piano and had thinner strings held by a frame made of wood rather than metal. Its pitch range was smaller, and its tone was smaller and lasted a shorter time.
The basso continuo was gradually abandoned during the classical period.
A new orchestra evolved during the classical period. Unlike the baroque orchestra, which could vary from piece to piece, it was a standard group of four sections: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
Strings: 1st violins, 2d violins, violas, cellos, double basses
Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons
Brass: 2 French horns, 2 trumpets
Percussion: 2 timpani
Trombones were also used by Haydn and Mozart, but only in opera and church music, not in solely instrumental works.
The strings were the most important section,
The woodwinds added contrasting tone colors and were often given melodic solos.
Fast movement
Slow movement
Dance-related movement
Fast movement
Classical symphonies and string quartets usually follow this four-movement pattern. erm: String quartet
Def: Composition for two violins, a viola, and a cello; usually consisting of four movements. (Also, the four instrumentalists.
Term: Sonata
Def: In baroque music, an instrumental composition in several movements for one to eight players. In music after the baroque period, an instrumental composition usually in several movements for one or two players.
A symphony is written for orchestra;
While Haydn's and Mozart's works may sound similar at first, deeper involvement reveals striking personal styles. Beethoven's music seems more powerful, violent, and emotional when compared with the apparently more restrained and elegant works of the earlier masters. But Haydn and Mozart also composed music that is passionate and dramatic. We'll see that all three composers used similar musical procedures and forms, yet their emotional statements bear the particular stamp of each.
In London, a concert series ran from 1765 to 1781, codirected by one of Bach's sons, Johann Christian Bach, who had settled in England. In Paris, around the same time, a concert organization called the Concert des Amateurs assembled a large orchestra, conducted during the 1770s by the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1739–1799), a black composer and violinist who was a champion fencer as well.
Term: Opera
Def: Drama that is sung to orchestral accompaniment, usually a large-scale composition employing vocal soloists, chorus, orchestra, costumes, and scenery.
Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven all wrote dance music for public balls in Vienna.
Haydn and Mozart wrote many outdoor entertainment pieces, which they called divertimentos or serenades.
Term: Sonata form
Def: Form of a single movement, consisting of three main sections: the exposition, where the themes are presented; the development, where themes are treated in new ways; and the recapitulation, where the themes return. A concluding section, the coda, often