Classical Music (1750-1820)
Overview:The SYMPHONY emerges
CHAMBER MUSIC emerges
OPERA continues & evolves
Three major composers:
BEETHOVEN - wrote for a lot of orchestral pieces
MOZART - wrote for many different pieces
HAYDN - wrote a lot of string quartets
The Classical style:
- Clarity
- Regular phrases
- Contrast becomes structural, even narrative
- Motific rather than melodic
- Motific material is "worked out"
- Motific - repeating pattern (melody)
Haydn - Symphony no. 101, mov. 3
Sonata Form:
Exposition - Development - Recapitulation
Mozart - 3rd movement from Symphony No. 40 in G minor (example of sonata form)
Key Characteristics:
MELODY: short and clearly defined musical phrases with two or more contrasting themes
RHYTHM: Very defined and regular
TEXTURE: Mostly homophonic
TUMBRE: The symphony orchestra was organized into four sections - strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. The harpsichord was not used
