1. The Classical Period

2. Qualities of Classicism
Order
Objectivity
Proportion
Emulated the art and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome

3. Greek architecture
The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders,
each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing.
Unity—proportion--grace

7. More . . . On the Classical Period
Age of strong aristocracies
Spacious palaces; formal gardens
Balanced proportions and detail
Louis XV (France)
Frederick the Great (Prussia)
Maria Theresa (Austria)
Catherine the Great (Russia)
Age of the patronage system

8. So . . . Music centered around the courts
Employed musicians to compose, conduct, entertain
And, because the aristocracies were powerful and important, this music found its way to the “unestablished” musical world of the new America

9. And more . . . French Revolution (1789-99)
American Revolution ( )
These changed the political systems and social order
Industrial Revolution (c. 1750)

10. “Eighteenth-century Classicism, then, mirrored the unique moment in history when the old world was dying and the new was in the process of being born. From the meeting of two historic forces emerged an art of noble simplicity that constitutes one of the pinnacles of Western culture.”

11. Classicism in Music The Viennese School
Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert
Composed large-scale works:
Symphony
Concerto
Sonata

12. Classical Music Singable melodies Lyrical
Diatonic harmony (predictable, pleasant)
Regular rhythms (also predictable)
Homophonic texture
Folk elements

13. Classical Period– Golden Age of Chamber Music
Music for 2-10 players (with one player per part) who play together to create a piece
Most prominent was the string quartet
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
The best were written by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
Followed the same format as the symphony

14. Haydn’s String Quartets
Wrote 68
The Quinten Quartet
Fourth Movement – Sonata-allegro form
“Hungarian” folk tune quality
Listen to interplay of instruments (Violin I dominates throughout)

15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) --Child prodigy—

16. Mozart Made significant contributions to nearly all musical genres
Symphony
Sonata (many for piano)
Concerto
Chamber music
Sacred music
Opera

17. Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music) -- 1787
. . . For string quartet with double bass, or chamber orchestra
. . . Listen for homophonic texture
. . . First theme is disjunct
. . . Second theme is conjunct (and graceful)

18. Eine kleine Nachtmusik
First movement – Sonata Allegro Form
EXPOSITION
Theme I (disjunct)
Theme II (conjunct, lyrical)
Closing theme
DEVELOPMENT
RECAPITULATION
Theme I (returns)
Theme II (same theme, “home key”)
Closing theme (same theme, also in “home key”)
Coda “tail” (the way for the composer to wrap up the piece