Classical period part 1

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Classical Period

1750-1820

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Signs of the times

• Middle class was learning to fight for their rights

• This was the time of the American and French revolutions

Print by famed French "Art Deco" artist Louis Icart

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Signs of the Times

• Around the middle of the 18th century composers concentrated on simplicity and clarity, discarding much that had enriched late baroque music

• Polyphonic texture was neglected in favor of tuneful melody and simple harmony

• These composers entertained their listeners with music offering contrasts in mood and theme.

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Characteristics of Classical Music

• Contrast of Mood• Great variety and contrast of mood received

new emphasis in classical music

• Not only are there contrasting themes within a movement, but there also may be striking contrasts within a single theme

• Mood may change gradually or suddenly, expressing surges of elation and depression

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• Rhythm• Flexibility of rhythm adds variety to classical music

• A classical composition has many rhythmic patterns, where a baroque has relatively few

• The classical style includes unexpected pauses, syncopation, and frequent changes from long notes to short ones

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• Texture• Pieces shift smoothly or suddenly from one

texture to another

• A work may begin homophonically with a melody and simple accompaniment but then change to a more complex polyphonic texture that features two simultaneous melodies imitated among the various instruments.

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• Melody• Classical melodies are the most tuneful and

easy to remember

• The tunes of even the most highly sophisticated compositions may have a folk or popular flavor

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• Classical melodies sound balanced because they are usually made up of two phrases of the same length

• The second phrase may begin like the first but end more decisively. Such a melodic type which can be diagramed as a a`, is easy to sing

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• Dynamics and the Piano• Classical composers’ interest in

expressing shades of emotion led to the widespread use of gradual dynamic change-crescendo and decrescendo

• Crescendos and decrescendos were an electrifying novelty often bringing audiences spontaneously to their feet

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• End of the Basso Continuo• One reason the basso continuo became obsolete was that

more and more music was written for amateurs who could not master the difficult art of improvising from a figured bass

• Also, classical composers wanted more control; they preferred to specify an accompaniment rather than trust the judgement of improvisers

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• The Classical Orchestra

• Unlike the baroque orchestra, which could vary from piece to piece, it was a standard group of four sections: – strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

• Classical composers exploited the tone colors (timbres) of orchestral instruments

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• A classical piece has greater variety-and more rapid changes of tone color

• A theme might begin with the full orchestra, shift to the strings, and then continue with the woodwinds.

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• As a whole the classical orchestra had developed into a flexible and colorful instrument that a composer could use for their most powerful and dramatic musical compositions

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• Classical Forms (symphony)• Usually consist of several movements that contrast

in tempo and character• Often there are four movements, arranged as

follows:– Fast Movement– Slow Movement– Dance-related Movement– Fast Movement

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More Classical Forms

• Classical movements often contrast themes vividly

• A movement may contain two, three, or four themes of different

• A classical composer will sometimes use a brief pause to signal the arrival of the new theme.

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Social Trends Affect Music

• The middle class was not content to hear music only at concerts; they wanted to be surrounded by it

• They educated their children in music and hoped that one day they would be good enough to be invited to the palace to perform

• This increased the demand for printed music, music lessons, and instruments

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The Center of the Music World

• Vienna• Was one of the centers of music in Europe during the

classical period and Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven all worked there

• Aristocrats from all over the world spent the winter in Vienna and they often brought their musicians to entertain them

• Music was an important part of life in the court and having a good orchestra was a sign of prestige

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Sonata Form

• Exposition

• Development

• Recapitulation

• Coda

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What’s an Exposition?

• It sets up a strong conflict between the tonic key and the new key and also between the first theme and the second theme

• The first theme is heard in the tonic or home key. Next comes the bridge, or transition, leading to the second theme which is in a new key

Sonata Form

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What’s an Exposition?

• The modulation to the new key creates a feeling of tension and forward motion

• The second theme often has a different feel than the main theme

– Sometimes they are called masculine and feminine.

Sonata Form

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What’s a Development?

• It’s the most dramatic section of the movement

• It will sometimes move restlessly through several different keys

• As the music transitions through these different keys, the music gains tension

Sonata Form

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What’s a Development?

• In this section, themes are treated in different ways:– They are broken into fragments or motives – Motives are short musical ideas which are developed

within the composition

• A theme that sounds comical can be made to sound menacing, or the texture can be changed by adding or taking away combinations of instruments

Sonata Form

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What’s a Recapitulation?

• The beginning of it brings resolution, as we again hear the main theme in the home key

• We hear all the same melodies and bridge that we heard in the development, but now they are in the home key

Sonata Form

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What’s a Coda?

• The coda rounds off the movement by repeating themes or developing them further

• It resolves the conflict by playing the themes in the home key

Sonata Form

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Sonata Form

• Sonata Form is very flexible

• It can be any length and varies by the style of the composer

• It is so versatile that it is still in use by composers today

Sonata Form

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More Classical Forms

• Theme and Variations

• In theme and variations, the idea is presented over and over and is changed each time. It can be written like this:

• Theme (A) • variation 1 (A´)• variation 2 (A´´)• variation 3 (A´´´)

Classical period part 1

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Transcript of Classical period part 1