Chapter 9: The Classic Era (1750-1825)
Terms:
Symphony -- a genre usually exemplifying the following characteristics: instruments
only, multi-movements, lofty musical ambitions and an abstract subject matter.
Sonata Form -- a form that is sometimes called "first-movement" form.
Exposition -- the first section of a fugue or a sonata-allegro movement
Recapitulation -- the last section of a sonata-allegro form in which all the thematic
material from the exposition returns in its original order
Development -- the practice of manipulating themes and motives in various ways; it also
refers to the section of a Sonata Form in which themes from the exposition undergo this
process
Coda -- means "tail"; a musical section placed at the end of a piece or movement that
does not represent part of a described forms
Persons:
Haydn (1732-1806), “Father” of the symphony and the most respected composer of the
era; worked as an employee of the Esterhazy family
Mozart (1756-1791), a child prodigy who becomes the most famous composer of the era;
his operas have been in continuous performance since they were composed in the 1770s
and 1780s.
Beethoven (1770-1827), the most famous composer in music history, changes the
purpose and function of the symphony, embraces Enlightenment philosophy and sought
to express what made humans human, i.e. emotions
Music:
Disk 2, #11 - Haydn: Symphony Number 56, p. 168
Disk 2, #12 - Mozart: Piano Concerto Number 17, p. 174 )
Disk 2, #13 - Mozart: “Madamina” from Don Giovanni, p. 177
Disc 3, #1 – Beethoven: Symphony #3 “Eroica”, Movement 1, p. 188