Classical
Music
1750-1815
Background information
1750-1815 approx.
Followed on from the Baroque era.
Famous composers include Mozart
(1756-1791), Haydn (1732-1809),
and Beethoven’s (1770-1827) early
works.
Key musical features:
Music has simple, ‘singable’ melodies
Music is usually made up of 4-8 bar
phrases
Clear, homophonic texture (usually)
Dynamics extended to include crescendo
and diminuendo
Timpani are often the only percussion
used
Ornaments: an ornament decorates a melody by adding extra notes.
Ornaments are often short and add melodic and rhythmic interest.
Trill: rapid and repeated movement
between two adjacent notes.
Grace note: A type of ornament played
as a quick note before the main note of
a melody.
Concepts commonly found
in the Classical Era
Imitation
Repetition
Major/minor
Chromatic
Sequence
Stepwise / leaping
Phrase
Question/Answer
Modulation
Cadences
Click on each concept to learn its definition.
IMITATION
Where the melody is immediately
copied higher or lower in another
part.
REPETITION
A musical idea is heard more than
once, or repeated several times.
MAJOR AND MINOR
SCALES
Major:
Minor:
CHROMATIC
A stepwise series of notes built up
entirely of semitones.
This is a chromatic scale beginning
on C.
SEQUENCE
A melodic phrase which is
immediately repeated at a higher or
lower pitch.
STEPWISE OR LEAPING
Stepwise: moving to
notes that are ‘next door’
to each other
Leaping: moving to notes
that are far away from
each other
PHRASE
A short musical idea, part of a melody.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
An opening phrase. Usually followed by an
answer.
A reply to a musical question.
MODULATION
Changing key
Sound example:
 http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqmusic/national5/co
ncepts/modulation.asp
CADENCES
PERFECT: A cadence consists of two
chords at the end of a phrase. A
perfect cadence is the dominant to
tonic chords (V-I). In the key of C
major, chords G-C.
IMPERFECT: A cadence consists of
two chords at the end of a phrase. In
an imperfect cadence the second
chord is the dominant V creating an
unfinished effect. In the key of C the
second chord of an imperfect cadence
would be the chord of G.
1. There was a lighter texture than baroque with melody
often above chordal accompaniment.
This means: Instead of composing very complicated
contrapuntal pieces, composers began to write tunes with
simpler accompaniments.
2. Emphasis on grace and beauty of Melody and Form
This means: Composers wrote beautiful tunes that weren’t
interrupted by the accompaniment.
The composers began to compose in strict forms e.g.
•Binary form (AB)
•Ternary Form (ABA)
•Rondo Form
3. Variety and contrast within pieces of music e.g.
Key, Mood, Dynamics
This means:
The composers experimented with the
different keys available to them.
They wrote music in particular moods e.g. happy and sad.
The composers used a wider range of dynamics than the Baroque
composers. They didn’t just use forte and piano; they used all the
others in between too.
4. Baroque harpsichord continuo is replaced by the piano
The composers didn’t write a bass line with chords for the
continuo anymore.
Most accompanying was done on the piano.
Bass instruments were given their own lines in orchestral music
rather than having to improvise over the chords.
5. Alberti Bass accompaniment is often used
This is: a left hand broken chord accompaniment
6. Importance is given to instrumental music
Composers focused more on the sounds instruments could make and
the music they could make for them rather than vocal music.
BUT!
They did still compose for voice!
The Baroque orchestra developed into the Classical symphony orchestra
with the introduction of more instruments such as:
•Clarinet
•Trombone
•Timpani
•French Horn
Remember… the baroque basso continuo was no longer used after the
introduction of the pianoforte or piano.
Instrumental Forms
of the Classical Era
THEME AND VARIATIONS
The theme is a melody, a tune which is the
main idea for a composition.
In theme and variations, the theme may
form a whole section of the composition.
The variations occur when the main theme or
tune is altered perhaps by adding extra notes,
changing from major to minor or vice versa,
changing harmony, rhythm, time signature, or
when the theme is played in the bass, etc.
RONDO
A B A C A. A form where the first
section (A) comes back between
contrasting sections.
ROUND/CANON
Each part sings or plays the same
melody, entering one after the other.
When they reach the end they start
again, e.g. 'Three blind mice'.
The classical symphony
was derived from
different forms from
the Baroque era.
It normally has 4
movements.
It is a work for the
whole orchestra.
1st movement- usually fairly fast and
in sonata form
2nd movement – at a slower speed –
usually in ternary or variation form
3rd movement – either a minuet
and trio or scherzo
4th movement – the finale, usually fast
and often in rondo or sonata form
Coda - A passage at the end of a piece of music which rounds it
off effectively.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqmusic/national5/concepts/coda.asp
•Featuring a solo instrument and orchestra.
•It has three movements (fairly fast, slow, fast).
•Concludes with a cadenza where the player
demonstrates their virtuosic playing ability.
Mozart – Oboe Concerto in C Major
I: Allegro
II: Adagio non troppo
III: Rondo: Allegretto
CADENZA
A passage of music which allows
soloists to display their technical
ability in singing or playing an
instrument.
Performers used to improvise
cadenzas themselves but eventually
composers began to write them into
the score.
The newly invented piano had more powers of expression than
the harpsichord which offered exciting possibilities.
As well as the dynamic possibilities, the piano was able to able to
shape a melody in the right hand and accompany the melody
quietly in the left.
A favourite accompaniment style was alberti bass which consisted
of broken chords repeated in the left hand keeping the music
moving and outlining the harmonies.
Opera
During the classical period opera was a form of entertainment.
There were lots of composers of opera in the classical period
but the main ones were:
W.A. Mozart
Joseph Haydn
Giovanni Paisiello
Domenico Cimarosa
Antonio Salieri
Christoph Willibald Gluck
What is an Opera?
An opera is a play (or drama) set to music, and then acted
and sung by singers accompanied by an orchestra
An opera is performed on stage, with scenery and costumes,
lighting and stage effects. The story might be funny or
serious or sometimes a mixture of both.
Operas written in the classical period are normally written in
French, Italian or German.
The word of an opera are called a libretto. In some
operas every word is sung while in others the musical
items are linked together by spoken conversations
between the characters.
How are the voices used in Opera?
Before starting to write the music of an opera the composer
gets to know the libretto (story) well.
The composer then decides what type of voice would be best
for each part.
The composer then begins to write the music – which must
match the story, and fit the words.
Syllabic and Melismatic
SYLLABIC: Vocal music where
each syllable is given one note only.
MELISMATIC: Several notes sung
to one syllable.
Aria
A song in an opera, oratorio or
cantata with orchestral
accompaniment.
Chorus
Group of singers performing
together.