Music and the Classical Era
1750-1820
Viennese Classical Music
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It’s all in the Definition:
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Generic
Specific
Attitude
Musically
The Times They Are A-Changing
The Age of Reason and Enlightenment
• Philosophical Underpinnings
– A quest for truth and social justice pervaded this culture.
– France:
Voltaire (1694-1778)
• Born, François-Marie Arouet
• Enlightenment writer, essayist, deist and philosopher
• works and ideas would influence important thinkers of both the
American and French Revolutions
Jean-Jacques Rouseau (1712-1778)
A philospher and composer of the Enlightenment
His political philosophy influenced the French
Revolution, the development of both liberal and socialist
theory, and the growth of nationalism.
Important contributions to music as a theorist and a
composer
– England: John Locke (1632-1704)
• All people are born good, independent and equal
and that all governments derived their right to
govern from the consent of the people, not any
hereditary rights granted by God.
Monarchy: The Declining
Institution
• Catherine the Great of Russia (1729-1796)
• Frederick the Great of Prussia (1712-1786)
• Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780)
• Joseph II of Austria (1741-1790)
• Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette
(1754-1793)
(1755-1793)
Scientific Advancements
• Properties of electricity
Benjamin Franklin, 1752
Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790)
Bifocal Glasses
Lightning Rod
Bifocal Sketch
• Vaccines - Smallpox
Edward Jenner
(1749-1823)
Intellectual Advancements
• Encyclopedia - Encyclopédie
Denis Diderot
(1713-1784)
Encyclopédie, 1751
Science Plate
• Philosophical Debate and Writing
– Jean-Jacques Rousseau
– Edward Gibbon
• Salons – The Role of Women
Revolution
• Industrial Revolution
– Britain, late 1700’s
– Technological developments were catalysts for the
change from a rural, farm-based society to an urban,
industrial one
Gas Street
Lamp
Spinning Jenny
Sewing Machine
Eli Whitney and
Cotton Gin
James Watt and
Steam Engine
Political Revolution
• American Revolution (1775-1783)
– inspired by the Enlightenment
– the 13 colonies of North America become restless and dissatisfied with their rule
by the British monarchy.
– Declaration of Independence in 1776 stated the rights of the 13 colonies to rule
themselves; thus becoming a country based on the idea that “all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
• French Revolution (1789-1799)
– inspired by the Enlightenment and the American Declaration of
Independence
– opposition to the monarchy spread rapidly from the property owners and
the middle classes to the peasants and resulted in a bloody uprising.
– Motto – “Liberty, equality, fraternity.” The monarchy was abolished,
nobility put to death and a new republic set up.
Vienna: The Center of the Musical
Universe
Visual Arts in the Classical Era
• Rococo (after 1715)
– This new style was called Rococo (after the French word rocaille,
meaning “rock-work” – hallmark of this style was the curved line as
found in sea-shells and flowers). Rococo style (light and frivolous)
differed greatly from the emotionally charged, highly decorative Baroque
art. Paris was the center of this new style.
• Neoclassical
– During the Enlightenment period there were great archeological
discoveries made, particularly from ancient Greece and Rome. The
ideas, designs and style of the ancient Greeks and Romans were
particularly fitting for the new period of enlightenment. The Neoclassical
style differentiated itself from the Rococo style in is simplicity and
naturalness.
Rococo Architecture
• The stateliness and grandeur of the Baroque was
replaced with smaller-scale grace and refinement, pastel
colors became more popular, rooms were designed not
to impress but to give pleasure and to be suitable for
elegant conversation.
Rococo Painting
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As opposed to the monumental-sized works of the Baroque, Rococo
painters painted popular scenes with elegant men and women enjoying
themselves. Instead of heroic struggles, these paintings revealed daily life
of the nobility.
Most popular were scenes taken from the elegant outdoor entertainments
that were called fêtes galantes.
The Swing
Jean-Honoré Fragonard
(1732-1806)
François Boucher
(1703-1770)
The Music
Lesson
Jean-Antoine Watteau
(1684-1721)
A Pilgrimage to Cytheria
• Fêtes galantes style was countered by Jean-Baptiste
Siméon Chardin (1699-1799)who found inspiration in the
lives of ordinary people and all that surrounded them.
Back from the Market
Chardin SelfPortrait
Table Still Life
Le Dejeuner
Neoclassical Visual Art
• During the Enlightenment period there were
great archeological discoveries made,
particularly from ancient Greece and Rome.
• The ideas, designs and style of the ancient
Greeks and Romans were particularly fitting for
the new period of enlightenment.
• The Neoclassical style differentiated itself from
the Rococo style in is simplicity and naturalness.
Neoclassical Architecture
The Arc de Triomphe
du Carrousel Paris
The Brandenburg
Gate, Berlin
La Madeleine,
Paris
The Rotunda, University
of Virginia
Neoclassical Painting
• Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825)
The Oath of Horatii
Madame Recamier
Neoclassical Sculpture
Moved from the dramatic, emotional forms to more
idealized classical poses.
• Antonio Canova
Cupid and Psyche
Napoleon
• Jean-Antoine Houdon
Voltaire
Washington
Musical Arts in the Classical Era
• Life as a Classical Artist
– Artists of the 18th century generally functioned under
the system of aristocratic patronage.
– Socially, they were little better than servants. While
this was often distasteful to them, they were provided
with economic security and a social framework within
which he/she could function as a musician.
– Yet, each major composer (Haydn, Mozart and
Beethoven) began to pull away from the patronage
system.
• Musical Life in Society
– An important aspect of musical life in the
Classical period was the rise of the public
concert.
– This phenomenon was possible due most to
the larger and more prosperous middle class.
– Tickets could be purchased for single events
or for full series.
– Concerts in this time were much longer than
concerts are today and unlike our concerts,
most of the music heard was new works.
Baroque and Classical Comparison
Baroque
Classical
Dates
1600-1750
1750-1820
Geographical Center
Italy, France, Germany,
England
Vienna, Austria
Timbre
Vocal and instrumental
Instrumental
Texture
Polyphony/homophony
Homophony
Melody
Longer and instrumentally
conceived
Symmetrical, balanced,
question/answer
Dynamics
Terraced
Gradual
Accompaniment
Harpsichord
pianoforte
Orchestra
Small (20-40), mostly
strings
30-40 with the four
instrumental families used
more independently
Form
Binary, Ternary
Sonata-Allegro, Theme and
Variations, Rondo, Minuet
and Trio
Harmony
Tonal
Tonal
Rhythm
Metric, motoric, elaborate
Simple, metric
Classical Orchestra
• Blending of the four orchestral families: strings,
woodwinds, brass, percussion
• 30 to 40 players
• Gradual dynamics established
(Mannheim crescendo)
Pianoforte
Musical Genres
• Vocal
– Mass and Requiem Mass
– Art Song: a pairing between music and
literature
– Oratorio
– Opera: opera seria, opera buffa
Instrumental Genres
• Sonata
– Three movements
– Most written for solo piano, violin or cello sonatas
– Important for the amateur players
• Solo Concerto
– Three movements: fast, slow, fast
– Piano and violin were the common soloists
• Symphony
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1st movement:
2nd movement:
3rd movement:
4th movement:
sonata-allegro form
three part form (ABA)
minuet and trio form
rondo or sonata-allegro form
• String Quartet
– Two violins, a viola and a cello
– Four movements
Form in the Classical Tradition
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Sonata-Allegro
Theme and Variation
Minuet and Trio
Rondo
Elements of Music
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Melody – vocal in conception, symmetrical, question and
answer
Harmony - tonal
Rhythm – simple, metric
Texture – homophony and for accompaniments, Alberti
Bass
Dynamics - gradual
Timbre
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Vocal: SATB
Instrumental: string, woodwind, brass, percussion
Keyboard: piano (Alberti Bass)
Form – sonata-allegro, theme and variation, minuet and
trio, rondo
Composers
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
– Sonata Form
– Minuet and trio Form
– Opera
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Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
– Rondo Form
– Sonata Form
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Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
– theme and variation
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Mozart as a Child
The Mozart Family:
Nannerl, Wolfgang and
Leopold
Mozart and Costanze
Mozart as Young Adult
Sonata-allegro Form
• Symphony No. 40, K. 550, 1788
– 1st movement: Molto Allegro
Minuet and Trio
• Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550,
1788
– 3rd Movement: Menuetto (Allegretto)
Classical Opera
• Don Giovanni (Don Juan), 1787, Mozart
– Act I: Duet: “La ci darem la mano” (There
you will give me your hand)
Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824)
• “Morgenlied eines armen Mannes”
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
As an adult
Age 13
Rondo Form
• String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4,
1798-1800
– 4th Movement: Rondo (Allegro)
A
B
A
C
A
A
B
A
C
A
B
A
Sonata Form
• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, 1808
– 1st Movement: Allegro con brio
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Prince
Nikolaus
Esterhazy
Esterhaza Palace
Theme and Variation
• Symphony No. 94 in G Major (Surprise,
1791)
– 2nd Movement: Andante