THE CLASSICAL ERA:MOZART, HAYDN,

AND BEETHOVEN, OH MY!

A. Gabriele

THE TIME PERIODS OF WESTERN ART MUSIC, THUS FAR

• Antiquity - 2000 B.C. - 400 A.D.

• Middle Ages - 400 - 1450 A.D.

• Renaissance - 1450 - 1600 A.D.

• Baroque - 1600 - 1750 A.D.

• Classical - 1750 - 1820 A.D.

THE ENLIGHTENMENT• A philosophical and cultural movement that emphasized

reasoning and individualism rather than tradition

• Started in the late 17th century

• Its purpose:

• to reform society using reason

• to challenge ideas grounded in tradition in faith

• to advance knowledge using the scientific method

“To love truth for truth’s sake is the principal part of human perfection in this world, and

the seed-plot for all other virtues.”

John Locke, English philosopher

“Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw

stones at those who are showing a new road.”

Voltaire, French writer and philosopher

REVOLUTION!• Inspired by the Enlightenment the 13 colonies of North

America became restless and dissatisfied with their rule by the British Monarchy.

• In 1776, the Declaration of Independence stated the rights of the 13 colonies to rule themselves.

• “...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

REVOLUTION! CON’T...• Inspired by the Enlightenment and the American Declaration of

Independence, the French formed their own opposition to their monarchy.

• It spread rapidly from property owners and the middle classes to the peasants and resulted in a bloody uprising.

• Motto: “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” or “Liberty, equality, brotherhood.”

• King Louis the XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine in 1793.

• Lead to the rise of Napoleon.

REVOLUTION! CON’T...• The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new

manufacturing methods that started in Britain during the late 1700’s

• Technological advancements were the catalysts for the change from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrial society.

• Important inventions included:

Cotton Gin

Sewing Machine

Gas Street Lamp

Steam Engine

VISUAL ARTS:TWO MOVEMENTS

• Rococo• after the French word rocaille, meaning “rock-work”

• hallmark was the curved line as found in sea-shells and flowers

• light and frivolous

• differed greatly from the emotionally charged, highly decorative Baroque art.

• Neoclassical• great archeological discoveries were made during the Enlightenment, particularly from

ancient Greece and Rome.

• ideas, designs and style of the ancients fit the ideals of enlightenment.

• different from Rococo style in is simplicity and naturalness.

“TWO FOR ROCOCO, YOU GO ROCOCO”

Architecture wasn’t designed to impress like the grandeur of the

Baroque, but designed to give pleasure and be suitable for elegant conversation.

Instead of the heroic struggles of Baroquepaintings, artists strived to depict nobilityenjoying themselves in naturalistic scenes.

NEOCLASSICAL VISUAL ARTNeoclassical Architecture was highly influenced from the ancient Greeks

and Romans of Antiquity

Paintings and sculpture moved away from dramatic scenes and poses to more idealized natural and classical poses

MUSIC OF THE CLASSICAL PERIOD

• Musicians functioned under aristocratic patronage.

• Socially they were considered little better than servants.

• The major composers (Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven) pulled away from the system of patronage because it was declining.

• Vienna, Austria was the epicenter of Classical Period Music.

• The rise of the public concert happened during this period because of the rise of the middle class in Europe. More people could afford entertainment.

BAROQUE AND CLASSICAL COMPARISON

Baroque Classical

Geographical Center Italy, France, Germany, England Vienna, Austria

Timbre Vocal/Instrumental Instrumental/Vocal

Texture Polyphony/Homophony Homophony

Melody Longer, elaborate, and instrumentally conceived

Symmetrical, balanced, question/answer

Dynamics Terraced Dymamics Gradual with crescendos

Accompaniment harpsichord pianoforte

Orchestra Small (20-40), mostly strings 30-40 with the four instrumental families used more independently

Form Binary, Ternary, Fugue Sonata-Allegro, Theme and Variations, Rondo, Minuet and Trio

Harmony Tonal Tonal

Rhythm Metric, motoric, elaborate Simple, metric

VIENNA, AUSTRIA: THE CENTER OF MUSICAL LIFE

MUSIC FORMATS

• Vocal

• Mass and Requiem Mass (Funeral Mass)

• Oratorio

• Opera

• Art Song

• Instrumental

• Sonata

• Symphony

• Solo Concerto

• String Quartet

VOCAL FORMATS• Masses and Requiems continued from the tradition of the Renaissance

and Baroque periods. Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn each wrote several. Missa Solemnis by Beethoven is one of his most revered works.

• Oratorios continued from the Baroque. Mozart and Beethoven each wrote one. Haydn wrote a few, the most important being The Creation.

• Opera became much more elaborate and the orchestra that accompanied grew during the classical period. Mozart wrote 22 and some are considered an archetype of the genre: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Die Zauberflöte.

• The Art Song is a pairing of music and literature. In the classical period, because Austria was the center of the musical world, German lieder is main form. Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn all wrote lieder, but Franz Shubert was best known for his songs, particularly Der Erlkönig.

THE CLASSICAL ORCHERSTRA• Larger and more diverse

than the Baroque orchestra (30-40 musicians)

• Included 4 instrument families: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion

• This is where the crescendo and decrescendo were established (gradual dynamics)

PIANOFORTE

MODERN WOODWINDS

MODERN BRASS

PERCUSSION

INSTRUMENTAL FORMATS• The sonata is a piece for a solo instrument; considered “chamber music”

- most commonly the piano, violin, or cello - three movements - Beethoven wrote 32 piano sonatas; most famous is the “Moonlight Sonata” and the “Pathetique Sonata”

• The solo concerto is for a solo instrument and orchestra accompaniment - piano and violin were the common soloists - three movements (fast - slow - fast) - Mozart wrote 27 piano concerti (and for the flute, clarinet, horn, etc.)

• The symphony is a large scale piece for orchestra - the premiere format of the classical period - usually 4 movements (fast, slow, dance, fast) - Haydn was the main innovator (he wrote 104 symphonies) - Mozart wrote 41 and Beethoven wrote 9

• The string quartet was another innovation of Haydn’s. It is a piece of chamber music for 2 violins, a viola, and cello and is usually 4 movements.

MOZART’S SYMPHONY NO. 40 IN G MINOR: FIRST

MOVEMENT • It is in Sonata-Allegro form which is an elaborate ternary form.

A - Exposition - 1st and 2nd Themes - whole section is usually repeated B - Development - Themes are broken into fragments - builds tension A - Recapitulation - 1st and 2nd Themes repeated - resolution of tension Coda - the ending - conclusion

• This is a common form for opening movements of symphonies, concerti, and sonatas. Also the final movements.

HAYDN’S SYMPONY NO. 94 “SURPRISE SYMPHONY”:

MOVEMENT 2• This movement is in Theme and Variations form; there is no

contrasting section A-A’-A’’-A’’’-etc...

• The basic idea is presented, then repeated over and over. Each repeat:

• varies the basic idea

• is about the same length as the original

• may alter any or all of the elements of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, timbre, texture

BEETHOVEN’S STRING QUARTET NO. 4 IN C MINOR:

FOURTH MOVEMENT

• This movement is in Rondo form; it features a main theme that keeps returning.

• The main theme alternates with other contrasting sections.

• A B A C A B A

Now for some old guys...

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809)

• The innovator of many classical forms

• May have invented the string quartet format

• Very prolific (104 symphonies, 68 string quartets, etc.)

• His talent was recognized when he was young; he was sent to Vienna at 8 to be a choir boy.

Haydn worked for the family of Prince Esterhazy of Hungary. His employment status was a skilled servant.

He became famous during his time composing for the prince.

That palace is big; lots of places to Haydn.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART(1756-1791)

• Son of professional violinist Leopold Mozart

• Child prodigy

• He was a freelance musician

• Very prolific for having died at 35, and wrote in all formats

• While Haydn was the innovator, Mozart was the master.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN(1770-1827)

• son of a professional musician who was abusive

• forced into music by his father ; wanted to turn his son into a prodigy for $$$

• financially successful as a freelance musician

• wrote in all formats, and gave them new power and intensity

• would work for years on one piece

He wasn’t as prolific as others, spendings years on one piece.He revolutionized classical forms, expanding developments,

He can be seen as the renegade of the classical era.He bridged the gap between the classical and romantic periods.

His final compositions were composed completely deaf.