Classical Era Music Notes

Introduction to the Classical Era (1750-1830)

Transition from Baroque (ended around 1750, the year of Bach's death).
Focus on the Classical style and the Viennese School (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven).
Recommended reading: Classic FM website for an introduction to the Viennese School.

The Age of Enlightenment and Music

Coincides with the Age of Enlightenment/Reason (philosophy, science, arts).
Shift away from sole reliance on established religious communities.
Echoes of the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation (Martin Luther, 1520).
Rise of Protestantism (Lutheranism, Church of England, Calvinism).
Emphasis on individual human experience, social mobility, and questioning of traditional authority.
Emergence of the middle class and its values: education, pursuit of happiness.
Influence of French philosophy (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness).
Figures like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin drew from Enlightenment ideals.
Key Enlightenment thinkers: John Locke, Thomas Paine, Voltaire, Rousseau.

The Rise of the Middle Class Consumer and Music

Middle class began purchasing instruments, sheet music, and investing in music education.
Domestic music-making became a significant form of entertainment.
Popular instruments: piano, violin, flute, singing voice.
Public concerts expanded, offering diverse musical experiences.
Music publishing industry (established since 1500) expanded, catering to the amateur consumer.
Shift from elite entertainment to broader accessibility of the arts.
Opera, initially for the elite, gradually became accessible to the general public.

Domestic Entertainment

Music-making at home was a primary form of entertainment before modern technology.
Investment in instruments like harpsichords and early pianos (piano fortes).
Household inventories included string instruments (violins, violas, cellos, basses).
Music was composed and published specifically for the consumer market.
Local music publishers commissioned composers to write accessible music.
Music was designed to be easy to learn, with simple patterns and appealing melodies.
Composers avoided complexity to ensure enjoyment for amateur musicians.
Consumers built personal music libraries, purchasing sheet music for their instruments.
The goal was to create music that sounded good without requiring extensive technical skill.
Education and entertainment were intertwined; music improved the mind without excessive effort.

Muzzio Clementi and Amateur Music

Clementi was an Italian composer who catered to amateur consumers.
The term "amateur" comes from the Latin word "amare," meaning "to love."
Amateur music is about enjoying the process, not necessarily becoming a professional.
Clementi's music exemplified early classical style, with simplicity and accessibility.
His music was popular music for the time, with an element of self-improvement.
Example: Clementi sonatina with a simple structure and repeating sections.
The music sounds fancy but uses scales and simple repeating patterns.
The left hand often plays repeating patterns, while the melody part features scales.
This creates an accessible musical structure that is pleasing and enjoyable to play.
Early classical style differs from the complexity and goals of Baroque composers like Handel, Bach, and Vivaldi.

Characteristics of Early Classical Style

Emerging in the 1740s and 1750s, transitioning from the Baroque period.
Associated composers: Clementi, Haydn.
Key characteristics: simplicity, symmetry, naturalness, pleasing to the ears, clarity.
Emphasis on clear texture, with a catchy melody.
Regular phrasing, with musical sentences ending in cadences.
Predictability in a positive sense, creating comfort and familiarity.
Composers like Haydn knew how to challenge expectations with musical jokes and wit.
Balancing audience expectations with artistic challenge was key for marketability.
Artistry and business were both important in the music industry.

*Haydn Sonata Example:

Haydn wrote sonata for violin and piano
Violin acting as the featured solo.
Violinist uses pizzicato articulation, plucking the strings of the violin like a guitar
Haydn music also presented simplicity, symmetry, naturalness, pleasing to the ears. & clarity
Some parts included dialogue between violin and piano

Joseph Haydn

Haydn's biography provides insight into his life and music.
Political events (Napoleonic Wars) influenced his later works.
His work with the Esterhazy family greatly shaped his compositions.
Haydn's music reflects the expectations of the Esterhazy family.
*Reference to a Haydn Biography with descriptions of the Era

Domenico Scarlatti

Contemporary of Bach and Handel.
Italian composer who moved in a different stylistic direction closer to the amateur consumer and the publishing industry in Italy
Keyboard sales were on the rise. He sold keyboard music, not just piano music because it could appeal to all keyboard owners at the time.
Known for sonatas that are very tunable, with a lot of scale patterns and arpeggios.

Carl Philippe Emmanuel Bach (CPE Bach)

One of Johann Sebastian Bach's sons.
Served as a bridge between the Baroque and Classical eras.
Drew from both Baroque and Classical styles.
*He held positions in Berlin and Hamburg
CPE Bach was Known to bridge the gap between baroque and classic eras within his compositions.
He used two styles
The Empfindsamer Stil (sensitive style): deeply expressive, ornamented, complex, reminiscent of Baroque music.
The galant style: simple, melodic, graceful, elegant, uncomplicated.
CPE Bach's combination of these styles created contrast and interest.

The Viennese School

Refers to a group of composers sharing ideals and aesthetic values, not an institution.
Core members: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Later addition: Franz Schubert.
*All where influential music composer based out of Vienna, Austria.

Joseph Haydn: The Father of the Viennese School

Invented the string quartet (two violins, viola, cello).
Developed a way for this ensemble to communicate musically, creating dialogue.
String quartets were intended for self-education and social interaction.
Worked for the Esterhazy family, composing music on demand.
Haydn composed music in reflection of what was happening in the world around him, including the Napoleonin War.
Haydn was required to write music on demand depending on occasions. He was required to creat new pieces every time.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Died at 35 years old.
Child prodigy who started playing harpsichord at age three.
Learned violin and viola, started composing at age five.
*Began compositions at the age of 5.
Was taught directly by father.
Toured Europe with his sister, Nannerl, performing and earning money.
Played for emperors and Marie Antoinette at a young age.
Known for operas, symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, and choral compositions.
Died during the composition of his Requiem, which was completed by his student.
Mozart Piano Sonata Movement:
The sonata includes Simple melodic lines, scale passages, arpeggios. The piano is very accessible, but the piece is still challenging enough to make it interesting for the pianist as one would expect from any concert

Ludwig van Beethoven

German-born composer who moved to Vienna.
Initially intended to study with Mozart but studied with Haydn instead.
Beethoven's style

*Dramatic
Expressive
Emotional

Beethoven composes 32 piano sonatas including one of his primary works. Moonlight Sonata
The song featured dramatic emotions, and conflicts
Deafness influenced his compositions profoundly.
Began losing his hearing around age 30; was completely deaf by age 50.
Came to terms when admitting his deafness at 1802 as he announced to the public
Continued composing despite his hearing loss.

Composers Comparison

*Haydn
*Mozart
*Beethoven

*Had a musical language that showed listeners the individual composers
All 3 work similarly but the resulted in very different results. Which showed even more personality among the group

Upcoming Lecture

*Will Discuss The Symphony (Haydn/Mozart)
*Joseph Bologna (Black Mozart)