Classical Period Slides

Style Periods in Western Music History

  • Middle Ages (476 A.D. – c. 1400): Began with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire; music was dominated by the Catholic Church (Gregorian chant, early polyphony).

  • Renaissance (c. 1400 – c. 1600): Period of humanism and rebirth of classical learning; vocal polyphony flourished within church and court dynasties.

  • Baroque (c. 1600 – c. 1750/1759): Marked by ornate detail, emotional intensity, basso continuo, and absolute monarchies; ended around the death of J.S. Bach (1750) and Handel (1759).

  • Classical (c. 1750/1759 – c. 1820): Centered primarily in Vienna, Austria. Characterized by balance, clarity, symmetry, formal structure, and melodic elegance.

  • Romantic (c. 1820 – c. 1900): Centered heavily in Germany; focused on intense personal emotion, nationalism, chromatic harmony, and programmatic storytelling.

  • 20th Century and Onward: Highly diverse, fragmented, and authentically international.

  • The Historical Pendulum: Western aesthetic philosophy swings continually between Classical ideals (order, balance, rationality) and Romantic ideals (emotion, freedom, intuition).

Vienna & The Geopolitical Landscape

  • Capital of the Holy Roman Empire:

    • Center of Germanic and central European political power.

    • Extended from Charlemagne's coronation in 800 A.D. until 1806, when Napoleon Bonaparte's military victories dissolved the empire.

  • The Hofburg Palace (Vienna):

    • The "Castle of the Court," serving as the winter seat of imperial power.

    • Ruled by the Habsburg dynasty for over six centuries (nearly a millennium of regional influence).

    • Made Vienna the primary cultural and musical capital of Europe.

The French Enlightenment & The Revolutionary Era

  • The French Enlightenment:

    • Began with the death of King Louis XIV in 1715, signaling the decline of absolute monarchical power and the rise of democratic ideals.

    • Transitioned European thought toward the "Age of Reason" (centered in Paris, the "City of Light").

    • Influential philosophers included:

    • Voltaire: Satirist and advocate for civil liberties and religious freedom; imprisoned in the Bastille before emerging as a major philosophical voice.

    • Denis Diderot: Chief editor of the Encyclopédie, promoting universal knowledge secularly.

    • Pierre Beaumarchais: Playwright whose subversive Figaro plays challenged aristocratic privilege.

    • Significant weakening of the social and political power of the Catholic Church.

  • Secret & Subversive Societies:

    • Freemasons: Founded in London in 1717 and spreading rapidly through Europe; promoted fraternity, Enlightenment ideals, and rationalism.

  • Revolutionary Upheavals:

    • American Revolution (1776): Benjamin Franklin served as U.S. Ambassador to France, gaining diplomatic and philosophical support.

    • French Revolution (1789):

    • Storming of the Bastille Prison on July 14, 1789 in Paris.

    • The Bastille site now houses the modern Opéra de la Bastille (Opéra de Paris).

    • Napoleon Bonaparte: Rose as a general defending revolutionary democratic principles before crowning himself Emperor of France and King of Italy.

The Composer-Patron System

  • Historical Evolution of Musical Patronage:

    • Middle Ages: The Catholic Church was the primary financial source and employer.

    • Renaissance: Divided between the Church and noble family dynasty courts.

    • Baroque: Supported by the Church and absolute monarchies.

    • Classical: Relied heavily on the aristocratic composer-patron system, transitioning gradually toward independent public enterprise.

  • The First Viennese School Masters:

    • Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809):

    • Worked for 30 years as a high-class liveried servant under the wealthy Hungarian Prince Nikolaus Esterházy at Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt (located 45 minutes southeast of Vienna; border shifts after WWI placed Eisenstadt in modern Austria, 7 miles from Hungary).

    • Performed in the historic Haydnsaal concert hall.

    • Known as the "Father of the Symphony" (composed 104 cataloged symphonies) and "Father of the String Quartet".

    • Fully integrated the timpani as a permanent, standard component of the symphonic orchestra.

    • Wrote 20–25 operas (immensely popular in his day, though rarely staged today compared to Mozart's).

    • Both Haydn and Mozart were active members of the Freemasons.

    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791):

    • Left the patronage of the Archbishop of Salzburg to work as a freelance composer, performer, and opera writer in Vienna.

    • Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827):

    • The pivotal transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras.

    • The first major Western composer to work entirely without a traditional court or church patron, earning income through publishing fees, public concerts, and aristocratic stipends without servant obligations.

  • Organological Innovations:

    • Emergence of the clarinet as a standard orchestral voice (greatly popularized by Mozart).

    • The fortepiano supplanted the harpsichord as the central keyboard instrument due to its dynamic responsiveness.

Mozart's Don Giovanni (Act 1 Analysis)

  • Genre & Form:

    • Categorized as a dramma giocoso (drama with jokes) and a numbers opera (structured around self-contained musical numbers: arias, duets, ensembles, and recitatives).

    • Libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte.

    • Blends light opera buffa elements with dark, macabre, and supernatural themes.

  • Act 1 Narrative and Musical Progression:

    1. Introduction ("Notte e giorno faticar"):

    • Don Giovanni's servant, Leporello, complains outside while Giovanni attempts to violate Donna Anna inside her palace.

    1. The Duel and Vow of Vengeance:

    • Donna Anna's father, the Commendatore, challenges Don Giovanni to a duel; Giovanni kills him in combat and flees.

    • Donna Anna (dramatic coloratura soprano) and her fiancé, Don Ottavio (lyric tenor), discover the body and swear an oath to avenge the murder (the central dramatic arc).

    1. Arrival of Donna Elvira & The Catalogue Aria:

    • Donna Elvira (lyric soprano) arrives from Burgos, Spain, seeking Giovanni, who abandoned her.

    • Leporello distracts her with the "Catalogue Aria" (Madamina, il catalogo è questo), listing Giovanni's thousands of romantic conquests across Europe.

    1. The Peasant Wedding & Seduction Attempt:

    • A rustic wedding party enters: Zerlina (soprano soubrette) and Masetto (bass).

    • Giovanni asserts aristocratic dominance, forcing Masetto to leave.

    • Giovanni attempts to seduce Zerlina in the famous duet "Là ci darem la mano" ("There we will give each other our hands").

    • Donna Elvira storms in, interrupts the seduction, warns Zerlina of Giovanni's deceit, and leads her away.

    1. The Recognition:

    • Donna Elvira confronts Don Giovanni in front of Donna Anna and Don Ottavio.

    • Giovanni dismisses Elvira as mad; however, upon his departure, Donna Anna recognizes Giovanni's voice as that of her attacker and father's murderer.

    1. The Vengeful Trio & "Champagne Aria":

    • Anna, Ottavio, and Elvira form a united front to expose Giovanni.

    • Giovanni sings the brief, hyperactive "Champagne Aria" (Fin ch'han dal vino) (lasting roughly 1:20), detailing his lavish party plans to intoxicate guests and add names to his catalog.

    1. Zerlina and Masetto's Reconciliation:

    • Masetto confronts Zerlina about her flirtation.

    • Zerlina mollifies his anger with the lyrical aria "Batti, batti, o bel Masetto" ("Beat me, beat me, oh dear Masetto"), re-establishing their bond.