Section A

1. Esterházy

The Esterházy family was a wealthy Hungarian family that employed Joseph Haydn for 30 years. They provided for him while requiring him to compose and perform music for their court.

2. Sonata Form

Sonata form is a musical structure consisting of three main sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation. It introduces musical themes, develops them through different keys, and brings them back together in the home key.

3. Empfindsamer Style

Empfindsamer Style, meaning "Sensitive Style," was an expressive musical style associated with C. P. E. Bach. It emphasized strong emotions through unexpected harmonies, dissonances, and rhythmic changes.

4. Enlightenment

The Enlightenment was an 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, education, and progress. Its ideas influenced society, politics, and the development of Classical music.

5. Mannheim Orchestra

The Mannheim Orchestra was one of the most influential orchestras of the early Classical period. It was known for synchronized bowing, precise performances, and dramatic crescendos.

6. Opera Buffa

Opera buffa was a form of Italian comic opera that focused on everyday characters and humorous situations. It often explored social class differences and conflicts between wealthy and ordinary people.

7. Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a form of theatrical entertainment that incorporated popular songs into loosely connected stories. It was similar to an early jukebox musical.

8. Gluck

Christoph Willibald Gluck was a composer known for reforming opera by prioritizing storytelling over elaborate vocal displays. He integrated music, choruses, and dances more closely with the dramatic plot.

9. Baryton

The baryton was a bowed string instrument with additional sympathetic strings that vibrated alongside the main strings. Prince Nikolaus Esterházy played it, inspiring Haydn to compose numerous pieces for the instrument.

10. Haydn

Joseph Haydn was an important Classical composer known for his contributions to symphonies and string quartets. He composed 104 traditionally numbered symphonies and spent much of his career working for the Esterházy family.

11. Piano Concerto

A piano concerto is a musical composition featuring a solo piano accompanied by an orchestra. It often includes contrasting themes, orchestral and solo passages, and a cadenza that showcases the pianist's abilities.

12. Da Capo Aria

A da capo aria is a Baroque vocal composition following an A–B–A structure. After a contrasting middle section, the singer returns to the opening section and typically adds vocal ornamentation.

13. Metastasio

Pietro Metastasio was an influential Italian librettist who wrote texts for operas during the late Baroque and early Classical periods. His librettos were frequently reused by different composers.

14. Symphony

A symphony is a large-scale orchestral composition typically consisting of multiple movements. During the Classical period, its first movement commonly followed sonata form.

15. Rondo

Rondo is a musical form featuring a recurring main theme, called the refrain, alternating with contrasting sections called episodes. A common structure is A–B–A–C–A.

16. The Beggar's Opera

The Beggar's Opera was a ballad opera written by John Gay in 1728. It featured ordinary London characters, incorporated popular melodies, and satirized society and traditional serious opera.

17. Farinelli

Farinelli was one of the most famous castrato singers of the Baroque period. He was celebrated for his extraordinary vocal range, technical skill, and performances in Italian opera.

18. W. A. Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a Classical composer and child prodigy who traveled throughout Europe performing music. He composed symphonies, piano concertos, sonatas, and famous operas before dying at age 35.

19. The Well-Tempered Clavier

The Well-Tempered Clavier is a collection of preludes and fugues composed by J. S. Bach in all 24 major and minor keys. It demonstrated how well-tempered tuning allowed keyboard music to be played in every key.

20. Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer and violinist famous for his instrumental concertos, particularly The Four Seasons. He taught and composed music for young female musicians at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice.

Section B


A barytone is a string instrument similar to a viola da gamba, It was popular during the 18th century, especially among European aristocrats. Joseph Haydn is the composer most associated with the barytone, having written over 120 trios for the instrument.




Section C

1. Antonio Vivaldi

  • Time: First half of 18th century

  • Composer: Antonio Vivaldi

  • Style: Baroque, ritornello form, fast violin passages

  • Performance: Concerts for aristocrats and public audiences


  1. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

  • Time: First half of 18th century

  • Composer: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

  • Style: Opera buffa, humorous, simple melodies

  • Performance: Comic intermezzo between opera acts


  1. Christoph Willibald Gluck

  • Time: Second half of 18th century

  • Composer: Christoph Willibald Gluck

  • Style: Opera reform, simplicity, emotional expression

  • Performance: Serious opera in theaters


  1. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

  • Time: Second half of 18th century

  • Composer: C. P. E. Bach

  • Style: Empfindsamer Stil, sudden emotional changes

  • Performance: Keyboard music for courts and private settings


  1. Johann Stamitz

  • Time: Second half of 18th century

  • Composer: Johann Stamitz

  • Style: Mannheim School, crescendos, dynamic contrasts

  • Performance: Court orchestra concerts


  1. William Billings

  • Time: Second half of 18th century

  • Composer: William Billings

  • Style: American sacred music, four-part harmony

  • Performance: Church singing and singing schools


  1. Joseph Haydn

  • Time: Second half of 18th century

  • Composer: Joseph Haydn

  • Style: Classical, string quartet, playful surprises

  • Performance: Aristocratic chamber music


  1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Symphony No. 41

  • Time: Second half of 18th century

  • Composer: W. A. Mozart

  • Style: Classical, sonata-rondo, complex counterpoint

  • Performance: Orchestral concerts


  1. Domenico Scarlatti

  • Time: First half of 18th century

  • Composer: Domenico Scarlatti

  • Style: Baroque, binary form, keyboard virtuosity

  • Performance: Royal court keyboard entertainment