Classical Period
Jul 23 '00
The year 1750 marked the death of J. S. Bach, however it also marked the advent of a new era in music--Classicism.
The Classical Period of music follows the tenets of the Classical Period of thought--simplicity, structure, organization, and cleanliness. When listening to music from this time, one almost wonders if it is too simple. It utilizes strict homophony nearly all of the time, and the harmonies employed are rarely extravagant. Also, what you hear is what you get, since there is absolutely no waste.
Forms such as the sonata and concerto became polished, as did the symphony. Instruments were also modernized, most notably the piano (the modern iteration did not exist until the Romantic Period), which all but replaced the other keyboard instruments. The orchestra was also changed and enlarged, but not to its present size.
Arguably the two biggest names in all of classical music are two of the most exemplary composers of this time: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig von Beethoven. The former is indicative of the early classical period and is probably the greatest talent ever known. His music sounds almost childishly easy, yet it has the more maturity and depth than music written by composers who lived twice as long as he. As my piano teacher has told me ad nauseam, you can play music of Mozart your entire life and never stop learning from it. The latter, Beethoven, may be the most popular composer ever due to his popular-appealing works such as "Fur Elise" and his Fifth Symphony. He was one of the first major composers to work without a benefactor, and as a result, his music was more personal and also more revolutionary than any before it, since he was writing for himself and his public, not a wealthy (and all too often musically ignorant) royal or aristocrat. His later music (exemplified by his last three piano sonatas) is almost Romantic in style, and he himself became an important figure in the German Romanticism movement. Due in part to a troubled past, his fiery music is easy to respond to on a visceral level.
With these two giants, many other composers from the Classical Period often go unnoticed. Haydn, who perfected the symphony (how could he not, he made over a hundred attempts to get it right!!!); Clementi, whose numerous sonatinas led to the modern sonata; and in some respects, Schubert, although he is often considered Romantic like Beethoven's later works.
Music follows the tides of thought. As the great thinkers moved from focus on reason to emotion, so too did the great musicians. 1825 is approximately the time when the transition from Classic to Romantic took place (Beethoven's death was in 1827).
**I couldn't choose just one period to write about, so I'm doing a series of these. Check them out!**
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