Transcript Classical Period - HCC Learning Web

Classical Period
1750-1830
Classicism
• In the middle of the 18th century , Europe
began to move toward a new style in
architecture, literature, and the arts, generally
known as Classicism, which sought to emulate
the ideals of Classical antiquity and especially
those of Classical Greece.
• The new style was also a cleaner style —one
that favored clearer divisions between parts,
brighter contrasts and colors, and simplicity
rather than complexity.
• This taste for structural clarity worked its way into the
world of music, moving away from the layered
polyphony of the Baroque period, towards a style
where a melody over a subordinate harmony —a
combination called homophony— was preferred.
• This meant that the playing of chords, even if they
interrupted the melodic smoothness of a single part,
became a much more prevalent feature of music. This,
in turn, made the tonal structure of works more
audible.
• The new style was also pushed forward by changes in
the economic order and in social structure. As the 18th
century progressed, the nobility became the primary
patrons of instrumental music, and there was a rise in
the public taste for comic opera.
• This led to changes in the way music was
performed, the most crucial of which was the
move to standard instrumental groups and the
reduction in the importance of the continuo
• in the Classical period, all parts were noted
specifically, though not always notated.
• Since polyphonic texture was no longer the
main focus of music (excluding the
development section) but rather a single
melodic line with accompaniment, there was
greater emphasis on notating that line for
dynamics and phrasing.
• Forms such as the concerto and sonata were
more heavily defined and given more specific
rules
• The symphony was created in this period (this
is popularly attributed to Joseph Haydn).
• The concerto grosso (a concerto for more
than one musician) began to be replaced by
the solo concerto (a concerto featuring only
one soloist), and therefore began to place
more importance on the particular soloist's
ability to show off.
Main characteristics
• Classical music has a lighter, clearer texture than
Baroque music and is less complex. It is mainly
homophonic — melody above chordal
accompaniment (but counterpoint is by no means
forgotten, especially later in the period).
• Variety and contrast within a piece became more
pronounced than before.
– Variety of keys, melodies, rhythms and dynamics
(using crescendo, diminuendo and sforzando), along
with frequent changes of mood and timbre were more
commonplace in the Classical period than they had
been in the Baroque.
• Melodies tended to be shorter than those of
Baroque music, with clear-cut phrases and
clearly marked cadences.
• The Orchestra increased in size and range; the
harpsichord continuo fell out of use, and the
woodwind became a self-contained section.
As a solo instrument, the harpsichord was
replaced by the piano (or fortepiano).
• Importance was given to instrumental music
— the main kinds were sonata, trio, string
quartet, symphony, concerto, serenade and
divertimento. Sonata form developed and
became the most important form.
Classical Forms
• Instrumental compositions of the classical
period usually consist of several movements
that contrast in tempo and character. Often
four movements:
– 1.Fast movement
– 2. Slow movement
– 3. Dance movement
– 4. Fast movement
– Symphonies, String quartets, Sonata
Sonata Form
• Sonata form (also sonata-allegro form) is a
musical form that has been used widely since
the early Classical period.
• While it is typically used in the first movement
of multimovement pieces, it is sometimes
employed in subsequent movements as well.
• It consists of three main sections: an
exposition, a development, and a
recapitulation.
• It may begin with an introduction, which is, in general, slower than
the main movement. In terms of structure, introductions are an
upbeat before the main musical argument.
• The first required section is the exposition. The exposition presents
the primary thematic material for the movement: one or two
theme groups, often in contrasting styles and in opposing keys,
connected by a Bridge Passage (not to be confused with the term
'transition', which has a much different use). The exposition
typically concludes with a closing theme, a codetta, or both.
• The exposition is followed by the development where the harmonic
and textural possibilities of the thematic material are explored.
• The development then re-transitions back to the recapitulation
where the thematic material returns in the tonic key, and for the
recapitulation to complete the musical argument, material that has
not been stated in the tonic key is "resolved" by being played, in
whole or in part, in the tonic.
• The movement may conclude with a coda, beyond the final cadence
of the recapitulation.
Theme and Variations
• Variation forms include ground bass, passacaglia,
chaconne, and theme and variations.
• Ground bass, passacaglia and chaconne are
typically based on brief ostinato motifs providing
a repetitive harmonic basis and are also typically
continuous evolving structures.
• Theme and variation forms are however based
specifically on melodic variation, in which the
fundamental musical idea, or theme, is repeated
in altered form or accompanied in a different
manner.
• 'Theme and variation' structure generally begins with a
theme (which is itself sometimes preceded by an
introduction), typically between eight and thirty-two
bars in length; each variation, particularly in music of
the eighteenth century and earlier, will be of the same
length and structure as the theme.
– Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote a great number of
variations, such as the first movement of his Piano Sonata
in A, K. 331, or the finale of his Clarinet Quintet.
– Joseph Haydn specialized in sets of double variations, in
which two related themes, usually minor and major, are
presented and then varied in alternation; outstanding
examples are the slow movement of his Symphony No.
103, the Drumroll, and the Variations in F minor for piano,
H XVII:6.
• Ludwig van Beethoven wrote many variation sets in his career.
Some were independent sets, for instance the Diabelli Variations,
Op. 120. Others form single movements or parts of movements in
larger works, such as first movement of the Piano Sonata No. 12,
Op. 26, or the variations in the final movement of the Third
Symphony (Eroica). Variation sets also occur in several of his late
works, such as the slow movement of his String Quartet No. 12, Op.
127, the second movement of his final Piano Sonata No. 32, Op.
111, and the slow movement of the Ninth Symphony.
• Franz Schubert wrote five variation sets using his own lieder as
themes. Amongst them is the slow movement of his string quartet
Death and the Maiden D. 810, an intense set of variations on his
somber lied (D. 531) of the same title. Schubert's Piano Quintet in A
(The Trout, D. 667) likewise includes variations on his song The Trout
D. 550. The second movement of the Fantasie in C major comprises
a set of variations on Der Wanderer; indeed the work as a whole
takes its popular name from the lied.
Minuet and Trio
• A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of
French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time.
• The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and
French menuet, meaning small, pretty, delicate, a
diminutive of menu, from the Latin minutus; menuetto
is a word that occurs only on musical scores.
• The name may refer to the short steps, pas menus,
taken in the dance, popular group dances in early 17thcentury France (Little 2001). At the period when it was
most fashionable it was slow, soft, ceremonious, and
graceful.
• Often used as the third movement of Classical
symphonies, string quartets, etc.
The minuet movement
•
•
•
•
Triple meter ¾
Moderate tempo
ABA form: minuet (A), trio (B), minuet (A)
Listening:
– Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Third movement: Minuet
Sonata Rondo Form
• Sonata rondo form was a form of musical
organization often used during the Classical music
era. As the name implies, it is a blend of sonata
form and rondo form.
• Rondo form involves the repeated use of a
theme, set in the tonic key, with episodes, each
involving a new theme, intervening among the
repetitions, like this:
– A B A C A D A ...
Usually the episodes (B, C, D, etc.) are in a different
key from the tonic.
• Sonata form involves an opening section in the tonic,
followed by a transition to the dominant key. Together,
these musical events form the exposition.
• The following section is the development, which usually
employs material from the exposition, rearranging it in
various ways and migrating to musically remote keys.
• In the recapitulation, the original opening material is
repeated in some form, then the material that earlier
moved to the dominant is repeated in some form--but
this time in the tonic. In abstract terms, then, sonata
form looks like this:
• [A B']exp [C"]dev [A B]recap
• where a single prime (') means "in the dominant" and a
double prime (") means "in remote keys".
• The simplest kind of sonata rondo form is a
sonata form that repeats the opening material
in the tonic as the beginning of the
development section.
• [A B']exp [A C"]dev [A B]recap
• By adding in this extra appearance of A, the
form reads off as AB'AC"AB, hence the
alternation of A with "other" material that
characterizes the rondo.
Classical Symphony
• A symphony is an extended musical
composition in Western classical music,
scored almost always for orchestra.
• "Symphony" does not necessarily imply a
specific form, though most are composed
according to the sonata principle. Many
symphonies are tonal works in four
movements with the first in sonata form.
• For most of the Baroque period, the terms symphony and
sinfonia were used for a range of different compositions,
including instrumental pieces used in operas, sonatas and
concertos—usually part of a larger work.
• The opera sinfonia, or Italian overture had, by the 18th
century, a standard structure of three contrasting
movements: fast, slow, fast and dance-like.
• It is this form that is often considered as the direct
forerunner of the orchestral symphony.
• The terms "overture", "symphony" and "sinfonia" were
widely regarded as interchangeable for much of the 18th
century.
• Another important progenitor of the symphony was the
ripieno concerto—a relatively little-explored form
resembling a concerto for strings and continuo, but with no
solo instruments.
18th Century Symphony
• The early "Italian" style of symphony, often used
as overture and entr'acte in opera houses,
became a standard three movement form: a fast
movement, a slow movement, and then another
fast movement.
• Mozart's early symphonies are in this layout. The
early three-movement form was eventually
replaced by a four-movement layout, through
the addition of an additional middle movement,
which was dominant in the latter part of the 18th
century and most of the 19th century.
• The normal four-movement form became,
then
–
–
–
–
1. an opening sonata or allegro
2. a slow movement, such as Adagio
3. a minuet with trio or Scherzo (Beethoven)
4. an allegro, rondo, or sonata
• Each movement is a self-contained
composition with its own set of themes, but
the movements balance and complement
each other.
The Classical Concerto
• The Classical period brought the triumph of the solo
concerto over the group or multiple concerto, assisted
by the continued rise of the virtuoso soloist and the
growing demand for up-to-date works for performance
by amateurs.
• The concertos of this period show a broad transition
from Baroque to Classical style, though many are more
conservative than contemporaneous symphonies. Most
are in three movements, though a significant minority
adopt lighter two-movement patterns such as AllegroMinuet and Allegro-Rondo. Dance and rondo finales
are also frequent in three-movement concertos.
• The Classical period also witnessed the rise of
the keyboard concerto.
• Mozart’s 23 piano concertos are the crowning
achievement of the concerto in the 18th
century.
• Mozart’s approach in these concertos is often
clearly symphonic, both in the application of
formal symphonic principles-- The orchestra is
rendered fully capable of sustaining a
dramatic confrontation with the virtuosity and
individuality of the soloist.
• Ludwig van Beethoven’s five piano concertos date
from between about 1793 and 1809, (there is an
early work from 1784). They are longer than
Mozart's concertos, and call for even more
virtuosity from the soloist. Beethoven’s Violin
Concerto (1806) exhibits similar achievements Mozart’s five violin concertos are all early works
written in Salzburg in 1775.
• Joseph Haydn’s concertos are mostly from his
early career. Exceptions are the Piano Concerto in
D, the Cello Concerto in D, and the Trumpet
Concerto.
Classical Chamber Music
• Joseph Haydn is generally credited with
creating the modern form of chamber music
as we know it. In 83 string quartets, 45 piano
trios, and numerous string trios, duos and
wind ensembles.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart greatly expanded
its vocabulary. (7 piano trios and 2 piano
quartets)
– Haydn’s piano trio vs. Mozart
• Mozart introduced the newly invented clarinet
into the chamber music arsenal
– The Kegelstatt Trio for viola, clarinet and piano, K.
498, and the Quintet for Clarinet and String
Quartet, K. 581.
• He wrote six string quintets for two violins,
two violas and cello, which explore the rich
tenor tones of the violas, adding a new
dimension to the string quartet conversation.
• Six string quartets
• Beethoven made his formal debut as a composer
with three Piano Trios, Op. 1.
• Septet, Op. 20, established him as one of
Europe's most popular composers. The septet,
scored for violin, viola, cello, contrabass, clarinet,
horn and bassoon, was a huge hit. It was played
in concerts again and again.
• In his 17 string quartets,[24] composed over the
course of 37 of his 56 years, Beethoven goes from
classical composer par excellence to creator of
musical Romanticism, and finally transcends
classicism and romanticism to create a genre that
defies categorization.
Opera
• Opera is an art form in which singers and
musicians perform a dramatic work
combining text (called a libretto) and musical
score.
• Opera incorporates many of the elements of
spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and
costumes and sometimes includes dance.
• The performance is typically given in an opera
house, accompanied by an orchestra or
smaller musical ensemble.
Operatic terminology
• The words of an opera are known as the libretto
(literally "little book").
• Some composers, notably Richard Wagner, have
written their own libretti; others have worked in close
collaboration with their librettists, e.g. Mozart with
Lorenzo Da Ponte.
• Traditional opera, often referred to as "number opera",
consists of two modes of singing: recitative, the plotdriving passages sung in a style designed to imitate and
emphasize the inflections of speech, aria (an "air" or
formal song) in which the characters express their
emotions in a more structured melodic style.
• Duets, trios and other ensembles often occur,
and choruses are used to comment on the
action.
• During the Baroque and Classical periods,
recitative could appear in two basic forms:
secco (dry) recitative, accompanied only by
continuo, which was usually a harpsichord and
a cello; or accompagnato (also known as
strumentato) in which the orchestra provided
accompaniment.
• Mozart’s opera combined a superb sense of
drama, harmony, melody, and counterpoint to
write a series of comedies, notably Così fan
tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, and Don
Giovanni (in collaboration with Lorenzo Da
Ponte) which remain among the most-loved,
popular and well-known operas today.