The Classic Era: 1750-1800

The Classic Era: 1750-1800

n  "Classic"

u Having to do with qualities that endure

u Appealing to a wide range of people

n  18th century

u A time of profound social and political change

n  Louis XIV of France died in 1715.

n  American War of Independence (1755–83)

n  French Revolution (1789–94)

n  Philosophical movement called "Enlightenment" colored the era.

n  The Enlightenment

u Also called "The Age of Reason"

u Led by French philosophers, Voltaire and Rousseau, who both died in 1778.

u Favored human over divine

u Favored reason over religion

u Favored clarity over complexity

u Favored improved education, elimination of superstition and prejudice, and breakdown of rigid class structure

u Favored individual freedom and equality over class system

n  Vienna, Austria

u Place where Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven lived and worked

u By the end of the century, the musical center of Europe

The Musical Public:

n  Public concerts became common in London, Paris, Vienna, Prague, and across Europe.

n  Music publishing became big business.

u Sheet music for amateur performers

Musical Characteristics

n  Primary features

u Balance

u Proportion

u Clarity

u Accessibility

n  Easy listening

n  A reaction to the complexity of Baroque music

n  Simple melody + accompaniment, light and simple.

n  The main genres of this period were secular.

u Opera

u Symphony

u String quartet (occasionally string quintets)

u Sonata

n  Opera

u Staged in the palaces of a few very wealthy aristocrats or in the public opera houses of big cities such as Prague, Paris, or Vienna

n  Symphony

u Most important genre in the Classical Era

u Dates from about 1730, but Mozart and Haydn took it to new levels of maturity.

u Started as an overture

n  An introductory piece to Italian opera

n  Chamber music

u Designed to be played in smaller rooms instead of concert halls

The Classic MASTERS:

n  Haydn and Mozart

u Extremely prolific

u Common musical language and techniques

u Stood out from contemporarites

Franz Joseph Haydn:

n  Born in a small village in Austria, one of 12 children

n  Surrounded by music and showed talent at an early age

n  At age 8, became a choirboy at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna

n  Learned to play harpsichord and violin

n  Made his living for 10 years in local orchestras

n  Most famous for his quartets

n  "Joke Quartets"

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:

n  Born to a musical family in 1756.

u Father was a violinist and composer.

u Sister was also a talented musician.

n  Started composing at age 6 and was playing the harpsichord brilliantly

n  Principal teacher was his father, Leopold.

n  Wherever he went, he picked up the musical style of the region and its prominent local composers.

n  By age 8, some of his music was already published.

n  By age 10, he was writing symphonies.

n  As a young adult, he had difficulty finding a job because he was "overqualified."

n  Finally, he earned his living freelance by giving piano lessons.

n  Mozart was a very prolific composer who only lived 35 years.

n  Wrote all the main genres of classical music: operas, symphonies, string quartets, and sonatas.

n  Famous operas

u The Marriage of Figaro (1786)

u Don Giovanni (1787)

u The Magic Flute (1791)