Introduction

to the Classical Era

Dr. Lara Housez
School of the Arts
McMaster University

The Classical Era (1750-1800)

Middle Ages 476-1425, Renaissance 1425-1600, , baroque 1600- 1750classical 1750-1800, 19th
century 1800-1900, 20th century 1901-2000

What does classical mean?

The Classical Era follows the Baroque Era
(1600-1750), which privileged
ornamentation, virtuosity, and emotional
expressiveness, as exempliGied in the works of
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
The two leading composers of the Classical Era
were Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
concerto feature: soloist + instrumental accompaniment
concerti crossi

Bach (top
L), Handel
(top R),
Mozart
(bottom L),
and Haydn
(bottom R)

The Age of Enlightenment

(1720-1790)
Enlightenment thought held that
reason could bring humankind to a
new age of splendor, freed from the
dark suspicions of the past
Science became more important
Power was believed to stem from
critical thinking and reasoning
rather than overwhelming
spectacle and displays of opulence

The Classical Style in Architecture

Excessive ornamentation gave way to
Classical ideals of balance and clarity

Vilnius (Classical, 18C)

Reims
(Gothic, 13C)

The Classical Style in Music

In the Classical Era, the new kinds of thinking
favoured music that demonstrated balance,
clarity, proportion, and naturalness
Melodies: more tuneful and less complicated
- pretty, elegant
Textures: favour melody plus accompaniment
(see score of piano sonata) rather than polyphonic
(which seemed less natural) easy melody, highly performable
Note: The textbook refers to a texture with melody plus
accompaniment as homophonic

Forms: greater use of contrast, as in sonata form

Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545, mvt. 1

 Genres: elevation of instrumental music

(language of the heart vs. language of the
mind), including:
String quartets (for 2 violins, viola, and cello)
Symphonies (for orchestra)
Sonatas (for soloists or a small ensemble of
players)
Concertos (for soloists plus orchestra)
Note: Operas, which featured words, were popular
too but they tended to portray real-life characters
and situations as opposed to the mythological and
historical Gigures that populate so much of Baroque
opera opera buffa = comic opera

 Melodic phrase structures: more balanced

and symmetrical (see score of string quartet)

Haydn, String Quartet, Op. 33, No. 2 (The Joke), mvt. 1

Revolutionary Times
Growing mood of discontent with the
established order of society
The American Revolution (1775-1781)
established independence of the US from
Great Britain
The French Revolution (1789) overthrew
the power of what until that point had been
the worlds most powerful monarchy
first state-run conservation at music

Music and the New Economy

Many national and local economies based
on agriculture began to shift to industry
Cities grew rapidly and this growth in
urban populations created new demands for
cultural institutions

 Composers like Haydn and Mozart had to

write in ways that would appeal to their
growing audiences (and not vice versa)

Johann Zoffany, George, 3rd

Earl Cowper, with the Family
of Charles Gore (1775)

Musical Examples from the

Classical Era
Lecture #5: Haydn, String Quartet in C Major, op.
76, no. 3, 2nd mvt. (1797)
Lecture #6: Haydn, Symphony No. 102 in B-Glat
Major, 3rd and 4th mvts. (1795)
Lecture #7: Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K.
550, 1st mvt. (1788)
Lecture #8: Mozart, Piano Concerto in A Major, K.
488, 1st mvt. (1786)
Lecture #9: Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro, Act I,
Cosa sento (1786)
Lecture #10: William Billings, Chester (1770)

For Wednesday
Read: pp. 172-180
Listen: CD 2, track 8 (Haydn, String Quartet
in C Major, op. 76, no. 3, 2nd mvt .)