Early Classical Period Highlights PDF

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Things that made the Early Classical Period what it was...

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Early Classical Period Highlights 1. Europe in the 18th century a. Louis XIV and Louis XV i. HUGE patrons of the arts b. Imperialism i. England takes India, Canada, and the Caribbean ii. Austria takes Hungary 1. Austrio-Hungarian Empire a. Vienna can be found here c. This is known as the age of enlightenment i. A big time of scientific discovery and exploration 2. Terms a. Style galant i. The root of classical music ii. Melody 1. Simple, sometimes ornate a. Short phrases and appoggiaturas b. Empfindsamer stil i. Sensitive or sentimental style ii. This was meant to be expressive 1. This encourages sudden shifts of harmony, rhythm, dynamics, and so on iii. Vocal music 1. Sounds like style galant iv. C.P.E Bach was the best known for this style c. Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) i. Borrowed from German literature 1. This style tried to arouse extreme emotions 3. Rise of Mostly Comic Opera a. Intermezzi i. Not to be confused with intermedio ii. This opera is known as the funny opera 1. It started off as comic relief between acts of a serious opera, or opera seria (usually tragic) 2. Simple plots often based on stock situations and charicters of commedia dell’arte b. La serva padrona i. The maid and mistriss ii. Synopsis 1. A two part intermezzo intended to be performed between the acts of and opera seria 2. Contains only two singing charicters a. Uberto i. A wealthy, older bachelor, has been the guardian of his maid. Serpina, while she grew up

b. Serpina i. Uberto’s maid, very headstrong, and very disobedient 3. Plot a. Uberto wants to get married, and Serpina wants him to marry her. b. She tricks Uberto into thinking she’s getting married. c. Eventually he faces an internal conflict and realizes he’s in love with her c. Opera Comique i. Late Medieval 1. The French already had their own version of theater d. Singspiel i. German ii. A sing play 1. Operetta or musical comedy e. Balled Operas i. British 1. They were heavily influenced by the French and Italian ii. The Beggar’s Opera 1. John Gay wrote the text, not the music a. Drama is centralized b. It’s a satire of politics and norms of theatrical style in early 18th century England i. Main characters are the low-life people of society 1. Prostitutes, thieves, beggars and the like iii. Gluck 1. Famous for opera reform 2. Aims as printed in the preface to Gluck’s opera a. Do not use unnecessary ornamentation b. Have the aria fit the dramatic situation c. Remove the sharp contrast in style between the recitative and aria i. Make the recitatives more aria like d. Have the overture relate to the drama that follows 3. This balanced music and drama a. There was a stronger orchestra presence b. This formed more of a cosmopolitian opera i. Combining the best of all three styles 4. Orfeo ed Euridice 4. The Rise of Instrumental Music a. String quartet i. This was developed for social music making b. Sonata i. This became the leading genre for solo and chamber music

c. Concerto and Symphony i. Sonata from emerges in both d. Scarlatti i. Early apppointments in Italy as composer and organist ii. He wrote 555 keyboard sonatas 1. He called them essercizi a. These were mostly written for harpsichord and some for organ iii. His style 1. Binary of rounded binary form 2. Virtuosic techniques a. Hand crossings b. Parallel third runs c. Rapid repeated notes d. Big leaps 3. Unusual modulations, and ostinato patterns a. Also irregular phrase lengths 4. Acciaccatura ornaments a. Crushed grace notes i. When an unprepared and unresolved dissonant non chord tone is sounded simultaneously with a chord tone e. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) i. Second surviving son of J.S. Bach ii. Prolific composer, theorist, keyboard teacher, and performer 1. His father is his only music teacher a. He studied theology and liberal studies at Leipzig University iii. His style 1. Sonata in A Major Mvt II a. Keyboard sonata (1765) b. Written for amateurs to play for their own enjoyment i. Written in the empfindsamer style c. Ornamentation used as expression i. Not merely decoration d. Constantly changing rhythm i. This gives it a restless feeling 1. Storm und Drang!!!! e. Binary form with no repeats 5. Sonata Form a. An 18th Century outgrowth of binary and rounded binary form i. Development indicates that the beginning of the B section was somehow based upon material already heard b. By the late 18th century, sonata form has undergone many changes i. The form varies by composer, piece, and time, but this diagram provides a typical example of the late 18th century sonata form c. Harmony and melody are the primary determents of the sections

i. Harmony is ultimately the most important determinant of the formal divisions ii. As a listener though, melodic aspects are probably easier to hear and remember 6. The Pre-Classic Symphony a. Primary forerunner i. Italian opera overture 1. The sinfonia a. Fast-slow-fast sections i. In 1730, Independent sinfonias were written 1. Not associated with opera b. These had three movements in the tempo and order of the three sections of the Italian opera overture 2. By the 1740s, This wound up replacing the concerto as the most prominent type of large group instrumental concert music b. Typical orchestration i. Two Oboes, sometimes two flutes instead, two horns, strings, and basso continuo c. As it progresses i. Basso continuo disappears ii. Woodwinds gradually added 1. This is often in pairs iii. By the late 18th century 1. Trumpets and timpani used frequently iv. Early 19th century 1. Trombones began to appear a. And saxophones…. Shiet. d. The Conductor i. Late baroque and pre-classical 1. Sinfonia probably lead by the harpsichord player a. This can also be the concertmaster as well ii. Intro to the classical period 1. Appearance of a non performing conductor in front of the ensemble iii. By the Romantic period 1. Conductors used a baton 1. Mannheim, Germany (The Mannheim School) a. Some stylistic traits may not have been invented here, but this was extremely important and infulental i. This had to do with how much it was funded by the wealthy German aristocrats 2. Symphony Composers a. Sammartini (1701-1775) i. Probably wrote the first concert symphony with a rudimentary sonata form ii. He wrote at least fifty symphonies 1. These were mostly in pre-classical style, including basso continuo, in three movements, and so on iii. His works

1. Symphomy in F Major a. Fast – Slow – Fast i. Still uses basso continuo. They’re in the middle of this transition from baroque to classical b. Stamitz (1717-1757) i. Most important member of the Mannheim school 1. Composer, virtuoso violinist, director of instrumental music at the court, and conductor of the orchestra 2. Composed symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and some sacred music ii. His Style 1. He might be the first to use the classical four movement plan for a symphony. a. This was different from the usual three movements b. Between the third and fourth movement, the minuet and trio was added. 2. Additions to his music a. Unexpected silences i. Grand Pause b. Measured tremolos 3. His Tricks a. Mannheim roll i. Measured tremolos on a scale with and extended crescendo b. Mannheim Rocket i. A rapid upard arpeggio oer a wide range with a crescendo c. Johann Christian Bach (J.C. Bach) i. Youngest son of J.S Bach ii. His life 1. 1754 a. He goes to Italy as an organist and opera composer 2. 1762 a. He went to London where he stayed i. He became a royal music master and successful teacher ii. He began Establishing public concerts 3. 1770s a. He fell out of favor and ran into financial trouble i. He was certainly a style galant writer iii. Style 1. Mozart does admittedly steal his ideas a. The biggest is the sonata concerto style, from beginning to cadenza, to end iv. Music

1. Concerto for Harpsichord or Piano and Strings in E flat major a. Keyboard concerto i. Sonata concerto form 3. The Concerto a. Concerto remained a popular genre through the Classic era b. This continued to be three movements c. The first movement is often in Sonata concerto form i. A blend of ritornello with sonata form...