Music and the Classical Era

1750-1820

Viennese Classical Music

• It’s all in the Definition:

– Generic – Specific – Attitude – Musically

The Times They Are A-ChangingThe Age of Reason and Enlightenment

• Philosophical Underpinnings– A quest for truth and social justice pervaded this culture. – France:

Voltaire (1694-1778)

• Born, François-Marie Arouet • Enlightenment writer, essayist, deist and philosopher

• works and ideas would influence important thinkers of both the

American and French Revolutions

Jean-Jacques Rouseau (1712-1778)

A philospher and composer of the Enlightenment

His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution, the development of both liberal and socialist theory, and the growth of nationalism.

Important contributions to music as a theorist and a composer

– England: John Locke (1632-1704)• All people are born good, independent and equal

and that all governments derived their right to govern from the consent of the people, not any hereditary rights granted by God.

Monarchy: The Declining Institution

• Catherine the Great of Russia (1729-1796)

• Frederick the Great of Prussia (1712-1786)

• Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780)

• Joseph II of Austria (1741-1790)

• Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette

(1754-1793) (1755-1793)

Scientific Advancements

• Properties of electricityBenjamin Franklin, 1752

• Vaccines - Smallpox

Benjamin Franklin

(1706-1790)

Lightning Rod

Bifocal Glasses

Bifocal Sketch

Edward Jenner

(1749-1823)

Intellectual Advancements

• Encyclopedia - Encyclopédie

Denis Diderot

(1713-1784)Encyclopédie, 1751

Science Plate

• Philosophical Debate and Writing– Jean-Jacques Rousseau– Edward Gibbon

• Salons – The Role of Women

Revolution

• Industrial Revolution– Britain, late 1700’s– Technological developments were catalysts for the

change from a rural, farm-based society to an urban, industrial one

Eli Whitney and Cotton Gin

James Watt and Steam Engine

Gas Street Lamp

Spinning Jenny

Sewing Machine

Political Revolution

• American Revolution (1775-1783) – inspired by the Enlightenment – the 13 colonies of North America become restless and dissatisfied with their rule

by the British monarchy. – Declaration of Independence in 1776 stated the rights of the 13 colonies to rule

themselves; thus becoming a country based on the idea that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

• French Revolution (1789-1799)– inspired by the Enlightenment and the American Declaration of

Independence

– opposition to the monarchy spread rapidly from the property owners and the middle classes to the peasants and resulted in a bloody uprising.

– Motto – “Liberty, equality, fraternity.” The monarchy was abolished, nobility put to death and a new republic set up.

Vienna: The Center of the Musical Universe

Visual Arts in the Classical Era

• Rococo (after 1715)– This new style was called Rococo (after the French word rocaille,

meaning “rock-work” – hallmark of this style was the curved line as found in sea-shells and flowers). Rococo style (light and frivolous) differed greatly from the emotionally charged, highly decorative Baroque art. Paris was the center of this new style.

• Neoclassical– During the Enlightenment period there were great archeological

discoveries made, particularly from ancient Greece and Rome. The ideas, designs and style of the ancient Greeks and Romans were particularly fitting for the new period of enlightenment. The Neoclassical style differentiated itself from the Rococo style in is simplicity and naturalness.

Rococo Architecture

• The stateliness and grandeur of the Baroque was replaced with smaller-scale grace and refinement, pastel colors became more popular, rooms were designed not to impress but to give pleasure and to be suitable for elegant conversation.

Rococo Painting• As opposed to the monumental-sized works of the Baroque, Rococo

painters painted popular scenes with elegant men and women enjoying themselves. Instead of heroic struggles, these paintings revealed daily life of the nobility.

• Most popular were scenes taken from the elegant outdoor entertainments that were called fêtes galantes.

The Swing

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806)

François Boucher (1703-1770)

The Music Lesson

Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)

A Pilgrimage to Cytheria

• Fêtes galantes style was countered by Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin (1699-1799)who found inspiration in the lives of ordinary people and all that surrounded them.

Chardin Self-Portrait

Le Dejeuner

Back from the Market

Table Still Life

Neoclassical Visual Art

• During the Enlightenment period there were great archeological discoveries made, particularly from ancient Greece and Rome.

• The ideas, designs and style of the ancient Greeks and Romans were particularly fitting for the new period of enlightenment.

• The Neoclassical style differentiated itself from the Rococo style in is simplicity and naturalness.

Neoclassical Architecture

La Madeleine, Paris

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel Paris

The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

The Rotunda, University of Virginia

Neoclassical Painting

• Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825)

Madame Recamier

The Oath of Horatii

Neoclassical Sculpture

Moved from the dramatic, emotional forms to more idealized classical poses.

• Antonio Canova

Cupid and Psyche

Napoleon

• Jean-Antoine Houdon

Voltaire

Washington

Musical Arts in the Classical Era

• Life as a Classical Artist– Artists of the 18th century generally functioned under

the system of aristocratic patronage. – Socially, they were little better than servants. While

this was often distasteful to them, they were provided with economic security and a social framework within which he/she could function as a musician.

– Yet, each major composer (Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven) began to pull away from the patronage system.

• Musical Life in Society– An important aspect of musical life in the

Classical period was the rise of the public concert.

– This phenomenon was possible due most to the larger and more prosperous middle class.

– Tickets could be purchased for single events or for full series.

– Concerts in this time were much longer than concerts are today and unlike our concerts, most of the music heard was new works.

Baroque and Classical Comparison

Dates 1600-1750 1750-1820

Geographical Center Italy, France, Germany, England

Vienna, Austria

Timbre Vocal and instrumental Instrumental

Texture Polyphony/homophony Homophony

Melody Longer and instrumentally conceived

Symmetrical, balanced, question/answer

Dynamics Terraced Gradual

Accompaniment Harpsichord pianoforte

Orchestra Small (20-40), mostly strings

30-40 with the four instrumental families used more independently

Form Binary, Ternary Sonata-Allegro, Theme and Variations, Rondo, Minuet and Trio

Harmony Tonal Tonal

Rhythm Metric, motoric, elaborate Simple, metric

Baroque Classical

Classical Orchestra

• Blending of the four orchestral families: strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion

• 30 to 40 players• Gradual dynamics established

(Mannheim crescendo)

Pianoforte

Musical Genres

• Vocal– Mass and Requiem Mass– Art Song: a pairing between music and

literature– Oratorio– Opera: opera seria, opera buffa

Instrumental Genres• Sonata

– Three movements– Most written for solo piano, violin or cello sonatas– Important for the amateur players

• Solo Concerto– Three movements: fast, slow, fast– Piano and violin were the common soloists

• Symphony– 1st movement: sonata-allegro form– 2nd movement: three part form (ABA)– 3rd movement: minuet and trio form– 4th movement: rondo or sonata-allegro form

• String Quartet– Two violins, a viola and a cello– Four movements

Form in the Classical Tradition

• Sonata-Allegro

• Theme and Variation

• Minuet and Trio

• Rondo

Elements of Music

• Melody – vocal in conception, symmetrical, question and answer

• Harmony - tonal• Rhythm – simple, metric• Texture – homophony and for accompaniments, Alberti

Bass• Dynamics - gradual• Timbre

– Vocal: SATB

– Instrumental: string, woodwind, brass, percussion

– Keyboard: piano (Alberti Bass)

• Form – sonata-allegro, theme and variation, minuet and trio, rondo

Composers

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)– Sonata Form– Minuet and trio Form– Opera

• Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824)• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

– Rondo Form– Sonata Form

• Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)– theme and variation

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

The Mozart Family: Nannerl, Wolfgang and Leopold

Mozart as a Child

Mozart as Young Adult

Mozart and Costanze

Sonata-allegro Form

• Symphony No. 40, K. 550, 1788– 1st movement: Molto Allegro

Minuet and Trio

• Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, 1788– 3rd Movement: Menuetto (Allegretto)

Classical Opera

• Don Giovanni (Don Juan), 1787, Mozart– Act I: Duet: “La ci darem la mano” (There

you will give me your hand)

Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824)

• “Morgenlied eines armen Mannes”

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Age 13

As an adult

Rondo Form

• String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4, 1798-1800– 4th Movement: Rondo (Allegro)

A B A C A

A B A C A B A

Sonata Form

• Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, 1808– 1st Movement: Allegro con brio

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Esterhaza Palace

Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy

Theme and Variation

• Symphony No. 94 in G Major (Surprise, 1791)– 2nd Movement: Andante