CLASSICAL MUSIC

0. INTRODUCTION

The  Classicism  was  the period  that marked  the  transition  from  the Early Modern Period to Contemporary  Age.  Musically,  we  delimit  its chronology between  the  years 1730  and 1820  approximatety.

In the  rest  of arts,  this  period  is known  as  “Neoclassicism”,  because  there

was  a new  return  to the ideals of Greco-Roman  culture  (based  on  reason,  at the service  of  balance  and  beauty).  Music shared  with those arts the  search  for  formal perfection  and  the  ideal  of  beauty.

The  18th  century  was  the  Age  of Enlightenment. This cultural  movement led  to  the French Revolution that broke  the  power  of  absolute  monarchies. Music  abandoned little by little  church  and  palace  circles  in order  to get closer  to bourgeois  circles  like private houses,  halls  and  public  concerts.  The composer  turned  more  and  more  into a liberal artist  who  wanted  to reach out  new  audiences  with humane  and  naturaI music, elegant and  pleasant for  everybody,  in which  formal  clarity  and  melodic simplicity predominated.

Watch this video to know get an overview about the Classicism in music.

1. MUSIC IN THE CLASSICAL PERIOD.

 MUSICAL ELEMENTS

· Melody is more understandable and more easily memorized because of its balanced structure.

· Mussical forms are based on proportion, balance, symmetry and a sectional structure

· Classical textures were tipically homophonic, with a single melodic line accompanied by nonmelodic materials or chords.

· Harmony is simple.

Melodic symmetry

 SECULAR VOCAL MUSIC

Opera  underwent  a change  during  the Classicism,  common  to the rest  of musical forms, which made  it  tend  towards  naturalness.  lt eliminated  the excesses  of the Baroque  and took  the  plots  and  characters  closer  to  people’s everyday lives. The music, according to this period was simpler and more understandble.

The opera  buffa  became  the  favorite  opera  genre  of  the Classicism. The  main composer  was  Wolfgang  Amadeus  Mozart  (1756-1791)  with “The Marriage  of  Figaro”, written  in  ltalian,  and The  Magic  Flute,  written  in German and,  therefore,  example  of singspiel.

ACTIVITY 2

The Magic Flute (German: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620) is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue.

Aria "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja"

Aria "Der Hölle Rache" ("Queen of the Night's).

1.3. RELIGIOUS VOCAL MUSIC

Oratorios and masses are still composed.

§ A requiem is a mass for the dead.

§ Mozart wrote one of the most celebrated requiems in music history: the Requiem in D minor.

The Requiem Mass
The Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626) by Wolfganf Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death.
Scene from "Amadeus" film where a dying Mozart dictates the different vocal and instrumental parts of "Confutatis" to Salieri, the Italian composer that worked at the Habsburg court.

"Dies Irae" (from the Sequence of the mass), by Claudio Abbado (conductor).

 1.4 INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

The  emancipation  of  instrumental  music  achieved  during  the Baroque  encouraged  the composers  of  the  classicism  to  continue  its  development.  The introduction  of new instruments  like  the piano  and  the clarinet,  new  and more  varied  chamber arrangements  and  the  evolution  of  the  orchestra  also helped  in  the  progress  of instrumental  music.

 ACTIVITY 3

1.4.1 The sonata scheme.

The  sonata became during  the  classicism  the main  composition  model  that  was applied  to the  first  movement  of  all  instrumental  forms.

· The  sonata  as  a  composition  scheme

The  structure  of  the sonata  responds  to a  three-part  scheme  formed by:

a. Exposition:  presentation  of  two musical  themes  linked  by means  of a modulating passage  called  <bridge>.  The theme  A  sets  the main  key  of  the piece  and  it usually has  an  energetic  nature.  The  theme  B  is  performed  in  a  neighboring  tonality  and  it usually  has  a more  lyrical  nature.

b.Development: the music  moves  to other  keys  by developing  and  combining  the material  from  the  two main themes.

c. Recapitulation: return  to exposition  but with small  modifications.  Both  themes  are presented  now in  the main key  in order  to have  a stronger  conclusive  nature.  lt usually ends  with a  final  coda  which  qathers  material  from one  or both  themes.

  

ACTIVITY 4

Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major), K. 525, is a 1787 composition for a chamber ensemble.

What difference do you notice  between the two fragments you hear?.

1.4.2 MAIN INSTRUMENTAL FORMS

The  instrumental  forms  of  the  Classicism use  the  sonata  scheme  in  their  first  movement, and are  differentiated  depending  on  the  different  instrumental  combinations  that appear:

· Sonata:  compound  instrumental  form bound  for one or  two solo instruments.

· Trio, quartet, quintet,  etc.:  compound  instrumental  forms  for chamber  ensembles  formed  by  three,  four,  five  or more  instruments.

· Symphony:  Compound  instrumental  form bound  for a whole  orchestra.  lt  is made  up of  four movements:Allegro,  Adagio,  Minuet or Scherzo  and  Allegro.

· Concerto:  compound  instrumental  form for orchestra  or soloist (usually  piano,  violin  or  some  wind  instrument).  lt has  three  movements:  Allegro,  Adagio  and  Allegro.

The most  important  instrumental  music  composers  were  the  three great  musicians  of  the Classicism:  Franz  Joseph  Haydn  (1732-1809), considered  the <father  of symphony>,  Wolfgang  Amadeus  Mozart (1756-1791)  and Ludwig  van Beethoven  (1770-1827),  who built  the bridge  towards  the next  stage:  Romanticism.

ACTIVITY 5
A. Identify the genre of these fragemts: string quartet, concert and symphony.




B. This music was adopted as a national anthem by a country. Do you which one?

C. Identify the soloist instrument and the movement of the next fragment.




ACTIVITY 6

Identify the tone of these melodies.




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