IB Music/Music History/Classical Period

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Characteristics

Contrast of mood

  1. Contrasting themes in movements
  2. Mood could change suddenly or gradually

Rhythm

  1. Flexibility of rhythm
  2. Pauses, syncopation, changes from long to short notes

Texture

  1. Basically homophonic
  2. Also intervals of complex polyphony and imitation

Melody

  1. Tuneful, easy to remember
  2. Some borrowed from folk or popular music
  3. Balanced, symmetrical

Dynamics and the piano

  1. Gradual dynamic change: crescendo and decrescendo
  2. Piano replaced harpsichord because of finger pressure

The end of the basso continuo

  1. Gradually abandoned during classical period
  2. music written for amateurs--couldn’t handle figured bass
  3. Wanted more control over accompaniment

The classical orchestra

  1. Standard 4 sections: brass, woodwind, strings, percussion
    • 1st violins, 2nd violins, violas, cellos, double basses
    • 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons
    • 2 French horns, 2 trumpets
    • 2 timpani
  2. Trombones in opera and church music
  3. More musicians than a baroque group
  4. Tone color more important
  5. Strings most important
  6. Woodwinds given melodic solos
  7. Brass brought power, harmony, but didn’t play melody
  8. Timpani for rhythmic emphasis

Classical forms

  1. Several movements that contrast in tempo and character
    • Fast movement
    • Slow movement
    • Dance-related movement
    • Fast movement
  2. Each movement could have different forms
    • A BA or theme and variations
    • Could have 2, 3, 4 contrasting themes
    • Sections balance each other

Sonata form

  1. aka the sonata allegro form
  2. not the same as a sonata (which is a whole composition)
  3. is one movement of a classical symphony (the first and sometimes the last)
  4. there are 3 main sections: Exposition, Development, Recapitulation and sometimes a Coda

Exposition

  1. first movement and its in the tonic key
  2. bridge containing modulation from tonic to new key
  3. second theme presented in new key
  4. closing section in new key
  5. at the end there is a repeat

Development

  1. new treatment of themes (can modulate through similar ways as development in a Baroque fugue: augmentation, diminution, inversion, retrograde ect)
  2. modulations to new keys

Recapitulation

  1. first theme is in tonic key
  2. bridge
  3. second theme is in tonic key
  4. closing section is in tonic key

Coda

  1. in tonic key

Contextual Features

The practice of the Classical period would become decisive for the sonata; the term moved from being one of many terms indicating genres or forms, to designating the fundamental form of organization for large-scale works. This evolution stretched over fifty years. The term came to apply both to the structure of individual movements (see Sonata form and History of sonata form) and to the layout of the movements in a multi-movement work. In the transition to the Classical period there were several names given to multimovement works, including divertimento, serenade, and partita, many of which are now regarded effectively as sonatas. The usage of sonata as the standard term for such works began somewhere in the 1770s. Haydn labels his first piano sonata as such in 1771, after which the term divertimento is used very sparingly in his output. The term sonata was increasingly applied to either a work for keyboard alone (see Piano sonata), or for keyboard and one other instrument, often the violin or cello. It was less and less frequently applied to works with more than two instrumentalists; for example piano trios were not often labelled sonata for piano, violin, and cello. Initially the most common layout of movements was: 1. Allegro, which at the time was understood to mean not only a tempo, but also some degree of "working out", or development, of the theme. (See Charles Rosen's The Classical Style, and his Sonata Forms.) 2. A middle movement which was, most frequently, a slow movement: an Andante, an Adagio, or a Largo; or, less frequently, a Minuet or Theme and Variations form. 3. A closing movement, early in the period sometimes a minuet, as in Haydn's first three piano sonatas, but afterwards, generally an Allegro or a Presto, often labelled Finale. The form was often a Rondo.

Theme and variations

  1. a basic motif that is repeated again and again that just slightly varies ie. the key, tempo, timbre, duration, ect change
  2. each variation is the same length as the theme

Minuet and trio

  1. Minuet is a social dance of French origin for two persons
  2. originated as a dance
  3. it is in 3/4
  4. it is ABA (minuet, trio, minuet)

Rondo

  1. main theme called a "refrain"
  2. the number of themes can vary between pieces, and sometimes the the recurring element is embellished or shortened in order to provide variation
  3. the refrain alternates with one or more contrasting themes called "episodes", but are occasionally called "digressions" or "couplets"
  4. the form can be seen as ABACA or ABACABA
  5. commonly used in the last movement of the classical symphony

The classical symphony

  1. instrumental (orchestra)
  2. 4 movements
    • 1. fast, in a binary form or later sonata form
    • 2. Slow
    • 3. Minuet and trio (later developed into the scherzo and trio), in ternary form and it is 3/4
    • 4. fast, sometimes also in sonata form. Other common possibilities are Rondo form or sonata-rondo

The classical concerto

  1. 3 movement work
    • 1. fast (sometimes a cadenza (solo))
    • 2. slow
    • 3. fast

Classical chamber music

was for 4-9 instruments

String Quartet

  1. fast
  2. slow
  3. minuet/ scherzo
  4. fast

Piano trio

Joseph Haydn

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Ludwig van Beethoven

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