The Classical Period

Some characteristics of the classical period included:
-changing musical audience, more middle class
-more flexible, varied approach to the single piece or movement
-increased desired for clarity and transparency in structure, partly as a reflection of a less sophisticated audience.
-extreme development of tonality and harmony and the way it governed melody and phrasing

During this time, the tonal system was firmly established and began to dictate the form of a piece. Harmony was also being expanded beyond the previous simple terms of consonance and dissonance.  Jean-Philippe Rameau wrote a treatise on functional harmony and gave names to things we study regularly today such as: tonic, dominant, sub dominant, and modulation. This was a huge development in music. Composers had unlocked the door into the realms of complex harmony and melodic writing. The thought that "melody should be derived from harmony" gave way to a whole new means of expression. Until this realization, the vertical element in music was primarily conceived as the product of simultaneous tones in horizontal melodic lines. This idea became weaker, while the idea of triads and emphasis on a more instrumental skipping motion grew.

The patronage system continued to support most musicians and many musical centers and courts were born throughout Europe. The symphony replaced the concerto grosso and orchestral suite. The string quartet replaced the trio sonata and was the chamber music genre of the classical period. Out of the Baroque concerto grosso and sinfonia concertantae grew the solo concerto, which was basically a three movement version of the sonata form. A new type of work, divertimento, was composed for less formal entertainment, in noble households rather than for concert halls or courts.

 The model for expression in the classical period was drama. Opera was developed and expanded upon, and contained musical dialogue and lots of drama. Different kinds of opera arose, such as opera buffe, a comedic genre. Another dramatic aspect is created in this music when events come together in a meaningful way. For instance, tonal instability is often highlighted by motivic fragmentation or brilliant passage work, while tonal arrivals are given significance by the simultaneous arrivals of themes, change in dynamics, texture and scoring.

Franz Joseph Haydn is called the 'father of the string quartet. He set the standards on which quartets developed during the classical period and beyond and wrote over 90 quartets. In his Quartet Op. 33 No. 2 (The Joke), he plays with the listener's expectations. The music is filled with humor and an uncalled for ending.  By this time, the form and harmonic "flow" of music had been established, so that listeners had certain expectations for where the music was 'going'. Haydn's music sometimes took his audiences by surprise. This is the continued development of emotional expression and affect in music. Composers could let their creativity soar, within the boundaries of harmony at this point of course, and the music created during this period covered every affect and emotion one could think of. Just think about the music created only 300 years earlier. That's a short time in the history of music and a huge jump in the means by which composers could be expressive. The time period between the Baroque and Late-Romantic (about 250 years) showed such a fast rate of development in music compared to the rate of development during the early years of history (music from the 10th-15th centuries). It just shows how quickly history progresses when certain technologies are introduced.