Classicism & Classical Music

1. Classicism & Classical Music • Chapter 15

2. Cultural Setting • 1750 - 1820 • Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire center of musical activity • Renewed interest in Greek & Roman history, philosophy, architecture, etc.

3. Descartes • “I doubt, • therefore I think, • therefore I am.”

4. Age of Reason/Enlightenment • “Some years ago I was struck by the large number of falsehoods that I had accepted as true in my childhood, and by the highly doubtful nature of the whole edifice that I had subsequently based on them. I realized that it was necessary, once in the course of my life, to demolish everything completely and start again right from the foundations if I wanted to establish anything at all in the sciences that was stable and likely to last.” • This movement provided the framework for the American and the French revolutions.

5. Versailles

6. French Revolution Sans-coulottes Tri-color Rejection of titles Citizen - Citizeness

7. Napoleon 1769-1821

9. Authors • Thomas Paine, new America • Goethe, German • Robert Burns, Scottish • Wordsworth, British • Sir Walter Scott, Scottish, “Ivanhoe” • Jane Austen, British

10. Poets • At the end of the era - 1820 - some of the greatest, most sensitive poets were writing. • Lord Byron • Percy Bysshe Shelley • John Keats • Preparing the way for Romanticism

11. Etc. • Cassanova • “Amazing Grace” by John Newton • Marquis de Sade

12. Features to listen for in Classical Music Melody: pleasant & tuneful Harmony: backdrop for the melody Rhythm: Regular patterns, steady beat Dynamics: Crescendo & decrescendo Performance: Orchestra larger than Baroque & musicians were part-time Forms: Absolute music, longer works

13. Composers • Mozart • Haydn • Boccherini

14. Mozart

15. Haydn

16. Boccherini