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The Classic Era

The Classic Era. 18 th century a time of strict social conventions In upper class society, dress codes were followed: people wore powdered wigs, brocaded coats and silver shoe buckles.

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The Classic Era

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  1. The Classic Era

  2. 18th century a time of strict social conventions • In upper class society, dress codes were followed: people wore powdered wigs, brocaded coats and silver shoe buckles. • There was an elaborate pattern of rules of social behaviors: When to curtsy, bow, and when it was appropriate to discuss certain topics. Written communication was also highly formalized. • This was reflected in the music composed in this period: The instruments used for particular types of works, the number of movements and the length of each movement, keys were all fixed by convention. • Some keys were linked with a certain mood or atmosphere. D Major is ceremonious and bright, F minor is strained and melancholy. • Trumpets and drums, often used for ceremonious events, played well in D major so it comes as no surprise that this key was chosen for festive music. Convention in Classic Music

  3. Sonata Form – the most important single-movement from in Classic music. Used for almost all first movements in instrumental music. Used is sonatas, symphonies, string quartets and many other genres. • Sonata form has three sections: Exposition, Development and Recapitulation. • Exposition – Begins in the tonic key and presents the opening material. If then moves to another key and presents new material in that key. It ends with a clear cadence. • Development – Explores many different keys, includes a lot of counterpoint, fragments material from the Exposition. It leads to the recapitulation often without an intervening cadence. Often turbulent sounding. • Recapitulation – Brings back all the music of the exposition but with one change: The material that was previously heard in the second key is now played in the tonic key. This allows the movement to end in the same key in which it began. • Sometimes a Coda is heard at the end of the piece, which rounds off the work. Coda = “tail” Forms of Classic Music (Sonata form)

  4. Often used for the second, slow movement of a sonata, symphony or string quartet • Designed to be lyrical and song-like • ABA • (A) slow, lyrical opening and often in triple meter • (B) contrasting the A section and heard in a new key. Sometimes it has slightly fast notes • (A) section is repeated, often decorated or slightly modified Aria Form

  5. Standard for the third movement of a sonata, symphony and string quartet. • Minuet – Trio – Minuet Music of the Trio often contrast to the minuet – in instrumentation, texture, dynamics, or key • Minuet = AABB • Trio = CCDD • After the Trio, the Minuet is played again (often without repeats)(AB) • It is always in ¾ meter, it has a moderate tempo, its large form is Ternary (ABA) and the Trio always presents some kind of contrast to the minuet. Minuet-and-Trio Form

  6. Often used for the fourth movement of a sonata, symphony or string quartet. • Usually fairly fast with a lively, catchy tune that keeps returning. • Between appearances of the theme (tune) are episodes of contrasting material. If A is the main theme, then the form would look like ABACADA. • Sometimes composers use the first episode again just before the last appearance of the refrain. In which case the form would look like ABACABA Rondo form

  7. Even though the end of the Baroque Period marked by the death dates of Bach, it begins much earlier than that • As early as 1730 a new style emerges that is lighter, more accessible, more varied and less demanding. The name give to this musical style at the time was galant= “fashionable” or “up to date” • Composers writing in this early part of the Classic Period were two of Bach’s sons: C.P.E. Bach and J.C. Bach, as well as, Johann Stamitz (1717-1757) and Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1701-1775) • Classic music has far more variety than that of the Baroque. It has frequent changes of texture, dynamic and instrumentation. The phrases are shorter and each phrase may be quite different from the one that precedes it. • Many early Classic compositions only have three movements, as the minuet did not become a standard until the second half of the 18th century. The Early Classic Period

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