Learning Objectives
- Explain how the Classical period (1750-1825) characteristics of order, objectivity, and harmonious proportion relate to the music characteristics of the period.
- Summarize how the American Revolution (1775-83) and the French Revolution (1789-99) profoundly changed political systems and social order.
- Classify the large-scale musical forms in which the Classical masters composed.
- Explain music making in the context of the royal court and the patronage system.
- Define form and absolute music, and relate these concepts to one another.
- Differentiate between the main musical forms of the Clasical-era by summarizing the development of the symphony, sonata, string quartet, and the concerto.
- Define and analyze the symphony, sonata, string quartet, and concerto forms in the context of the Classical period.
- Describe the impact of the major Classical composers Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.
- Discuss the impact of Beethoven's thirty-two piano sonatas.
- Compare and contrast the two types of Italian opera: opera buffa and opera seria.
Classical Period (1750-1825)
The Classical Sonata-Allegro Form
From the Classical period onward, sonata-allegro form became the basis for most instrumental music. Also known simply as sonata form, it consists of three sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation. Sonata-allegro form is not unlike story form, since the forms parallel one another in make-up and purpose. The Imaginative Research Group states: "Stories are instruments for orienting our emotions to their contents. That is, stories do not just convey information about events and characters, nor do stories just convey information in a way that engages our emotions; stories orient, or shape, our emotions to the events and characters in a particular way; they tell us how to feel about their contents. No other form of language can do this, and so no other form of language can achieve the range and kinds of effects that stories can. The story is like a musical score and our emotions are the instrument it is designed to play."
In sonata-allegro form, the exposition section (same word is used in story form) sets the scene. This section is where the musical themes are introduced, the mood is set, and the key, main rhythmic patterns, and harmonies are stated. The second section, the development, is like the “heart” of the story. Here is where the music explores the themes, keys, rhythms, and harmonies, weaving the musical material into something new and interesting. The development section should sustain your interest and make you wonder what is going to happen next, as in a well-told story. In the final section, the recapitulation, the opening material returns, but everything is resolved and finalized—similar to wrapping up the loose ends in the story.
The following examples come from Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, which you may know as the music in the opening scene of movie Amadeus.
Composer: 0
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"Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K183: I. Allegro con brio"
Sonata-Allegro Form Example: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor
The first movement of a large Classical work is usually built in sonata-allegro form. Another great illustration comes from the first movement of Mozart's famous Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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"Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro"
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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"Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro" [ 00:00-03:45 ]03:45
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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"Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro" [ 03:45-04:55 ]01:10
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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"Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro" [ 04:55-07:31 ]02:36
Let's break these sections down even further: in the exposition, the composer states two contrasting themes in separate keys and at least two secondary themes. Often, the exposition is repeated once before moving on. Mozart's Symphony in G Minor opens with an intensely dramatic theme presented by the strings, leading to a gentler secondary theme shared with the woodwind. The development traces the opening figure through various keys and introduces a strong contrapuntal element. Reached through a descending woodwind sequence, the recapitulation completes the movement, with the second theme now assuming particular poignancy in the minor key.
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3:59—4:25
4:49—4:55
As you can see and hear, the concepts of departure and return are very important in sonata-allegro form. We leave the tonic, move through a dramatic development section, and return to the original theme and key. As we move through the piece, the conflict between the two themes of the sonata-allegro form and the sense of departure/return become tools the composer uses to infuse the music with emotional vitality and shape our emotions.