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)
Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphonies and Chamber Music
Haydn is most famous for his 106 symphonies (104 are numbered, and an additional two are labeled “A” and “B”) and his approximately 80 string quartets ("approximately" because not all string quartets attributed to Haydn can be verified with certainty as his). Many of the more popular symphonies bear identifying nicknames, such as the “Horn Signal” (No. 31), the “Clock” (No. 101), and the “Drumroll” (No. 103). Probably the most famous of these are the “Surprise” (No. 94) and "Farewell" (No. 45) Symphonies. The "Surprise" Symphony features sudden shifts in volume that caught audience members who were either dozing off (in a quiet passage) or chattering (during a loud passage). The “Farewell” Symphony (see Discover Video) was apparently designed to send a signal to Prince Nikolaus, who tended to stay at Esterháza a bit too long into the summer. The palace musicians were eager to return home to their families in Vienna or Eisenstadt. The last movement of Haydn’s score calls for the musicians to finish playing one by one, at which point each puts out his candle and leaves. Finally, only Haydn and the first violinist were left. The prince got the hint and ordered a return to Vienna the next day.
The twelve symphonies Haydn wrote for his two extended London tours are among the greatest works of the genre. Though Haydn is known for the cheerfulness and humor of his works, he is also capable of bringing great depth, as in the Adagio (slow) introduction to this first movement of his Symphony No. 104 in D Major (1795). This symphony, the last of his “London” symphonies, is typically the one to receive the “London” subtitle.
In his string quartets, Haydn laid down many of the fundamental principles that were adopted by younger composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. Enjoy the Listening Guide to his String Quartet Op.17 No. 2 in F major, composed in 1771 when he was 39 years old. Among Haydn's other chamber works are more than 20 divertimenti. As the title suggests, these are light pieces written in a simple, popular style. Other chamber music includes a multitude of trios and sonatas for various instruments. Of the some 60 piano sonatas he wrote, 52 survive. Filled with deep human emotion and sparkling humor, they remain very popular with pianists.
Operas
Opera was a highly important part of musical activity at the Esterházy palace, and Haydn was quite proud of the more than twenty stage works he produced for the Court. Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, mother of Joseph II (they shared the throne for many years), is reported to have said, “If I want to hear a good opera, I go to Esterháza.” However, when he became familiar with Mozart's genius for opera composing, Haydn acknowledged his own works as being of lesser quality. Today Haydn's operas are all but forgotten.
Masses and Oratorios
Haydn’s principal requirement, in the service of the second Nikolaus Esterházy (who was not such a fan of music as the first Nikolaus), was to write a yearly Mass in honor of the Prince’s wife’s birthday. Between 1796 and 1802, Haydn composed six of these, which are as musically rich and rewarding as his late symphonies. Inspired by Handel's oratorios, some of which he had heard during his London visits, Haydn composed two great ones of his own entitled The Creation (1798) and The Seasons (1801).