Zoe+Beckerman+-+Classical+Music+Characteristics

By: Zoe Beckerman ** - the Classical period of music lasted from approx. 1750 to 1820 - it falls between the Baroque and the Romantic periods - some of the best known composers from this period are Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert General Information:** - v** ariety and contrast within a piece became more pronounced ** - a** classical composition will fluctuate in mood ** - the mood in classical music may change gradually or suddenly**, expressing conflicting surges of elation or depression ** - Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata” was the model for hundreds of later pieces where the shifting movement of a rhythmic figure provides most of the drama and interest of the work, while a melody drifts above it "http://www.youtube.com/v/vQVeaIHWWck&hl=en_US&fs=1&" -Mozart's "Requiem Mass" is another famous piece that shows the classical form. Mozart died in the midst of completing this piece, and his understudy had to complete the missing parts. The final product of this piece was first performed for Mozart's grieving wife "http://www.youtube.com/v/Zi8vJ_lMxQI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"
 * [[image:anibull2.GIF]] Classical Music Characteristics [[image:anibull2.GIF]]
 * [[image:pink_note.gif width="27" height="27"]]Description:
 * - there was a taste for structural clarity **
 * - there was a variety of keys, melodies, rhythms and dynamics (ie. crescendo, diminuendo and **sforzando** ), and frequent changes of mood were more common **
 * -** ** there are contrasting themes within a classical piece **

- homophony ** is a texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony, the relationship between them creating chords ** (melody above chordal accompaniment) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/If_ye_love_me.ogg ** - the playing of chords** became a much more common feature of music, which ** made the tonal** structure more audible ** - m** elodies tended to be shorter than those of Baroque music, with clear-cut phrases and clearly marked cadences **
 * [[image:pink_note.gif width="28" height="28"]]Melody and Harmony:**
 * -** Classical music moved away from the layered polyphony of the Baroque period, towards a style where a melody over a subordinate harmony (called homophony) **
 * -** Classical music m** oved towards standard instrumental groups, and reduced the importance of the continuo (the harmonic fill beneath the music, often played by several instruments) **
 * -** in the Baroque period, additional instruments could be added to the continuo, but in the Classical period, all parts were noted specifically, though not always //notated//**, so the word "obbligato" became redundant. By 1800, the term was virtually extinct **
 * -** ** polyphonic texture was no longer the main focus of the music but rather a single melodic line with accompaniment, therefore there was greater emphasis on adding dynamics and phrasing to it **
 * -** ** because the texture was simplified, it made such instrumental detail more important **
 * -** ** there was a shift towards harmonies centering around "flatward" keys (shifts towards the subdominant) **
 * -** pieces written in ** major key were more common than minor, and sections in the minor mode were often used for contrast **
 * -** ** Classical melodies tend to the most tuneful and easy to remember **
 * -** ** the melodies also often sound balanced and symmetrical because they are frequently made up of two phrases of the same length. The second phrase may begin like the first, but it will end more conclusively and it will be easier to sing **

-** during the Classical period, there** was a focus on having a continuous and rhythmically uniform accompaniment ** - this ** made the use of characteristic rhythms (ie. attention-getting opening) more important in establishing and unifying the tone of a single movement **
 * [[image:pink_note.gif width="28" height="28"]]Rhythm:
 * -** ** there is a flexibility of rhythm **
 * -** ** there are normally lots of different rhythmic patterns **
 * -** ** classical music includes unexpected pauses, syncopations, and frequent changes from long notes to shorter ones (the change from one pattern of note lengths to another may be either sudden or gradual) **

- a** work may begin homophonically with a melody and simple accompaniment, but then change to a more complex polyphonic texture that features two simultaneous melodies or melodic fragments imitated among the various instruments **
 * [[image:pink_note.gif width="28" height="28"]]Texture:**
 * -** ** Classical music has a lighter, clearer texture than Baroque music and is less complex **
 * -** ** it is mostly homophonic, however texture is just as felxible as rhythm **
 * -** p** ieces shift smoothly or suddenly from one texture to another **


 * [[image:pink_note.gif width="28" height="28"]]Dynamics:**
 * -** ** Classical composers' interest in expressing shades of emotion led to the widespread use of gradual dynamic change (crescendo and diminuendo) **
 * -** ** the desire for gradual dynamic change led to the replacement of the harpsichord by the piano (by varying the finger pressure on the keys, a pianist can play more loudly or softly) "http://www.tradebit.com/layouts/javashop.php?if=y&bgc=FFFFFF&fc=0000AA&lc=000066&fx=440&fy=200&prodid=4940161&hh=1" **
 * -** although the piano was invented around 1700, it began to replace the harpsichord only around 1775

**Bibliography:**

ThinkQuest. __Characteristics of the Classical Period.__ 17 April 2010 .

Wikipedia. __Classical Period (music).__ 20 April 2010 .