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The Classical Period
The term “classical” is somewhat overused in modern conversation. It often seems
as though any music written before the twentieth century is called “classical.”
Among musicologists however, Classical music refers to the works composed
during a specific period, between 1750 and approximately 1800. The music from the
Classical period has unique stylistic features, with its most important attributes being
clear structures, logical melodies, and an emphasis on beauty and symmetry. Classical
music may also be characterized as predominantly homophonic, with polyphonic sections
added for variety and development. Gone are the days of the complex polyphony
of Baroque fugues. If polyphonic sections are included in a work, they are there for a
structural purpose, not mere showmanship. Music of the Classical period was mainly
designed to sound pleasing, and to be primarily entertaining. Though one might think
that most music is aimed to please, the motivations and goals for composition vary
widely. Some music is meant to instruct, or to inspire, or to provoke a specific reaction.
Music from the Classical period occasionally does some or all of these things, but above
all it is meant to entertain and delight the senses.
The Classical period is the shortest period in our exploration of music history;
however the period is of pivotal importance in the development of music. During the
Classical period, the modern symphony orchestra is born, as well as standardized chamber
groups like the string quartet and woodwind quintet. The standard formal structures
of the symphony, concerto, sonata, and more were developed during this time.
The advent of the piano, and the lives of two giants of music, Mozart and Haydn, are all
contained within this brief time period.
The Classical period co-existed with, and was partially the product of, the Age of Enlightenment.
This was a time when rationality and reason, the foundations of the scientific
method, were applied to social structures. Organized religion played less and less of
a role in “enlightened” governance, being replaced by secular doctrines. The Declaration
of Independence proclaimed “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as basic
rights. These were American words, but they resonated with contemporary intellectuals
throughout Western Europe. Philosophers of the time, including Jean Jacques Rousseau
(1712–1778) and Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694–1778), regularly criticized
the existing social structures. The rights of the individual were the yardstick by which all
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