Lesson video

Hello, welcome to today's lesson entitled "The Classical Period." My name is Mr. Norris.

Today we're gonna be focusing in on this key part of the Western Classical tradition, the Classical period from 1750 to 1820.

We're gonna be exploring some key features of the music, some key composers, and hopefully you'll go away with a better appreciation, better understanding of why this period is so central to the Western Classical tradition.

Our outcome is that I can identify key musical features of the Classical period.

Some key words, Classical period.

This is the period of Western Classical music between 1750 and 1820.

Symphony.

This is a long composition for orchestra, usually consisting of four shorter pieces called movements.

Sonata.

This is both a three movement solo composition and a structure that has exposition, development and recapitulation.

And finally, balanced phrasing.

This is where melodic phrases are equal in length and have complementary melodic shapes.

So we'll explore all those concepts through this lesson.

The first part of the lesson then is focusing on key musical features of the Classical period.

In the Classical period, which is roughly 1750 to 1820, composers including Mozart, Beethoven two the most famous, developed a different musical style to the Baroque composers.

The first key characteristic of this style is the use of simpler melodies with less ornamentation.

I'd like to contrast these two melodies.

The Baroque melody uses lots of ornaments and sounds more elaborate and complex.

The Classical melody is simpler with less ornamentation.

Can you identify which of these melodies comes from which of those two periods? Here's the first melody.

(Classical music) And here's the second melody.

So which of these is Baroque and which of these is Classical? (classical music) And hopefully there you identified the first one was from the Classical period, the second from the Baroque, which have much more ornamentation sounding, more elaborate and complex.

You might have noticed another key difference between the melodies.

I'd like to listen again and this time focus on the phrase length.

What do you notice about the difference here? Let's start with the Classical melody.

(classical music) And now it was hear the Baroque melody.

So what do you notice about the difference in phrase lengths? (classical music) And hopefully there you picked up that Baroque melodies are long and flowing and they often have extended phrases.

This is the melody we were just looking at.

Then you can see some of the ornamentation marked in.

We start with one bar phrase, then a one bar phrase, and then we've got this long extended phrase that lasts for four bars, and that's quite typical of Baroque melodies.

Classical melodies are divided into separate equal length phrases, and they're often quite short phrases as well, either one or two bars.

This is the melody we were just looking at.

We've got a two bar phrase, then a two bar phrase, then a two bar phrase, then a two bar phrase.

So they're all this equal length of two bars with each other.

Now this is what we call balanced phrasing, where phrases are an equal length, normally one, two or four bars, and they compliment each other.

So the phrases balance each other out like two sides of a seesaw.

You might hear this called symmetrical or question and answer phrasing.

In this example, Mozart uses two bar phrases and balanced phrasing.

Have a listen and see if you can hear that balance between the two bar phrases, how every phrase is the same length and they all compliment each other.

Let's have a listen.

(classical music) So let's delve into that one a little bit.

Here's our melody from the first eight bars.

We've got a two bar question and then a two bar answer, and then a two bar question and then a two bar answer.

That's this balance phrasing, and as I've said, it's sometimes called question and answer phrasing.

Now they use complimentary rhythms. So if we compare the rhythm of the question with the answer, we'll see that they're not the same, that they complement each other rather than copying each other.

They also have complimentary melodic shapes.

For example, a common one is where one phrase ascends, the next one descends.

In this example, it's not quite as simple as that, but the melodic shape of the answer does complement and contrast with the melodic shape of the question.

And another typical feature is that when one phrase sounds unfinished, like a question, like it's posing a question at the end of the phrase, the next one will sound finished like an answer.

And together all these features create a feeling of balance of neatness and symmetry, and that's one of the defining features of Classical music and Classical melodies is this feeling of balance and symmetry.

This example from Mozart's Sonata in D is really typical and it exemplifies these features of balanced phrasing.

Have a listen to it.

I'd like to know in what ways does Mozart create balanced phrasing here and think about some of those features we were just exploring in that other example with a question and answer phrasing.

Let's have a listen.

(classical music) So here are some of the things you might have picked up on.

The phrases are all two bars long.

So we've got equal length phrases.

That's a really key aspect of balanced phrasing.

Well done if you noticed that.

The first of each pair of phrases ascend while the second ascends then descends.

So they have a complimentary melodic shape that happens in the first four bars, and it happens in the second set of four bars as well.

So we have this ascending first phrase and then ascending and descending second phrase.

The rhythm of each answer also compliments the rhythm of each question.

Each question is bass on quavers whereas that answer is more varied with some rest, with some semiquavers and some longer notes as well.

And the dynamics of each phrase also compliment each other.

So the louder forte question is complimented by a quieter piano answer, again, creating this question and answer.

So together all these features create this real balance and symmetry in the melody.

And as I've said, this is a really defining aspect of Classical melodies.

Let check your understanding.

Which two are typical Classical melodic features? Lots of ornamentation, limited ornamentation, long flowing melodies or symmetrical melodies with complimentary phrases.

I'll give you a few seconds to choose two.

And the correct two answers here are limited ornamentation, there is still some, but nothing like as much as in the Baroque period and symmetrical melodies with complimentary phrases.

Remember that's that balanced phrasing we've just been exploring.

Another key difference is how composers used texture in the Classical period.

Baroque music often has dense polyphonic textures with multiple interweaving melodies.

You might have heard the word contrapuntal to describe some of those textures as well.

Have a listen to this Classical texture.

How's this different to that quintessential polyphonic Baroque texture? Pause my video and have a listen.

I'd love hear you identified that this is a much simpler texture.

It has a single main melody with a separate accompaniment and that contrasts with the multiple interweaving melodies you might get in a polyphonic texture.

This is called a melody and accompaniment texture, and this is a key feature of the Classical period.

It's really the defining texture of Classical music.

So we've got melody and then a separate accompaniment that sits apart from the melody.

So it's a very clear texture.

The melody is very easy to pick out and sits separate from that accompaniment.

Instrumentation also changed in the Classical period.

The orchestra became larger with more woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, and in part that was because of technological developments that had developed these instruments to make them more versatile.

The harpsichord and the continuo that harpsichord was part of disappeared from the orchestra.

That's a really defining difference between Baroque and Classical orchestras is in a Classical orchestra, you'll not hear harpsichord and continuum.

The result is this orchestral sound has more variety of instruments and without that distinct bright timbre of the harpsichord.

Have a listen to this example and see if you can hear those two differences with our Classical orchestra.

Part of the reason for the demise of the harpsichord in this period was the development of the piano, which had been developed enough by this point that it became a popular instrument to use.

There's an image there of an early piano, what one might have looked like at the time.

This new instrument was much more versatile than the harpsichord.

It had a more versatile timbre, so you could play more different timbres on it, and it had a greater range of pitches and dynamics, so it was much more effective at playing quietly and loud something the harpsichord couldn't really do.

Key composers of the period including Mozart, Hayden and Beethoven, all wrote extensively for the piano.

So it became a very important instrument in the period.

Now, the changes in timbre, both in the use of the piano and the way the orchestra changed, allowed composers to create a greater range of moods.

So the final key feature of the Classical period is a greater use of contrast.

Listen to this example.

What aspects create contrast in this short section of this piece? Pause my video and have a listen.

You might have picked up on some of these points that are contrasting dynamics, textures, rhythms, contrasting articulation, different timbres, for example, different sections or instruments playing the melody and also different contrasting chords and harmony in those two parts.

So this demonstrates how contrast became a key aspect of Classical music.

Let's check your understanding.

What is the name of the typical texture in the Classical period? Is it melodic line and backing, main and secondary harmony and support or melody and accompaniment? I'll give you a few seconds to choose the answer.

And the correct answer here was melody and accompaniment.

Well done if you chose that one.

Which of these are reasons that the piano replaced the harpsichord and choose all that apply? Is it because it had a greater dynamic range? It sounded more pleasant, it had a more versatile timbre, or it was easier to play? I'll give you a few seconds to choose any that apply.

And the correct answers here are is because it had greater dynamic range and a more versatile timbre.

That's why it became more popular than the harpsichord.

Task A, listen to each extract and answer the questions.

For extract A, identify two ways that the melody is typical of the Classical period, and then explain what this texture is called.

For extract B, how does this orchestra differ from a Baroque orchestra? And name a composer who might have composed this.

You can pause my video now, listen to the extract and give these your best shot.

Let's review this task.

Extract A, two ways that the melody is typical of the Classical period, you might have mentioned that it has limited ornamentation, so there's not very much ornamentation and it uses balanced phrasing.

You might say question and answer phrasing with short, clear, and complimentary one or two bar phrases.

We might have used the word equal length phrases.

Well done if you picked up on either or both of those points.

The texture is called melody and accompaniment.

For extract B, this orchestra differs from a Baroque orchestra because there is no harpsichord or continuo and there's more woodwind, brass and percussion.

You might have said a greater range of timbres outside of the strings.

So well done if you picked up on one or both of those points.

And name a composer who might have composed this.

Well, you might have guessed Mozart, Beethoven, or Hayden.

Those are the three most famous composers of the period.

If you did say Beethoven, that was the correct answer actually.

That was a piece by Beethoven, but any of those would've been a good guess.

Now we're gonna look at structure and genre in the Classical period.

In the Classical period, the concerto remained a key genre of orchestral music.

In this period however, composers typically wrote for only one solo instrument like a Baroque solo concerto rather than groups of soloists like you would get in a Baroque concerto grosso.

So the idea of having multiple solos in a concerto was really restricted to the Baroque period.

Whereas from the Classical period onwards, a concerto only featured one soloist.

A crucial new genre that developed in the Classical period was the symphony.

Now this is a long composition for orchestra.

It usually consists of four shorter pieces or what we call movements.

It lasts from between 15 minutes long for the shortest symphonies up to over an hour for some of the longest symphonies, and it conveys a range of contrasting moods and emotions.

So it's a long composition for orchestra that goes on a big musical journey, exploring different moods and emotions through these four-movements.

The four-movements of a symphony typically use this pattern.

The first is fast.

It uses sonata form, which is something we'll explore in a moment, and it's often the longest movement of the four.

The second movement is slow and the lyrical contrasting with the first.

The third is fast, light and dance-like, and the fourth is fast and it's exciting or triumphant.

And if you've explored string quartet music before, you'll know that often this is the same pattern of movements that you get in a string quartet.

Sonata form is one of the most important structures in both the Classical and Romantic period.

It's used in the first movement of the symphony and it has these three sections.

The first section is called the exposition, and this introduces the main melodies to the listeners.

The second section is called the development.

This sits in the middle of the structure and in this, the composer develops and changes the melodies and goes on a bit of a musical journey, exploring different possibilities with those melodies.

So it goes somewhere where it's not been in the exposition.

And then the third section is called the recapitulation.

And in this, the composer returns to the original melody.

So it goes back to what we heard in the exposition, that creates a really satisfying ending.

So you might think of this as an example of ternary form in a way.

We've got our first section, our A section, then a contrasting B section of development, and then we go back to the original ideas for a section at the end of recapitulation.

However, it's a little bit more complex than that.

So let's delve into an example.

We're gonna look at the first movement of Mozart Symphony No.

25 in G minor.

And you might think 25 symphonies is a lot to write, but a lot of Classical composers wrote far more than 25 symphonies as well, including Mozart.

In the exposition, which is that first section of Sonata form, two main melodies are introduced.

The first is in the tonic key, so that's the home key, which in this case is G minor.

And the second is in the closely related relative major key.

So it's in a slightly different key but still closely related to the original.

I'd like to pause my video and just listen to these two main melodies that are introduced in the exposition.

In the development section, this is our middle section of the structure.

Mozart changes the melodies, he combines them, he breaks them up, and he moves through different keys.

So he goes on a bit of a journey playing around with these melodies and using them in different ways.

Have a quick listen and see if you can pick out some of those fragments or the ways that those original melodies are used in the development.

Pause my video now.

In the recapitulation of final section, we hear the original ideas from the first section again.

This time he brings them both into the tonic key, which creates a really satisfying ending, a good sense of resolution at the end.

Listen to these two clips of the two original melodies when they return both back in that tonic key to create that really satisfying resolution.

So that outlines Sonata form as it's used in the first movement of a symphony.

And remembering those three sections of that structure is really useful to understand lots of Classical and Romantic period music.

The third movement in a symphony has a light dance-like style, and it often uses a structure called the minuet and trio.

The minuet was a popular type of formal dance in the period.

It was performed at a steady tempo and in triple time.

So it'd have a 3/4 time signature.

A typical minuet and trio starts with a minuet, which has a binary form, which means A-B.

It then has a contrasting trio in the middle, which is also in binary form.

We can see there the blue trio section is also A-B before it repeats the minuet at the end.

So we've got these three sections with the middle one contrasting.

The the overall structure is ternary because we have our first section minuet.

Then we go to our different trio and then we come back to our minuet.

So it's overall a big A-B-A structure, and this is a really typical structure for the third movement of the symphony, the minuet and trio.

Let's have a look at an example.

This is the third movement of Hayden's Symphony No.

97.

And as that suggests there, Hayden was a prolific composer of symphonies.

He wrote over a hundred in total.

What features of it make this feel like a dance style? And how does the composer create contrast between the minuet, which is the opening and the trio, which is the middle section? Pause my video and compare the two.

And here's some of the things we could have picked up there.

It feels like a dance style because there's a strong pulse, really clear beat, quite an upbeat, lively tempo and lots of repeated rhythms. And they're universal features of music that's written for dance in all traditions and periods of history really.

And the contrast is created through use of dynamics, contrasting melody, different melodic instruments, so timbres and also contrasting articulation.

So it is really emphasizing the contrast between all aspects of the minuet and the trio, and that's what makes this an effective structure is you've got that first section, the minuet and then the trio really contrasts with it and then we go back to the minuet again.

Let's check your understanding.

Which is typically the slow movement of a symphony? I'll give you a few seconds to choose your answer.

And the correct answer here is the second movement is typically the slow one.

Well done if you picked that.

Classical concertos were written for orchestra and what? Is it multiple solo instruments, no solo instruments, one solo instrument or any of the above.

I'll give you a few seconds to choose the answer And the correct answer here is one solo instrument.

Remember, in the Baroque period there are solo concertos for one solo instrument, and there's also the concerto grosso for multiple solo instruments.

In the Classical period, we didn't have concerto grosso anymore.

It was just the solo concerto.

It was just for one solo instrument.

The third movement in a symphony is often a minuet and trio.

Which two statements are correct about that? Is it that it is in binary form, it's in ternary form, is fast and triumphant or is light and dance-like? Pause my video and just choose the two best answers here.

And the correct answers are it's in ternary form and it's light and dance-like.

Remember, it's got the minuet, then the trio, then back to the minuet.

So A-B-A.

But each of those sections has its own A-B structure within it, and it's a light and dance-like mood, usually in 3/4 four.

Which is the correct order of sections in Sonata form.

Have a look at these options and choose the one that best fits.

You can pause my video while you do that.

And the correct answer here is exposition, development, recapitulation.

The idea is that introduced an exposition, they've developed and changed and explored in development, and then they return in the recapitulation creating that satisfying ending.

Now, string quartets were the most popular form of chamber music in the Classical period.

Remember, chamber music means music composed for small ensembles.

They also use the four-movement structure of the symphony where we've got the fast movement to begin with using sonata form.

Then a slow and lyrical second movement, third movement that's fast, light and dance-like for example, a minuet and trio that we've just been exploring.

And then a fast and exciting fourth movement as well.

So it follow that typical structure that symphony would have.

Listen to this example of a string quartet by Beethoven.

Which movement do you think this could be from? Pause my video, have a listen.

And the correct answer here is that's from the 4th movement, and we know that because it's fast and it's got this exciting mood.

You could have also guessed the first movement there.

Sometimes they have similar characters, but in this case it is from the 4th movement.

The final genre that helped define the Classical period was the Sonata.

This is a three-movement composition for solo instrument or a solo instrument with accompaniment, usually the piano.

And these were written for many different instruments.

It's important to point out here that the Sonata as a genre is not the same as the Sonata the structure that we've been looking at.

Sonata form is where we have the exposition, development and recapitulation that we've been exploring in the symphony.

The Sonata is a genre of music that is written for solo instrument or solo instrument with accompaniment.

The most important form of the Sonata was the keyboard sonata, which was written for solo piano.

Remember, the piano was really crucial in the Classical period.

In the early Classical period when the harpsichord was still used, you would get sonatas played on the harpsichord as well.

The sonata has three movements.

The first is a fast movement that does use sonata form, so it has that exposition, development and recapitulation.

The second movement is slow and lyrical.

And then the third is usually fast and triumphant.

Again, creating an exciting sort of celebratory ending to the composition.

Have a look at that structure there of those three movements, how is that different to the structure of a symphony? Pause my video and have a think.

And well done then if you identified that it skips the symphony's dance-like third movement, so that the movement that is missing from the sonata is that third movement that's often a minuet and trio.

In Classical keyboard sonatas, typically the right hand plays the melody and the left hand plays the accompaniment, and this suits the melody in accompaniment texture that was very typical of the period.

Have a listen to this example.

Can you pick out both the melody in the right hand and the accompaniment in the left hand? Let's have a listen.

(classical music) So that's a very iconic sonata, that one.

That's by Mozart, and hopefully you can hear that really clear melody, the right hand and accompaniment in the left hand, creating that melody and the accompaniment texture.

I'd like to listen to the accompaniment now on its own.

How would you describe what it's doing? (classical music) So in this example, the accompaniment plays broken chords, and this is where the notes of each chord are played separately from each other, one after another.

Broken chords can use many different patterns, and you might have already used some of them in your own composition or performing, but this specific pattern that was used in that example is called Alberti bass, and it's very common in Classical music, particularly in keyboard music or piano music.

It takes the three notes of a chord and plays them in this specific order.

And this is really important to understand Alberti bass.

It plays the bottom note of a chord, then the top note of a chord, then the middle note of the chord, and then the top note of the chord again.

So bottom, top, middle, top.

Take this C major chord consisting of the note, C, E, and G.

It sounds like this.

(piano keys chiming) In that chord.

the bottom note is C, the middle note is E, and the top note is G.

If we use Alberti bass with that chord, using it in the bottom, top, middle, top pattern, it would become this.

You can see the same three notes, but rather mean played as a block chord at the same time that played in that bottom, top, middle, top pattern.

That would sound like this.

(piano keys chiming) And if we break that down, we've got our first note, the bottom note, then the top note, then the middle note, then the top note.

Try and remember that pattern when you're thinking about Alberti bass.

And when the chord changes in the music, the Alberti bass pattern is used with the note of the new chord.

If you'd like, you can go back and listen to that example we heard from Mozart a few moments ago and see if you can now pick out that pattern bottom, top, middle, top in the accompaniment.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false.

Sonata form and the sonata are the same thing.

I'll give you a few seconds to choose an answer.

And the correct answer here is false.

Have a think about why.

Why are they not the same thing? What is the difference? I'll give you a few seconds.

And here we would say that sonata form is a structure of exposition, development, recapitulation.

While sonata is a genre for solo instrument with three movements.

True or false.

This is an Alberti bass pattern.

Look closely.

Think about the pattern of notes in an Alberti bass pattern.

I'll give you a few seconds to choose your answer.

And the correct answer is false.

That one is not an Alberti bass pattern.

I'd like to pause my video now.

Just have a think about why is that not an Alberti bass pattern.

And the correct answer here then is that it's because the notes of the chord here are played in the order, bottom, top, and then bottom, middle.

Whereas Alberti bass is bottom, top, middle, top.

So it's a subtle difference, but the Alberti bass is a very specific pattern with those notes in that order.

Well done if you managed to pick that out there, that's a bit of a tricky question there.

For task B, you're gonna listen to each of these extracts and answer the questions.

The first is from Hayden's Symphony No.

44 in E minor.

And I'd like to answer these questions.

This is the first movement of a symphony.

Name the structure used and its three sections.

Then identify one way that the melody is typical of the period.

Then finally, how would you expect the second movement to contrast? For extract B, which is from Beethoven Sonata No.

8 in C minor.

What distinct pattern can be heard in the accompaniment in the first half of this clip? How is the texture typical of the period? And then this is played on a piano.

What instrument also played keyboard sonatas in the early part of the Classical period? So you can pause my video now, give this task your best shot.

Let's review task B.

So for extract A, the structure used is sonata form with exposition, development and recapitulation.

That's the really typical structure of the first movement of a symphony.

Well done if you've got that and particularly well done if you managed to remember the names of those three sections.

One way that the melody is typical is that it uses limited ornamentation, so there's not much ornamentation, very few ornaments used in this example.

How would you expect the second movement to contrast? Well, it'll be slower and more lyrical, so the overall mood will contrast greatly and the tempo.

For extract B, the distinct pattern heard in the accompaniment of the first half was Alberti bass, where the notes of a chord are played in the pattern bottom, top, middle, top.

Well done if you picked that out.

The texture is typical because it is a melody and accompaniment texture with a clear separate melody and accompaniment.

And finally, this is played on a piano.

The other instrument that played keyboard sonatas in the early part of the Classical period was the harpsichord.

So although the harpsichord is really phasing out in the Classical period, in the early years of this period, it was still used for keyboard sonatas.

So well done if you picked up on that.

Let's review today's lesson.

Music from the Classical period, which is roughly 1750 to 1820, has certain defining characteristics.

These include melody and accompaniment texture, and simple melodies with limited ornamentation and balanced phrasing.

That question and answer phrasing.

The orchestra grew larger and as well as the concerto, the symphony became a key genre.

It has four movements.

The first movement uses sonata form which has an exposition, development and then recapitulation.

And the third movement is often a minuet and trio.

And finally, the sonata, the genre became a key genre, and particularly for keyboard instruments.

It has three contrasting movements.

So that's the end of today's lesson.

Hopefully you feel like you've got a really good grasp of the Classical period now.

Could identify Classical music compared to Baroque music and have an idea of how the composers in this period were developing and innovating music in different ways to the Baroque composers.

I'd strongly recommend that if you get the chance to listen to some more music from this period, for example, by Mozart, Beethoven, or Hayden, you take that opportunity to consolidate your learning, listening out for these typical features that we've explored in today's lesson.

Thanks for taking part and see you in another one.