Classical period

CLASSICAL PERIOD

 The classical period lasted from 1750 until 1810

Symphony: A large orchestral piece, split into 3 chunks, which follows certain rules to give it a rigid structure.
Section 1: Was written in a sonata allegro form.
Section 2: Changed key from the first section, and included a strong melody line.
Section 3: Was written in Rondo form, and was a lot livelier.
This is an example of a Symphony from the Classical period:

Diatonic music means that all of the notes that are used stay within the key. In this time of music it was seen as unacceptable to make clashing sounds.

Phrases were where the composers would have made even length sections, the phrases ended as if you were taking a breath in the song.


Concerto would be a soloist, accompanied by an orchestra playing a piece of music.

Mozart, Haydn and Schubert were three composers from the Classical period, here is an example of each of their music:
Mozart

 

Haydn

schubert

Ground bass is a simple repeating bassline that continue the whole way through a piece of music whilst the melody changes over the top, pachabels canon is a good example of ground bass in music,

Figured bass - Composers wrote the melody of their compositions and the basic bassline, they left out the bassline harmonies, so they wrote numbers underneath the bassline in the gaps, the person playing the bassline (usually on a harpsichord) would have to improvise the gaps of the bassline, using the numbers as a guideline telling them what Chords to use.
Continuo - The part that is played with by the harpsichord, icludes a bassline and a harmony.
Concerto grosso - There is a large group of instrumentalists, playing with a small group of instrumentalists contrasting with each other, sometimes they play at the same time, sometimes they imitate each other. Concerto gross means "Big concert" in italian.
A string quartet is a group of four instrumentalists , two violins, a viola and a cello. This is an example of a string quartet

Vivaldi, Purcell, bach - These were three composers from the Baroque period here is an example of each composers music;
Vivaldi Four seasons - Autumn

Purcell Chacony in G minor

Bach - Brandenburg Concerto #3

Baroque music

Baroque period The baroque music period was from 1600 to 1750,it was a period of western classical music.
Ornamentation - sounds frilly, more notes to ornament the piece.(twiddly bits)
HarpsiChord - distinctive twang sound, because has a plucking mechanism unlike hammers in piano.
Lots of stringed instruments - violin, viola, cello Organ Flutes Trumpets, horns Smaller groups of instruments - chamber music First time the style of opera was created (mixture of singing , instrumental music and drama - it's a play that is sung)