Classical Era Music Exam Flashcards

Classical Era Overview

• Duration: 1750-1825

Characteristics of Classical-Era Music

• Simple, tuneful melodies, often inspired by folk tunes
• End of the basso continuo practice
• Music expresses multiple moods rather than a single emotion
• Gradual dynamics (crescendos and decrescendos) are common; terraced dynamics become less fashionable

Instrumentation

• Classical orchestra typically includes:
  • Strings: violins, violas, cellos, double basses
  • Woodwinds: flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons (in pairs)
  • Brass: French horns, trumpets (in pairs)
  • Timpani: 2
• A string quartet consists of:
  • 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello

Forms of Composition

• Symphony: 4-movement structure for orchestra
• String quartet: 4-movement structure for 2 violins, viola, and cello

Movements in Symphony and String Quartet

• Movement types:
  • Fast (allegro)
  • Slow
  • Moderate
  • Fast
• Forms used in movements:
  • Sonata
  • Theme & Variations
  • Minuet and Trio
  • Rondo

Sonata Form

• Exposition:
  • Theme 1 in the home key
  • Transition and modulation to Theme 2 in a secondary key
  • Closing theme
• Development:
  • Themes reworked and harmonically developed
• Recapitulation:
  • Restatement of the exposition in the home key

Coda

• Concludes the piece but is not part of the main form

Theme & Variations Form

• Original melody followed by altered repetitions (A, A', A'', A''')
• Variations change through countermelody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre

Minuet & Trio Form

• Appears in 3rd movement, structured as:
  • Ternary form (Minuet, Trio, Minuet)
  • Written in triple meter

Rondo Form

• Main theme alternates with contrasting episodes
• Examples of structure:
  • 5-part rondo: A B A C A
  • 7-part rondo: A B A C A B A

Classical Concerto

• Features a soloist accompanied by an orchestra
• Composed of 3 movements:
  • Fast (1st movement in concerto form)
  • Slow (ternary or alternative form)
  • Fast (rondo)

First-Movement Concerto Form

• Also known as "Double-exposition concerto form"
• Structure includes:
  • Orchestra plays exposition
  • Soloist plays exposition
  • Development and recapitulation with a cadenza at the end

Purpose of Music

• Intended for "at-home performance," catering to amateurs

Sonata as a Musical Work

• Typically composed for 1-2 instruments
• Usually consists of 3 movements:
  • First and second movements are often in sonata form
  • Third movement typically follows rondo form

Ludwig van Beethoven

• German pianist and composer known for innovations
• Deafness developed during adulthood
• Expanded the orchestra by adding instruments (e.g., piccolo, trombone)
• Introduced a 5th movement in symphonies
• Replaced the traditional minuet & trio with a scherzo & trio