concerto

• The Baroque music period dates from about 1600–1750
• During the Baroque era, the idea of writing music in a particular key became prominent
• The Baroque period originated in Italy with the invention of opera and a focus on clear declamation of words in vocal music
• Vocal music was no longer the main focus during the Baroque era, leading composers to write more instrumental works
• Key characteristics of Baroque music include:

  • Greater emphasis on the clarity of rhythm and pulse
  • More composers writing pieces of music for orchestra
• Technological developments during the Baroque era led to the invention of new instruments such as the oboe, bassoon, and fortepiano
• Stringed instruments from the Renaissance period were replaced with more powerful violin, viola, and cello
• The harpsichord flourished during the Baroque era
• Percussion instruments like timpani, snare drum, and bass drum were added to the orchestra
• Prominent composers of the Baroque period include:

  • Johann Sebastian Bach, known for complex and intricate harmonies
  • George Frederic Handel, excelled at writing grandiose ceremonial music and popular operas
• Classical music period dates from about 1750–1830
• Development of new musical forms in the classical period:

  • Concerto
  • Symphony
  • Sonata
  • Trio
  • Quartet
• Replacement of the harpsichord with the piano was a significant change in the late eighteenth century
• Orchestras grew in size and range during the classical period
• Main characteristics of classical period music:

  • Emphasis on beauty, elegance, rationality, order, and balance
  • Less complicated musical texture compared to the baroque period
• Central to classical music is a definitive sense of structure and form, with clear-cut phrases and marked cadences
• Classical composers aimed for clear communication with their audiences, using the same structures, melodic and harmonic conventions, and ideas about musical development
• Important composers of the classical era:

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Joseph Haydn
  • Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Franz Schubert
• Most important composers of the classical era spent most of their lives in Vienna, Austria
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is arguably the greatest composer of the classical period
• Other notable composers of the classical era include Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert
• Mozart's 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' is a quintessential piece from the classical era