THE CLASSICAL PERIOD 1750-1820
WORLD EVENTS The American Revolution The French Revolution The War of 1812 Napoleon conquers most of Europe The rise of the middle class
MUSICAL EVENTS Musicians became more independent Opera continued to become popular The pianoforte replaced the harpsichord
Famous Artists of the Classical Period Famous artists of the time included Jacques Louis-David who painted in a classical style Caspar David Friedrich painted in the romantic style – he was anti-classical Movements in art do not always run chronologically parallel to movements in music
Characteristics… “Classical” is a term that can be used to describe both a genre of music and a time period. Music of this period was simple, balanced, and symmetrical. Absolute music – music for music’s sake. Music that sounds academic, not emotional The use of rigid musical forms was popular (e.g. fugue, sonata)
Lifestyles of Musicians A big change in a musician’s life during the Classical period was a movement away from a patronage system to a freelance system Patronage system - musicians were hired by the wealthy to compose music for their “courts”. They often lived with their patrons. Freelance system - musicians composed music on their own and sold it to interested parties.