1. THE CLASSICAL PERIOD

2. WORLD EVENTS The American Revolution The French Revolution
The War of 1812
Napoleon conquers most of Europe
The rise of the middle class

3. MUSICAL EVENTS Musicians became more independent
Opera continued to become popular
The pianoforte replaced the harpsichord

4. 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

5. 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)

6. 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.