Classical, Religion, Music And Music: The Music Of The Classical Era

The music of the Classical Era was the beginning of a shift away from the focus on authority of the church and intellectual scientific study. The focus now turned to the betterment of society as a whole by calling for change in education, politics, and public conduct. The unfairness and divisions in society were particularly attacked during this period as people were tired of not being able to enjoy music and arts simply because of their station. The role religion played in the development of music and arts also began to diminish as people started to turn away from the ruling forces of the church. Education was furthered during this period through gatherings where an exchange of ideas and discussions of the arts occurred. The general public

“Music was written to be more accessible, less complicated, more popular and pleasing” (Larry Ferrara, City College of San Francisco).

Keywords: classical, religion, music, concert, art

The Music of the Classical Era

In going from the late Baroque period into the Classical Era we can see the changes in the style characteristics of the music in the rhythm, dynamics, tone color, melody, and texture. These changes were done in a way that was meant to keep the listener entertained and pleased. To move away from a depressing and boring style of music composers chose to change the rhythm of their music in a variety of ways that made it more interesting and less predictable. This was done by making the energy felt from the rhythm go up or down, suddenly end, or move smoothly. The dynamics of the music composed during this era was also changed through both the words and instruments used. This also led to the transition in music from the harpsichord to the piano. The piano offered a way for the composer to define how loud the piece could be with how much pressure was applied to the key. Through the different levels of volume used in both words and instruments the

“He composed 104 symphonies, 83 string quartets, numerous divertimentos, trios, and sonatas, and over 20 operas” (Kerman, Joseph et all, Page 178). Among those compositions is Symphony No. 95, one of his most famous musical pieces. In the first movement Franz Haydn starts off in sonata form with a bit of a gloomy mood much like Wolfgang Mozart’s music and repeats itself until it reaches the recapitulation where it turns toward a lighter mood whereas Wolfgang Mozart stayed gloomy. Then we go to the second movement where Franz Haydn begins with his slow and easy going style with variations rather than exact repetition. He uses this effect on multiple occasions which leave one to wonder if he is trying not to be too serious with his music. In the third movement we hear the change to the minuet form with this style being that of a dance however he adds several pauses to throw off the listener for no reason and then continues like nothing happened. In his fourth movement he closes with the rondo form by moving much faster in tempo than the first movement. He starts off with a quiet dynamic but soon after goes to a loud dynamic which would have the listener awakened with a bit of an exhilarating feeling. He then goes to a quiet dynamic and back to a loud dynamic again before closing his composition with a bit of an explosion of feeling and expression. Franz Joseph Haydn is remembered as the first greatest