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Mannheim School –
orchestral techniques pioneered by the court orchestra of
Mannheim which influenced composers such as Haydn,
Hofmann and Mozart.
The late 18th century was a period of great social upheaval. The breakdown of the old
social order reached its culmination in the French Revolution (1789-99) and music ceased to
be the exclusive preserve of pampered aristocrats or prelates (high ranking member of the
Christian clergy). This radical social shift is reflected in the careers of the four great Classical
composers.
The Classical period boasts some of the best known classical composers in the history
of Western music – namely Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. These composers
formed what is now known as the First Viennese School of Composition and their works are
still part of the core repertoire of classical music as a whole.
Sonata: A work for solo piano, or a solo instrument accompanied by piano, in three or four
movements. The typical structure is:
i. Moderate tempo in sonata form.
ii. Slow tempo.
iii. Scherzo or Minuet and Trio.
iv. Fast tempo.
Sonata Form: Important form for Classical instrumental music. The structure is:
i. Exposition. Introduces the two main themes which are known are the first
subject and the second subject. These themes are written in different keys
and are separated by a transition or bridge passage – a short piece of music
which connects the two themes. The first theme is presented in the tonic while
the second theme is often written in the dominant key (5th higher or 4th lower
than the tonic). The Exposition may end with a brief coda – a short piece of
music which rounds off the section. The Exposition will end in the dominant
key.
ii. Development. The composer develops the first and second subjects. Ideas
from both subjects will be taken and developed. For example, he may take the
opening notes of the first subject and create a sequence from these. The
composer will modulate several times in this section before returning to the
tonic at the end of this section.
iii. Recapitulation. The first subject is repeated in a related key. The second
subject, which was originally heard in the dominant, will now be heard in the
tonic. The music will end with a coda – a short passage which rounds off the
music.
First subject
Written in the tonic key of C major. Note the use of an alberti bass as an accompaniment in
the first phrase. The second phrase begins with a sequence of scales.
Transition I
This passage continues the scalic movement, modulating to the dominant of G major (note
the use of the F# accidental in bar 10) in bar 12.
Second Subject
Written in the dominant key of G. This theme uses a descending triadic figure whereas the
opening theme uses an ascending triadic figure its first phrase.
Transition II
Reinforces the dominant key of G major which the second subject is written in.
Codetta
Short series of perfect cadences in the dominant key of G major.
Development
Having concluded the exposition in the dominant (G major), Mozart now starts the
development in G minor (the dominant minor). He combines an idea from the codetta
(derived from the broken chords found in the first phrase of both subjects, their
accompaniments and the second phrase of the second subject) with the scalic passages found
in the second phrase of the first subject and the first transition.
The music modulates through the following keys – G minor, D minor, A minor – with
imitation between two distinct voices. Modulations are achieving through tonic-dominant
relationships (see score) before moving to the key of F major for the start of the
recapitulation.
Recapitulation
The first subject is now heard in the key of F major.
Transition I’
Starting in F major, this mirrors transition I. However, this time Mozart switches the voices,
giving the scalic passage to the bass voice and chords to the treble voice. As in transition I,
the music then modulates to the dominant before the one bar introduction to the second
subject takes us to the tonic key (C).
Second Subject
As expected, the second subject can now be heard in the tonic of C major.
Transition II’
This is the same as transition I except for the shift in key.
Coda II
Mirroring coda I, firmly establishing the tonic of C major.
Chamber Music
Chamber music: Music written for a small group of musicians with one player per part.
Examples of this are a string quartet, a piano trio (typically a piano, violin and cello), a
woodwind quintet, a solo instrument (flute, cello, violin, clarinet, etc) accompanied by the
piano.
Symphony
Symphony: A large work for an orchestra usually in four movements. In the Classical period
the movements were usually:
i. Fast. Often written in sonata form.
ii. Slow
iii. Minuet and Trio (3 beats in a bar). This minuet was later replaced by a scherzo which
is in triple time (3 beats in a bar or in compound time).
iv. Fast
Theme and Variations
Theme and Variations: The theme is a melody, a tune which is the main idea for a
composition. In theme and variations, the theme may form a whole section of the
composition. The variations occurs when the main theme or tune is altered, perhaps by
adding extra notes, changing from major to minor or vice versa, changing harmony, rhythm,,
time signature, or when the them is played in the bass, etc.
Opera – Coloratura
Opera: Drama set to music with soloists, chorus, acting and orchestral accompaniment. It
normally performed in a theatre.
Coloratura: Term for high, florid vocal singing which involves scales, runs and ornaments.
Sometimes these passages were written down but often they were extemporised by the
performer.
By the end of the 18th century the piano had become more than just a fashionable toy and was
a living force in culture and entertainment in the homes of the wealthy.
In 1739, Domenico del Mela experimented with the upright piano. About 1800 it was
discovered that the soundboard could be dropped towards the floor, placing most of the string
length behind the keyboard in front of the player’s knees, thereby decreasing the overall
height of the instrument. In the 1830s the problem of short bass strings was solved with the
invention of the overstrung piano in which shorter strings ran vertically and the bass strings
crossed obliquely over them allowing for greater length. This method is still used today.