The Classical Era — introduction
Orchestra as soloist: the birth of the symphony
As the Baroque era moved into the Classical period, starting in the 1760s, the orchestra became something of a soloist in its own right, with the evolution of the symphony from a musical ‘filler’ (they were often used as overtures and scene-change music in opera houses) to the concert’s main attraction. The early symphonies were in three movements (fast — slow — fast) and fairly short (15–20 minutes); in the course of the next 60 or 70 years, they acquired a fourth movement (usually a minuet or a scherzo, slotted in before the finale), another 10–15 minutes’ worth of music, and a new, exciting emotional depth. Haydn is the composer credited with establishing the symphony as a significant showcase for the orchestra; Mozart also created masterpieces in the form, especially with his last three symphonies.
At the same time, at the opposite end of the spectrum, a new kind of ensemble was taking shape: the string quartet. With just two violins, one viola and a cello, the string quartet lacked the breadth of tone colours of a full orchestra, but it more than made up for that in flexibility, agility, subtlety and intimacy. In fact, the lack of orchestral ‘bells and whistles’ was seen by many composers as an opportunity for them to really concentrate on the essence of music itself, and write some of their most personal musical statements. Here again Haydn led the way, with Mozart following close behind.
New era, new instrument: the piano
Perhaps the most influential new sound to emerge in the Classical period, though, was the piano. Keyboard instruments like the harpsichord had become an essential part of music making during the Baroque period, because of their ability to play chords as well as melodies, but they lacked one thing: the ability to express fine degrees of light and shade. Harpsichords produce their notes by plucking the strings, and the machinery inside the instrument plucks every string the same way, every time, so the player can’t change how loudly the note sounds. The piano, which makes its sound by hitting the strings, allowed players to make notes sound louder or softer, depending on how hard they struck the keys. The first pianos were much more delicate than the modern instruments, but they opened up whole new worlds of expressiveness.
Overall, the music of the Classical era emphasised clarity, elegance, balance and simplicity. The 18th century was the Age of Enlightenment, when reason, science and progress were the great virtues. Music was no longer the preserve of the nobility; the middle class was becoming hungry for education and the arts, and there was a growing market for music that amateurs could perform at home. Notions of social equality were starting to take root, and the idea of a patron, who effectively employed musicians as servants, was beginning to break down; Mozart and Haydn began their career in service — Mozart working very unhappily for the Archbishop of Salzburg, Haydn thriving in the household of Prince Esterházy in Hungary — but both ended up as freelancers, relying on music lovers (wealthy individuals, but also music societies — another product of the democratisation of music) to commission them to write. Composers wrote to engage their audiences, to excite them, to stir their emotions, but ultimately to please them.
In 1789, the Enlightenment ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity erupted into the French Revolution. For the arts, this brought a new emphasis on the individual and the personal.
The gamechanger: Ludwig van Beethoven
The composer who most famously lived this transition, from Classical to Romantic, was Ludwig van Beethoven. His musical heritage and training was thoroughly Classical, and his earlier works show his absolute mastery of the musical language of the Classical period. Soon, though, he begins to experiment, pushing against the boundaries of traditional forms and structures to find new ways to express his musical vision. His music focuses less on the inherent beauty of a musical idea, and more on how the idea can develop and evolve and shape the course of the whole piece; often there is a sense that the music takes us on a psychological or emotional journey, ultimately triumphing over great hardship. There is an obvious parallel with Beethoven’s own personal tragedy — the deafness that began to afflict him in his early 30s — but heroism was also a Revolutionary ideal that Beethoven embraced both politically and personally: the power and courage of the individual.