Classical Period of Music

The Spirit of the Classical Era :

The Classical Era saw the convergence of two opposing schools of thought in society. The first was the leftover from the Baroque Era, which said that the nobility had absolute power of society. The second was from the middle class, who said that the nobility had gone too far with their power and should give some of their power over to the middle class.

The result of this was many opportunities for composers. Not only could they have theirtraditional occupations as servents to various noblemen who served as their patrons, but they could also make a fair living performing their work at public concerts, an innovation of the time.

This uprising from the bourgeousie was happening all around the world. The American and French Revolution showed that the little people of the world were not going to stand for being trampled underfoot and the Industrial Revolution allowed for a power transfer from the nobility to the middle class, who controlled the mines and factories.

Thinkers of the Classical Era despised complexity and detail. They preferred beauty in simplicity and form. The Classical Era represented a throwback to ancient Rome and Greece.

The String Quartet:

The string quartet represents one of the first musical forms that could be described as chamber music. In this style of music, the composer deals with a small group of instruments and the emphasis is on the blend and interplay between the players. A string quartet usually consists ...