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Jean-Philippe Rameau
Rameau was a French composer and theorist. He tried to establish a rational foundation for harmonic practice and proposed the Treatise on Harmony in 1722. -
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Pietro Metastasio
Metastasio was a court poet in Vienna and was a primary librettist for opera seria. -
Libretto
The written story (without music) that the composer sets to music. -
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Frederick the Great
When Frederick took the throne in 1740 he was determined to live life his way, supporting music and the arts . He employed C.P.E. Bach. He himself composed at least 100 sonatas and 4 symphonies and Spoke German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Latin, ancient and modern Greek, and Hebrew. -
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C.P.E. Bach
C.P.E. Bach worked in Berlin for Frederick the Great (Frederick II) who reigned over the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. He composed mostly in Empfindsamkeit and proposed his keyboard treatise in 1753. -
Empfindsamkeit
Empfindsamkeit was a German style which desired to be, above all, natural and simple. The primary composer of this style was the eldest son of J.S. Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. -
Minuet and Trio
A minuet is a dance, a subgenre, and a form. The overall structure is ABA. -
Rondo Form
A variety of rondo forms existed in the 18th century: all based on the notion of a main refrain (A) that is repeated
A B A C A
A B A C A B A -
Scherzo
Similar to a minuet but usually faster and more vigorous, the Scherzo replaced a minuet in a multi-movement work. It has the same ABA form as a minuet. -
Rounded Bianary Form
2 sections: The second section usually ends with a partial return of the first section:
A BA’ -
Singspiel
A light comic opera in German. German is spoken rather than recitative in this style. -
French Opera
France had both serious and comic opera during the classical period. These genres included Grand opéra, Opéra Comique, Opérette. -
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Rococo Style
This French style can be considered "over the top" in ornamentation and decoration. This style was popular with composer Francois Couperin. -
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Sonata Form
Sonata form was essential in the Classical era. It consist of an exposition (Theme I, transitional material modulating to the dominant, Theme II, and a closing theme), development (can use any theme, new or old, modulating through any key leading back to tonic), and a recapitulation (theme 1, transitional section without a modulation, Theme 2, and a closing theme). -
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Solo Concetro
Solo concertos were the only ones that remained in the Classical period. They often featured Piano, Flute, Violin, or Cello. Typically three movements (fast, slow, faster), concertos combined elements of Baroque ritornello form and newer sonata form -
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Chamber Sonatas
Typically composed either for a solo instrument (piano) or a solo instrument with piano. The Harpsichords diminished in popularity once the more modern piano emerged in the 1770s. -
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The Classical Era
The classical era can be characterized by the qualities of order, objectivity, symmetry, etiquette, restraint, and harmonic proportion. Musically, a pullback from the extreme ornamentation, as used in the Baroque era, is seen with the use of singable melodies. Additionally, diatonic harmony, regular rhythms and meters, slow harmonic rhythms, homophonic textures, and frequent inclusion of folk elements define this era. -
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Franz Joseph Haydn
Started in Vienna as a choirboy at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. After a period of homelessness, he was hired by the Esterhazys in 1761. He composed over 750 works. Was good friends with Mozart -
Invention of the Symphony
Invented by Giovanni Battista Sammartini in Milan Italy. Originally, the symphony contained three movements. The 4th movement (minuet) was added in the 1740s in Mannheim, Germany. -
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Giovanni Paisiello
Paisioello was an Italian composer who wrote 94 operas. -
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William Billings
One of the first American composers. He composed sacred choral music. His first publication was “The New-England Psalm-Singer” (1770). -
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Antonio Salieri
One of the successful court composers in Vienna; very popular and talented. Composed many operas in Italian, German, and French. -
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String Quartet
Invented by Franz Xaver Richter, String Quartet was one of the most important chamber genres of the era. It consisted of, four movements, following the general outline of a symphony. -
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Maria Anna Mozart [ Nannerl]
Mozart's older sister, Nannerl was considered to be more talented as a composer specifically by Mozart himself. She toured with him throughout their childhood. He would often send her piano cadenzas to be critiqued. -
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Although Mozart lived only to age 35, he made significant contributions to nearly all musical genres including symphonies, sonatas, concertos, chamber music, sacred music, and opera. His music is noted for lyrical melodic lines, colorful orchestration, and dramatic content which shows up in his instrumental works as a reflection of his love of theatre and opera. -
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Maria Theresa von Paradis
Paradis was an excellent blind pianist and organist. She was renowned for her remarkable musical memory. She composed two concertos, a piano trio, songs, cantatas, operas, and other chamber music. -
Opera Buffa
Comedic operas that used more realistic characters and serious topics. One of Mozart's famous Opera Buffa is Le Nozze di Figari (1786). -
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The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution made mass production of higher quality instruments possible. -
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven was a German composer during the classical era. Although intending to study with Mozart, Beethoven learned from the students of Mozart and Haydn. His most well-known Symphony was his 9th. -
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The American Revolution
The American Revolution, also called the U.S. War of Independence, was the insurrection fought between 1775 and 1783 through which 13 of Great Britain's North American colonies threw off British rule to establish the sovereign United States of America. -
Invention of the Piano
The first patented version of a piano was in London in 1777. The piano revolutionized keyboard music. -
Piano Concerto in G Major, K. 453
Composed for an exceptional student, Mozart composed 2 concertos, including K. 453, for her. -
Don Giovanni
Considered the best opera ever composed specifically by Wagner, Rossini, and Gounod. -
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The French Revolution
The French Revolution is an uprising in France against the monarchy from 1789 to 1799 which resulted in the establishment of France as a republic. -
First Viennese School
The first Viennese School refers to the most well-known composers during the Classical period who all spent time in Vienne: Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. -
Mozart’s Requiem
Composed at the end of his life, Mozart's requiem sat unfinished when he passed in 1791. The piece was finished by Mozart's possible student Franz Xaver Süssmayr. -
Invention of the Cupcake
The earliest reference of cupcakes can be traced as far back as 1796, when a recipe notation of "a cake to be baked in small cups" was written in American Cookery by Amelia Simms. -
Haydn String Quartet No. 62, Op. 76 No. 3
A Theme and Variations composed by Haydn for String Quartet -
Anton Weidinger’s Trumpet
A classical era Trumpet with keys similar to a woodwind and a full range of notes with chromatic and diatonic pitches. This Trumpet did not catch on and was later replaced with the valved Trumpet. -
Invention of Dental Floss
Dental Floss was invented by dentist Levi Spear Parmly and was originally made of silk.