Classical Music During The Baroque Era

The Classical music style of the mid-eighteenth century flourished in the progressive atmosphere of the Age of Enlightenment. One major development in musical life was the rise of subscription based public concerts. These performances, put on by musicians such as Haydn and Mozart, were key in introducing musical genres of all kinds to the general public, and were often set up to benefit charities. Another innovation of the time was the opera buffa. Just as the opera seria was important to the Baroque Era, the Italian comic opera went perfectly with the more relaxed attitude of the Classical era. Beginning as a protest towards the carefully calculated and fabricated emotionality of the opera seria, this new opera sought to portray humanity in
a more natural and relatable light. Depicting regular middle and lower-class people in a humorous and relatable way was a much needed breath of fresh air to contrast the heavily idealized portrayals of rich noblemen, and comic operas quickly gained popularity.