Music 1 Classical Music Essay
Artisha Thompson
Music 1: Classical Music Live
Professor Jill Felber
May 27, 2015
Music 1: Classical Music Live
The classical music period extends from 1700s to 1800s, which includes the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Mendelssohn. The classical period of music combined various musical instruments to create symphonies to be performed by orchestras. With the natural development and progression of music slowly changing with the 18th century society and culture, the classical music period was heavily influenced by events taking place in society at that time. Among the many musical types of the period, the classical period is best known for the symphony, a form of a large orchestral ensemble. The symphonic pieces generally had four different movements, the sonata, a slow movement (adagio), the minuet and the finale. Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Mozart established symphonies as a significant genre of the 18th century.
Although all three of these composers were as equally as influential to the development of classical music, their origins and contributions to classical music differ quite significantly. As guest lecturer Henry Michaels’ stated in lecture, “Joseph Haydn is known as the father of the symphony, he wrote 106 of them,” (May 20, 2015). Joseph Haydn was an Austrian born composer born into a working class family. Due to his family’s socioeconomic status, Haydn worked as a freelance music teacher until 1761, which then he became a live in servant for Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy. He composed music at the prince’s request ranging from orchestra, chapel, opera, and even puppeteer. Often times the lives of composers and musician were greatly influenced by the social changes occurring in their time period Haydn later composed Symphony No. 64 in A Major, “Tempura Mutantur,” and as Henry Michaels translated the entire title for the symphony as follows, “The times change and we change with them. How? As they become worse, so do we,” (May 20, 2015). This statement can ring true as
Music 1: Classical Music Live
Professor Jill Felber
May 27, 2015
Music 1: Classical Music Live
The classical music period extends from 1700s to 1800s, which includes the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Mendelssohn. The classical period of music combined various musical instruments to create symphonies to be performed by orchestras. With the natural development and progression of music slowly changing with the 18th century society and culture, the classical music period was heavily influenced by events taking place in society at that time. Among the many musical types of the period, the classical period is best known for the symphony, a form of a large orchestral ensemble. The symphonic pieces generally had four different movements, the sonata, a slow movement (adagio), the minuet and the finale. Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Mozart established symphonies as a significant genre of the 18th century.
Although all three of these composers were as equally as influential to the development of classical music, their origins and contributions to classical music differ quite significantly. As guest lecturer Henry Michaels’ stated in lecture, “Joseph Haydn is known as the father of the symphony, he wrote 106 of them,” (May 20, 2015). Joseph Haydn was an Austrian born composer born into a working class family. Due to his family’s socioeconomic status, Haydn worked as a freelance music teacher until 1761, which then he became a live in servant for Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy. He composed music at the prince’s request ranging from orchestra, chapel, opera, and even puppeteer. Often times the lives of composers and musician were greatly influenced by the social changes occurring in their time period Haydn later composed Symphony No. 64 in A Major, “Tempura Mutantur,” and as Henry Michaels translated the entire title for the symphony as follows, “The times change and we change with them. How? As they become worse, so do we,” (May 20, 2015). This statement can ring true as
Cited: Michaels, Henry. “Pre-Concert Lecture.” University of California, Santa Barbara. UCen Lobero Room, Santa Barbara, CA. 20 May 2015. Lecture.