Short Written Assignment: Musical Form
Discuss the use of musical form in the compositional process in the classical period. Include examples of specific forms, what they consist of, and representative composers and compositions that reflect these forms. Pages 10-12 in the assigned reading for this module cover musical form in the period. This assignment should be a minimum of 250 words in length and your thoughts and opinions. This assignment is submitted via Turnitin and will be checked for plagiarized sources and against a database of previously submitted assignments and internet sources. At the end of your submission you need to include a works cited page that includes all of your referenced sources including all embedded materials in Canvas in MPA, APA or Turabian/Chicago formats.
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5.1 objeCTives
1. Demonstrate knowledge of historical and cultural contexts of the
classical period
2. Recognize musical performing forces (voices, instruments, and
ensembles), styles, composers, and genres of the classical period
3. Aurally identify selected music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven and
explain how it interacts with forms of the day
5.2 Key Terms and individuals
American War for
Independence
cadenza
chamber music
coda
concerto
cotton gin
da capo
first-movement concerto
form/double-exposition form
French Revolution
hemiola
Industrial Revolution
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Joseph Haydn
Ludwig van Beethoven
minuet and trio form
Napolon Bonaparte
opera buffa
pizzicato
rondo
scherzo
sonata
sonata form (exposition,
development, recapitulation)
steam engine
string quartet
Symphony
ternary form
The Enlightenment
5music of the Classical PeriodJeff Kluball and Elizabeth Kramer
Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
5.3 inTroduCTion and hisToriCal ConTeXT
Of all the musical periods, the Classical period is the shortest, spanning less
than a century. Its music is dominated by three composers whose works are still
some of the best known of all Western art music: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809),
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), and Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).
Although born in different European regions, all three spent a substantial amount
of time in Vienna, Austria, which might be considered the European musical cap-
ital of the time.
Music scholars have referred to this time as the Classical period in music for
several reasons. For one, the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven has served
as the model for most composers after their time and is still played today; in this
way, the music is classic in that it has provided an exemplar and has stood the
test of time. As we will also see, this music has often been perceived as emulating
the balance and portion of ancient Greek and Roman art, the time period to which
the word classical is affixed within literature and art history, as well as the wider
field of history.
Our use of the Classical period to refer to music of roughly 1750 to 1820,
how-ever, should not be confused with our broader use of the term classical
music to refer to art music (music that does not otherwise fall within the spheres
of popular music or folk music).
Beginning towards the end of the 16th century, citizens in Europe became skep-
tical of traditional politics, governance, wealth distribution, and the aristocracy.
Philosophers and theorists across Europe began to questioning these norms and
issues and began suggesting instead that humanity could benefit from change.
Publications and scientific discoveries of these thinkers proving and understand-
ing many of natures laws spurred the paradigm shift of logic referred to as the Age
of Reason, or the Enlightenment.
The seeds for the Enlightenment can be found in England in approximately the
1680s. In that decade, Newton published Principia Mathematica and John Locke
published his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. These two works pro-
vided the philosophical, mathematical, and scientific foundation for the Enlight-
enments great developments. Locke stressed that knowledge is gained through
accumulated life experience rather than by acquired outside truth. Newtons math-
ematics and optical theory showed that humans can observe, study, define, and
test the world around them and can also mathematically measure and prove nat-
ural occurrences.
Besides Locke and Newton, Enlightenment thinkers included Voltaire, Mon-
tesquieu, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, and Immanuel Kant. Their
works especially stressed improving humanitys condition through the use of rea-
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theme and variation form
Thomas Paine
Voltaire
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
son and common sense in order to provide liberty and justice for all. Many Enlight-
enment thinkers challenged blind and unconditional following of the authority of
religious traditions and institutions and emphasized what they saw as universal
human goods and rights. They believed that if humankind would simply act with
common sensefound in ideas such as the golden rulethen societies might ad-
vance with greater universal justice and liberty.
Being able to solve and understand many of the
mysteries of the universe in a quantifiable manner us-
ing math and reason, was empowering. Much of the
educated middle class applied these learned principles
to improve society. Enlightenment ideals lead to polit-
ical revolutions throughout the Western world. Gov-
ernmental changes such as Britains embrace of consti-
tutional democratic form of government and later the
United States of Americas establishment of democratic
republic completely changed the outlook of the function
of a nation/state. The overall well-being and prosperity
of all in society became the mission of governance.
Up until the mid-1700s art, including music, was
under the direct control or patronage of the monarchy/aristocracy, the class whose
unquestioned rule was founded on divine hereditary right. The arts were their (and
the churchs) privilege, luxury, and adornment for generations to come. In its in-
fancy, the Enlightenments power shift toward the middle class was neither per-
ceived nor anticipated by those in power. Americas successful revolution against
England landed a devastating blow to the doctrine of the divine ruling rights of
kings. Shortly afterward, the ensuing French Revolution had an unintentional im-
pact on the arts and is one of the greatest influences on Western classical music.
Artists and architects of the second half of the eighteenth century looked to
classical antiquity as its model; their work is referred to as neoclassical. You can
see this interest when one compares the Parthenon in Athens to the columns of
the White House. While in power, aristocrats and their wealthy peers exalted the
Hellenism that protected them from getting too involved in the current issues of
life. The aristocrats saw the ancient Roman gods, heroes, and kings as semblances
of themselves. They viewed themselves in the same light as super humans entitled
to rule, possess great wealth, and be powerful. This detachment shaped their rela-
tionship with the arts in architecture and the visual arts. The rising middle class,
on the contrary, viewed and interpreted neoclassical arts as representations of Ro-
man and Greek city-states. This view assisted their resolve to rebel against the ty-
rants and abolish despotism. Here musical terminology diverges from that used by
art historians (Neoclassicism in music would have to wait for the 20th century). As
we have few musical exemplars from classical antiquity and as the music of Haydn,
Mozart, and Beethoven would become the model for nineteenth century music,
music historians have referred to this period as a time of Musical Classicism.
figure 5.1 | Benjamin
Franklin, 1759
author | Benjamin Wilson
source | Wikimedia Commons
license | Public Domain
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
The mid and second half of the 18th century saw a revolutionary political and
economic shift in Europe. Here the dramatic paramount shift of power from the
aristocracy to the middle class began and strengthened. The wealth of the middle
class had been expanding due the growing capitalism from the Industrial Revolu-
tion. This revolution resulted from a series of momentous inventions of the mid-
1700s, including the Watt Steam Engine, James Hargreavess spinning jenny, Ed-
mund Cartwrights power loom, and Eli Whitneys cotton gin.
The following decades witnessed great scientific achievements and discoveries
including: electricity by Benjamin Franklin, medical smallpox vaccination by Ed-
ward Jenner, the discovery of oxygen by Joseph Priestly, the advancement of the
mechanistic view of the universe by Pierre-Simon Laplace, and the invention of
the voltaic pile (battery) by Alessandro Volta Pierre Laplace (b. 1749-1827) a gifted
and talented scientist and mathematician, felt that due to scientific explanation
for the planets, their motion, and possibly how they began, humans no longer had
any need for God. This mindset even further reduces the influence of the church
on society and music.
During the enlightenment, the burgeoning middle class became a major mar-
ket for art superseding the aristocracy as the principal consumer of music and art.
This market shift facilitated a great demand for new innovations in the humanities.
While the increased literacy of the middle class led to the proliferation of newspa-
pers, periodicals, and novels throughout Western Europe. These sources provide
us with reviews of concerts and published music and capture eighteenth century
impressions of and responses to music.
5.3.1 The visual arts and architecture
The visual arts developed two major styles in the Enlightenment. Both are rep-
resentative of the dualism found in the arts during the classical era. As the aris-
tocracy tried to adhere to the Greek and Roman mythological antiquity, artists
such as the painter Jacques-Louis David (b.1748-1835), of the French revolution
adorned his canvases with themes of Roman and Athenian democracy. Davids
paintings were admired by Thomas Jefferson, but Davids painting The Death of
Marat (1793) received particular praise. Marat, to whom the painting refers, is the
murdered Jean-Paul Marat, an influential French revolutionary leader. Marats
previous influence paired with his murder and Davids painting instantly trans-
posed him into a political martyr. Davids painting thus became a symbol of sacri-
fice in the name of the republic.1
Architecture in the late eighteenth century leaned toward the clean lines of an-
cient buildings such as the Athenian Parthenon and away from the highly ornate
decorative accents of Baroque and Rococo design. One might also argue that the
music of Haydn, Mozart, and early Beethoven aspires toward a certain simplicity
and calmness stemming from ancient Greek art.
1 Jacques-Louis David. Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 18 December 2015.
Biography.com
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
5.3.2 music in late eighteenth Century
The three most important composers of the Classical period were Joseph
Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Although they
were born in different places, all three composers spent the last years of their lives
in Vienna, Austria, a city which might be considered the musical capitol of the
Classical period (see map below).
Their music careers illustrate the changing role of the composer during this
time. The aristocratic sponsors of the Classical artistswho were still functioning
under the patronage systemwere more interested in the final product than in the
artists intrinsic motivations for creating art for its own sake. For most of his life,
Haydn worked for the aristocracy composing to order and wearing the livery of the
Esterhzy family, who were his patrons. Though successful working under their
patronage, Haydn had more freedom to forge his own career after Prince Nikolaus
Esterhzys death and staged concerts for his own commercial benefit in London
and Vienna. Beethoven, the son of a court musician, was sent to Vienna to learn
to compose. By 1809, he had succeeded in securing a lifetime annuity (a promise
from local noblemen for annual support). Beethoven did not have to compose mu-
sic for them; he simply had to stay in Vienna and compose. In some ways, the role
of aristocratic patron and composer was turned on its head. When philosophically
compatible with a sponsor, the artist flourished and could express his/her creativ-
figure 5.3 | Map of Europe
author | User: Ssolbergj
source | Wikimedia Commons
license | CC BY-SA 3.0
Italy: Mozart learned how
to compose opera here
France: Home of the
French Revolution
England: Mozart and
Haydn traveled here.
Salzburg, Austria:
Mozart born here
Bonn, Germany:
Betthoven born here
Vienna, Austria: Haydn,
Mozart, and Betthoven
spent their last years here
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
ity. But in Mozarts case, the patronage system was stifling and counterproductive
to his abilities. Mozart was also born and raised by a father who was a court mu-
sician, though his father was a court musician for the Archbishop of Salzburg. It
was expected that Mozart would also enter the service of the Archbishop; instead,
he escaped to Vienna, where he attempted the life of a freelancer. After initial suc-
cesses, he struggled to earn enough money to make ends meet and died a pauper
in 1791. The journey through the Classical period is one between two camps, the
old and the new: the old based upon an aristocracy with city states and the new in
the rising and more powerful educated middle class. The traditional despotism is
dying while the new class system increasingly thrives.
5.3.3 musical Timeline
Events in History Events in Music
1732: Haydn born
1750: J. S. Bach dies
1756: Mozart born
1762: French philosopher Rousseau publishes
mile, or Treatise on Education, outlining
Englightenment educational ideas
1770: Beethoven born
1776: Declaration of Independence in the
U.S.A.
1781: Mozart settles in Vienna
1789: Storming of the Bastille and beginning of
the French Revolution (Paris, France)
1790: Beethoven moves to Vienna
1791: Mozart dies
1791-95: Haydn travels to London
1792: Beethoven moves to Vienna
1793: In the U.S.A., invention of the Cotton
Gin, an innovation of the Industrial Revolution
1809: Haydn dies
1827: Beethoven dies
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
5.4 musiC in The ClassiCal Period
5.4.1 music Comparison overview
Baroque Music Classical Music
Rise of homophony; polyphony
still used
Rise of instrumental music,
including the violin family
Meter more important than before
New genres such as opera,
oratorio, concerto, cantata, and
fugue
Emergence of program music
Continued presence of music at
church and court
Continued increase of music
among merchant classes
Motor rhythm
Mostly homophony, but with
variation
New genres such as the symphony
and string quartet
Use of crescendos and
decrescendos
Question and answer (aka
antecedent consequent) phrases
that are shorter than earlier
phrases
New emphasis on musical form: for
example, sonata form, theme and
variations, minuet and trio, rondo,
and first-movement concerto form
Greater use of contrasting
dynamics, articulations, and
tempos
5.4.2 General Trends of Classical music
Musical Style
The Classical style of music embodies balance, structure, and flexibility of ex-
pression, arguably related to the noble simplicity and calm grandeur that the eigh-
teenth century art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann saw in ancient Greek
art. In the music of Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven, we find tuneful mel-
odies using question/answer or antecedent/consequent phrasing; flexible deploy-
ment of rhythm and rests; and slower harmonic rhythm (harmonic rhythm is the
rate at which the chords or harmonies change). Composers included more expres-
sive marks in their music, such as the crescendo and decrescendo. The homoph-
ony of the Classical period featured predominant melody lines accompanied by
relatively interesting and independent lines. In the case of a symphony or operatic
ensemble, the texture might be described as homophony with multiple accompa-
nying lines or polyphony with a predominant melodic line.
Performing Forces
The Classical period saw new performing forces such as the piano and the
string quartet and an expansion of the orchestra. Initially called the fortepiano,
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
then the pianoforte, and now the piano was capable of dynamics from soft to loud;
the player needed only to adjust the weight applied when depressing a key. This
feature was not available in the Baroque harpsichord. Although the first pianos
were developed in the first half of the eighteenth century, most of the technological
advancements that led the piano to overtaking all other keyboard instruments in
popularity occurred in the late eighteenth century.
Besides the keyboard instruments, the string quartet was the most popular
new chamber music ensembles of the Classical period and comprised two violins,
a viola, and a cello. In addition to string quartets, composers wrote duets, trios,
quintets, and even sextets, septets, and octets. Whether performed in a palace or a
more modest middle class home, chamber music, as the name implies, was gener-
ally performed in chamber or smaller room.
In the Classical period, the orchestra expanded into an ensemble that might
include as many as thirty to sixty musicians distributed into four sections. The
sections include the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Classical compos-
ers explored the individual unique tone colors of the instruments and they did not
treat the instrumental sections interchangeably. An orchestral classical piece uti-
lizes a much larger tonal palette and more rapid changes of the ensembles timbre
through a variety of orchestration techniques. Each section in the classical orches-
tra has a unique musical purpose as penned by the composer. The string section
still holds its prominence as the center-piece for the orchestra. Composers contin-
ue to predominantly assign the first violins the melody and the accompaniment to
the lower strings. The woodwinds are orchestrated to provide diverse tone colors
and often assigned melodic solo passages. By the beginning of the nineteenth cen-
tury, clarinets were added to the flutes and oboes to complete the woodwind sec-
tion. To add volume and to emphasize louder dynamic, horns and trumpets were
used. The horns and trumpets also filled out the harmonies. The brass usually were
not assigned the melody or solos. The kettle drum or timpani were used for volume
highlights and for rhythmic pulse. Overall, the Classical orchestra matured into a
multifaceted tone color ensemble that composers could utilize to produce their
most demanding musical thoughts acoustically through an extensive tonal palette.
General differences between the Baroque and Classical (1750-1815) orchestras are
summarized in the following chart.
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
Baroque Orchestras Classical Orchestras
Strings at the core
Woodwind and brass instruments
such as the flutes or oboes and
trumpets and horns doubled the
themes played by the strings or
provided harmonies
Any percussion was provided by
timpani
Harpsichord, sometimes
accompanied by cello or bassoon,
provided the basso continuo
Generally led by the harpsichord
player
Strings at the core
More woodwind instruments
flutes and oboes and (increasingly)
clarinetswhich were sometimes
given their own melodic themes
and solo parts
More brass instruments, including,
after 1808, trombones.
More percussion instruments,
including cymbals, the triangle,
and other drums
Phasing out of the basso continuo
Generally led by the concertmaster
(the most important first violinist)
and increasingly by a conductor
Emergence of New Musical Venues
The Classical period saw performing ensembles such as the orchestra appear-
ing at an increasing number of concerts. These concerts were typically held in the-
aters or in the large halls of palaces and attended by anyone who could afford the
ticket price, which was reasonable for a substantial portion of the growing middle
class. For this reason, the birth of the public concert is often traced to the late
eighteenth century. At the same time, more music was incorporated into a growing
number of middle class households.
The redistribution of wealth and power of this era affected the performing
forces and musical venues in two ways. First, although the aristocracy still em-
ployed musicians, professional composers were no longer exclusively employed by
the wealthy. This meant that not all musicians were bound to a particular person
or family as their patron/sponsor. Therefore, public concerts shifted from perfor-
mances in the homes and halls of the rich to performances for the masses which
evolved the symphony into a genre for the public concert, as they were eventually
written for larger and larger ensembles. Second, middle class families incorporat-
ed more music into their households for personal entertainment. For example,
middle class households would have their children take music lesson and partici-
pate in chamber music or small musical ensembles. Musicians could now support
themselves through teaching lessons, composing and publishing music, and per-
forming in public venues, such as in public concerts. Other opportunities includ-
ed the public opera house, which was the center for vocal music experimentation
during the Classical era. Composers also continued to write music for the church.
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
Musical Form
As musical compositions of the Classical period incorporated more performing
forces and increased in length, a compositions structure became more important.
As an element of organization and coherence, form helps give meaning to a mu-
sical movement or piece, we have some evidence to suggest that late eighteenth
and early nineteenth century audiences heard form in music that was especially
composed to play on their expectations.
Sonata Form
The most important innovation in form during the Classical period is what we
call Sonata Form. This form got its name from being used as the first movement
of most piano sonatas of the Classical period. Consisting of three sectionsexpo-
sition, development, and recapitulationit was also used for the first movements
(and sometimes final movements) of almost all Classical symphonies and string
quartets. The exposition of a sonata form presents the primary themes and keys
of the movement. After the first theme is presented in the home or tonic key, the
music modulates to a different key during a sub-section that is called a transi-
tion. Once the new key is established, subsequent themes appear. The exposition
generally ends with a rousing confirmation of the new key in a sub-section called
the closing. The exposition then often repeats.
As its name implies, the development develops the primary themes of the
movement. The motives that comprise the musical themes are often broken apart
and given to different parts of the orchestra. These motives are often repeated in
sequences (refer back to chapter 1 for more about sequences), and these sequenc-
es often lead to frequent modulations from one musical key to another that con-
tribute to an overall sense of instability. Near the end of the development, there
is sometimes a sub-section called the retransition during which the harmonies,
textures, and dynamics of the music prepare the listener for the final section of the
form, the recapitulation.
Also true to its name, the recapitulation brings back the primary themes and
home key of the movement. A simultaneous return of the first theme and home key
generally marks its beginning. In the recapitulation, the listener hears the same mu-
sical themes as in the first presented in the exposition. The main difference between
the exposition and the recapitulation is that the recapitulation stays in the home key.
After all, the movement is about to end and ending in the home key provides the
listener a sense of closure. Recapitulations often end with sub-sections called codas.
The coda, or tail, of the movement is a sub-section that re-emphasizes the home
key and that generally provides a dramatic conclusion.
Starting in the late eighteenth century, there are reports of listeners recog-
nizing the basic sections of sonata form, and contemporary music theorists outlined
them in music composition treatises. Their descriptions are generalizations based
on the multitudinous sonata form movements composed by Haydn, Mozart, and
Beethoven. Although the sonata form movements of Haydn, Mozart, and Beetho-
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
ven share many of the characteristics outlined above, each sonata form is slightly
different. Perhaps that is what makes their music so interesting: it takes what is ex-
pected and does something different. In fact, composers continued to write sonata
forms through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. By the end of the nineteenth
century, some of these sonata forms were massive, almost-hour-long movements.
You will have the opportunity to hear sonata form in several of our focus composi-
tions from the Classical period.
Other Important Forms in Classical Music
Another form of the Classical period is the Theme and Variations. Theme
and Variations form consists of the presentation of a theme and then the variations
upon it. The theme may be illustrated as A with any number of variations follow-
ing it: A, A, A, A, etc. Each theme is a varied version of the original, keeping
enough of the theme to be recognizable, but providing enough variety in style for
interest. Variations change melodies (often through ornamentation), harmonies,
rhythms, and instrumentation. Theme and variations forms were often found in
slow movements of symphonies and string quartets. Some fast movements are also
in theme and variations form.
The Minuet and Trio form found in many Classical symphonies and string
quartets stems from the stylized dances of the Baroque Period (see chapter 4), and
then followed by the Minuet A section: A B A for short. To save paper, the return of
the A section was generally not written out. Instead, the composer wrote the words
da capo, meaning to the head, at the end of the B section indicating a return to the
A section. As a movement in three parts, Minuet and Trio form is sometimes called
a ternary form. As we will see in our discussion of Beethovens Fifth Symphony,
by the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Minuet and Trio was perceived
as dated, and composers started writing fast ABA ternary form movements called
scherzos.
The rondo is another popular instrumental form of the late eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries. Rondo consists of the alternation of a refrain A with
contrasting sections (B, C, D, etc.). Rondos are often the final movements of
string quartets, classical symphonies, concerti, and sonata (instrumental solos).
Genres
We normally classify musical compositions into genres by considering their
performing forces, function, the presence and quality of any text, and their musical
style and form. Changes in any of these factors can lead to changes in genres. The
two most important new genres of the Classical period were the symphony and
the string quartet; instrumental genres that continued from the Baroque period
include the concerto.
Although one might trace its origins to the opera overture, the symphony de-
veloped as an orchestral composition for the public concert. By the end of the Clas-
sical period, it typically had four movements. The first movement was generally
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
fast in tempo and in sonata form. The final movement was normally fast in tempo
and used sonata, rondo, or theme and variations form. The interior movements
consisted of a slow and lyrical movement and a moderate-tempo dancelike move-
ment generally using the style of the minuet, a popular eighteenth century dance.
The string quartet became one of the most popular genres of Classical chamber
music. Its overall structure and form was exactly like the symphony. However, it
was always performed by two violins, one viola, and one cello (thus its name) and
commonly used as entertainment in the home, although on occasion string quar-
tets were performed in public concerts. Also popular for personal diversion was
the piano sonata, which normally had only three movements (generally lacking the
minuet movement found in the string quartet and the symphony).
The most pronounced change in the Classical period vocal music was the grow-
ing popularity of opera buffa, or comic opera, over the more serious plot and
aristocratic characters of Baroque opera seria. Opera buffa portrayed the lives
of middle class characters and often mixed tragedy with comedy; as we will see,
Mozart would produce some of the most famous opera buffa of all time. (As a side
note, Mozart also transformed the opera overture into a preview of the musical
themes to follow in the opera proper.) Composers Haydn and Beethoven also con-
tinued to write oratorios.
5.5 musiC of josePh haydn (1732-1809)
Born in 1732, Joseph Haydn grew up in a small village that was located about a
six-hour coach ride east of Vienna (today the two are about an hour apart by car).
His family loved to sing together, and perceiving that their son had musical talent,
apprenticed six-year-old Joseph Haydn to a relative who was a schoolmaster and
choirmaster. As an apprentice, Haydn learned harpsichord and violin and sang in
the church. So distinct was Haydns voice that he was recommended to Viennas St.
Stephens Cathedrals music director. In 1740 Haydn
became of student of St. Stephens Cathedral. He
sang with the St. Stephens Cathedral boys choir for
almost ten years, until his voice broke (changed). Af-
ter searching, he found a job as valet to the Italian
opera composer Nicola Porpora and most likely
started studying music theory and music composi-
tion in a systematic way at that time. He composed a
comic musical and eventually became a chapel mas-
ter for a Czech nobleman. When this noble family fell
into hard times, they released Haydn. In 1761, he be-
came a Vice-Chapel Master for an even wealthier no-
bleman, the Hungarian Prince Esterhzy. Haydn
spent almost thirty years working for their family.
He was considered a skilled servant, who soon be-
figure 5.4 | Joseph Haydn, 1791
author | Thomas Hardy
source | Wikimedia Commons
license | Public Domain
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Understanding MUsic MUsic of the classical Period
came their head Chapel Master and was highly prized, especially by the second and
most musical of the Esterhzy princes for whom Haydn worked.
The Esterhzys kept Haydn very busy: he wrote music, which he played both
for and with his patrons, ran the orchestra, and staged operas. In 1779, Haydns
contract was renegotiated, allowing him to write and sell music outside of the Es-
terhzy family. Within a decade, he was the most famous composer in Europe. In
1790, the musical Prince Nikolaus Esterhzy died and his son Anton downsized
the familys musical activities. This shift allowed Haydn to accept an offer to give a
concert in London, England, where his music was very popular. Haydn left Vienna
for London in December. For the concerts there, he composed an opera, sympho-
nies, and chamber music, all of which were extremely popular. Haydn revisited
London twice in the following years, 1791 to 1795, earningafter expensesas
much as he had in twenty years of employment with the Esterhzys. Nonetheless,
a new Esterhzy prince decided to reestablish the familys musical foothold, so
Haydn returned to their service in 1796. In the last years of his life, he wrote two
important oratorios (he had been much impressed by performances of Handels
orat
