The music in many ways can sound much simpler than Baroque music.
Use of the Alberti bass (a repeated broken chord,
usually in the bass) with the writing being mainly homophonic with light, clear textures.
Music can consist of contrasting keys and moods. Binary and ternary
form were popular.
Classical music placed a greater stress on clarity with regard to melodic
expression and instrumental colour.
The orchestra gained more color and flexibility as clarinets, flutes,
oboes, and bassoons became permanent members of the orchestra.
The melodies tend to be fairly straight forward in 8 or 16 bar phrases. The clarinet is
first used and there is the emergence of sonata form.
Emsembles: Symphony, Concerto, String quartet, Opera, Overture, Sonata.
Composers:
The four major composers of the Classical era were Haydn, Mozart, Gluck,
and Beethoven. These composers wrote extensively for vocal and instrumental
mediums.
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