By HRJ
Period inspired by the Enlightenment, characterized by the fact that music is at the service of reason. Balance and harmony are the essential quests. To emphasize these quests, the works adhere to rigid forms (such as sonatas, concertos and symphonies) whose very structural requirements force the distribution of sound events in highly ordered ways.
It is music that carries the historical obligation of transmitting clarity, restraint and calm.
"When does the Classical period in music begin, and when does it end?"
A significant date of its beginning is 1750, the year of Bach's death, who in his last works hinted at several characteristics that defined the classical style (such as melodic conciseness).
Its end can be established in 1803, the year in which Beethoven published his Symphony No. 3, Heroica (1803), considered the first romantic work in history.
"What does Classicism oppose?"
"What came after Classicism?"
Romanticism, which also does not break with tonality, but the music no longer serves the idea, but the inner world.
"Who were the leading figures of Classicism, and what should we listen to by them?"
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
A work of mysterious atmospheres. Of a delicate and elegant mystery, which in spite of its enigma is clear and at times even festive (some themes are openly dance-like). Although the great particularity of this symphony occurs during the second movement: while the section of first violins performs a brilliant melody, a large section of the orchestra (composed of bassoons, second violins, cellos and double basses) performs a passage whose oscillating rhythm suggests the sound of the ticking of the clock.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Written for four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), choir, and orchestra with organ, the Requiem represents a compendium of Mozart's thought. It brings together the most important musical ideas that he developed throughout his short but fruitful career (in his endless repertoire there are 13 complete operas, 41 symphonies and 27 piano concertos).
In this regard, the musicologist Joseph Pascual says: "In this composition, the operatic Mozart and the religious Mozart, the Mozart captivated by Bach's counterpoint and the classical Mozart, the lyrical composer and the dramatic author, the most desolate expression and certain hints of hope, the God-fearing Mozart and the Masonic Mozart converge".
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)
Concerto for flute and orchestra
Gluck was primarily a composer of operas, but of his few orchestral works the Concerto for flute and orchestra stands out. Its three-movement structure is a perfect example of the classical concerto form: Allegro/Adagio/Allegrowhich in general terms announce a fast movement followed by a slow one to culminate with a third movement that returns to the fast mode of the beginning. The soloist participation of the horn stands out, which at times, so expressive, interprets melodic lines that seem to have been written for human voice.
