Ch. 15: The Early Classic Period: Opera and Vocal Music
This was known as serious opera as they dealt with questions of morality in dramatic ways.
Opera seria
This instrument began to emerge as a replacement for the harpsichord.
Piano
He was a child prodigy who grew into arguably the greatest melodic composer in history.
W. A. Mozart
He was maybe the greatest composer to ever live. He was partially deaf and is most famous for his symphonies.
Ludwig van Beethoven
This was comic opera that was completely sung through and was made of caricatures of various members of society.
Opera buffa
This was a type of multi movement piece written for only one solo instrument and accompaniment.
Sonata
This composer was known as the “Father of the Symphony” as he wrote over 100 symphonies. He was also Beethoven’s teacher.
Franz Joseph Haydn
Beethoven’s third symphony, “Eroica” was named for this French ruler, who Beethoven later came to disavow.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Named for composer Domenico Alberti, this was a harmonic tool that arpeggiated chords in the bass voice to give the melody some harmonic rest.
Alberti Bass
This was a genre of music in four movements written for an orchestra.
Symphony
This city quickly became the musical capital of Europe in the Classical Era.
Vienna
Most of Beethoven’s early works consisted of these, written for piano. His “Moonlight” is of particular fame.
Piano sonatas
He was a famous opera composer who synthesized French and Italian opera & reformed the aria. His influence in opera was felt for over 200 years.
Christoph Willibald Gluck
This son of Johann Sebastian Bach was said to be an expert in the empfindsam or sentimental style.
C.P.E. Bach
This was Mozart’s last work that was left unfinished as he died before he could complete it.
Requiem Mass
This work by Beethoven is perhaps his most famous as it combined vocal and instrumental music. His "Ode to Joy" can be found here.
Ninth Symphony