Music · Lesson 12

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Romantic piano and opera, Impressionism and 20th-century styles

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: Classical 1750–1820, Romantic 1820–1900; composers Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin “etc.”; identify and assess contributions; forms: sonata allegro, theme and variation, free fantasia). WAEC/NECO History and Literature D: Western composers (d) Classical ca. 1750–1820, (e) Romantic ca. 1820–1900, (f) 20th century ca. 1900–2000.

WAEC: Classical 1750–1820, Romantic 1820–1900; composers Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin “etc.”; identify and assess contributions; forms: sonata allegro, theme and variation, free fantasia). WAEC/NECO History and Literature D: Western composers (d) Classical ca. 1750–1820, (e) Romantic ca. 1820–1900, (f) 20th century ca. 1900–2000.

NECO: Classical 1750–1820, Romantic 1820–1900; composers Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin “etc.”; identify and assess contributions; forms: sonata allegro, theme and variation, free fantasia). WAEC/NECO History and Literature D: Western composers (d) Classical ca. 1750–1820, (e) Romantic ca. 1820–1900, (f) 20th century ca. 1900–2000.

What you will learn

Describe the Classical style and sonata form.
Assess the contributions of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.
Describe the features of Romantic music.
Describe the Lied, piano music, programme music and the symphonic poem.
Explain leitmotif and music drama, and identify nationalist composers.
Describe Impressionism, serialism and other 20th-century movements.
Use correct dates, works and catalogue numbers.

Key points

Classical 1750–1820: balance, homophony, crescendo, piano.
Sonata form: exposition, development, recapitulation, coda.
Haydn (1732–1809): Esterházy; 106 symphonies; The Creation.
Mozart (1756–1791): K. 620 Magic Flute; K. 550 Symphony 40.
Beethoven (1770–1827): Eroica, No. 5, No. 9 (1824).
Romantic 1820–1900: emotion, chromaticism, programmes, nations.
Schubert (1797–1828): 600+ Lieder; Erlkönig (1815).
Chopin (1810–1849): piano; mazurkas, polonaises.
Liszt: symphonic poem; Berlioz: idée fixe (1830).
Wagner: leitmotif, Ring; Verdi: Aida (1871).
Nationalism: the Five, Smetana, Grieg, Dvořák.
20th c.: Debussy, Schoenberg (1923), Stravinsky (1913), Cage.

Start here: The Classical period: style and forms

The Classical period (about 1750–1820 in both syllabuses) is the age of Haydn, Mozart and the young Beethoven, centred on Vienna. “Classical” here has a narrow meaning: music that values balance, clarity, elegance and order, as ancient Greek and Roman art was thought to do. (In everyday speech “classical music” means all Western art music; in an exam on periods, use the narrow meaning.)

Characteristics

Homophonic texture: a clear tune with chordal accompaniment; counterpoint is used, but less constantly than in the Baroque.
Balanced phrases, often in 4 + 4 bars, ending with clear cadences (question and answer, as in unit mu7).
Contrast within a movement: two contrasting themes, changes of mood and key, rather than the single “affection” of the Baroque.
Gradual dynamics: crescendo and diminuendo became standard; the orchestra at Mannheim, led by Johann Stamitz (1717–1757), was famous for them.
The piano replaced the harpsichord, and the basso continuo disappeared.
A standard orchestra of strings, pairs of woodwind (including clarinets from the later 18th century), horns, trumpets and timpani.
Main forms: sonata form, the symphony, the string quartet, the solo concerto, the piano sonata and opera.

A common accompaniment pattern is the Alberti bass, named after Domenico Alberti, who used it extensively, though he was not the first: a chord broken into the pattern lowest–highest–middle–highest.

Transitional figures

C.P.E. Bach (1714–1788), J.S. Bach’s second surviving son, wrote expressive keyboard music that pointed towards the new style. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787) reformed opera: his Orfeo ed Euridice (Vienna, 1762) was the first of his “reform” operas, replacing complicated plots and showy singing with “noble simplicity” in which the music serves the drama.

Worked example: Spotting the Classical style. A piece has a singable melody in 4-bar phrases over an Alberti bass, a gradual crescendo, and a contrasting second theme in the dominant key. No harpsichord is heard. Name the period and give three reasons.
Answer. Classical. (1) Homophonic melody and accompaniment with balanced 4-bar phrases. (2) Alberti bass on the piano, with no continuo. (3) Gradual dynamics (crescendo). (4) Contrasting themes in tonic and dominant, as in sonata form.

Worked example: Baroque or Classical?. “State four differences between Baroque and Classical music.”
Answer. (1) Baroque uses basso continuo; Classical does not. (2) Baroque dynamics are terraced; Classical uses gradual crescendo and diminuendo. (3) Baroque textures are often contrapuntal; Classical mainly homophonic. (4) Baroque movements keep one mood; Classical movements contrast themes. (5) Harpsichord in the Baroque; piano in the Classical period.

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Practice questions

1. Haydn lived from

1732 to 1809
1756 to 1791
1770 to 1827
1685 to 1750

Show answer

A: 1732 to 1809
Called ‘father of the symphony’.

2. Mozart died at the age of

Show answer

D: 35
27 Jan 1756 – 5 Dec 1791.

3. Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro was first performed in

1762
1805
1786
1791

Show answer

C: 1786
K. 492, Vienna.

4. Beethoven lived from

1810 to 1849
1770 to 1827
1756 to 1791
1797 to 1828

Show answer

B: 1770 to 1827
Bridge between Classical and Romantic.

5. Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 is nicknamed

Surprise
Farewell
Eroica
Jupiter

Show answer

A: Surprise
Sudden loud chord.

Key words

Sonata form: Exposition, development, recapitulation.
Alberti bass: Broken-chord accompaniment, low–high–middle–high.
Cadenza: Solo display passage in a concerto.
Scherzo: Fast, lively movement replacing the minuet.
Lied: German art song for voice and piano.
Song cycle: Set of songs telling one story.
Rubato: Flexible tempo for expression.
Programme music: Instrumental music that tells a story.
Symphonic poem: One-movement orchestral programme work.
Leitmotif: Recurring theme for a character or idea.
Whole-tone scale: Six-note scale of tones only.
Twelve-tone row: All 12 notes in a fixed order.

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