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Prelude Listening to Music Today
1 Melody: Musical Line
2 Rhythm and Meter: Musical Time
3 Harmony: Musical Space
4 The Organization of Musical Sounds
5 Musical Texture
6 Musical Form
7 Musical Expression: Tempo and Dynamics
8 Voices and Musical Instrument Families
9 Western Musical Instruments
10 Musical Ensembles
11 Style and Function of Music in Society
12 The Culture of the Middle Ages
13 Medieval Music
14 The Renaissance Spirit
15 Renaissance Sacred Music
16 Renaissance Secular Music
17 The Baroque Spirit
18 Vocal Music of the Baroque
19 Orchestral Music of the Baroque
20 Baroque Keyboard Music
21 The Classical Spirit
22 The Development of Classical Forms
23 The Classical Symphony
24 The Classical Concerto and Sonata
25 Classical Opera
26 The Spirit of Romanticism
27 The Romantic Miniature
28 Romantic Program Music
29 Romantic Opera
30 The Late Romantics
31 America's Emerging Musical Voice
32 The Impressionist Era
33 Main Currents in Early-Twentieth-Century Music
34 Early-Twentieth-Century Innovators
35 Nationalism and Music
36 Ragtime, Blues, and Jazz
37 New Directions
38 Contemporary Composers Look to World Music
39 Music for the Stage and Screen
40 The Many Voices of Rock
41 Some Current Trends

Chapter 23: The Classical Symphony

Study Plan

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"The rudimentary instruments . . . that have helped constitute an orchestra may be considered to have undergone a natural evolution. . . . The orchestra has always existed; it merely had to be discovered. It represents not so much an invention as a human conquest." —GIAN FRANCESCO MALIPIERO

Key Points

  • The symphony was one of the principal instrumental genres of the Classical era. It was generally set in the standard four-movement structure: I) fast, II) slow, III) moderate dance, and IV) fast.
  • Several techniques became standard in the symphony, including quickly ascending rocket themes and steamroller effects (drawn-out crescendos).
  • The Austrian composer Joseph Haydn worked under the patronage of the Eszterházy court. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of Classical instrumental music, especially the symphony (the 12 London Symphonies) and the string quartet.
  • The Viennese master Ludwig van Beethoven was a transitional figure whose music straddles the Classical and Romantic eras. His Fifth Symphony, his best-known composition, is built on a famous four-note motive that permeates all four movements.

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