The Classical Era

Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn

Characteristics

- Lighter, clearer texture than the Baroque period

- The Baroque Era focused on rhythm and beat -- the Classical Era focused on beautiful
melodies
- More homophonic
- More of a melody line with chords moving underneath
- Still polyphony, but less of it
- Orchestra becomes more defined as we know it today
- Instruments more developed
- Style Galant - elegant!
- Variety and contrast
- Dynamics, tempo, melody, rhythm, key
Developments

- The piano! It completely took over the harpsichord

- Why?
- The ORCHESTRA
- The String Quartet
The Development of the Orchestra

- What did you see in Baroque orchestras?

The Development of the Orchestra

- What did you see in Baroque orchestras?

- The Classical orchestra begins to include woodwinds and brass
- French horn
- Flute
- Oboe
- Clarinet
- Bassoon
- Trumpet
- Trombone
- Tuba
- Percussion
The Sections of an Orchestra
Most-Performed Types of Music

- Symphony (Orchestra)
- String Quartet
- Solo Concerto
- Sonatas
- Voice & Piano
- Opera
- Choral works
 Franz Joseph
Haydn
Pronounced: HI-den, like “hide-and-
seek”
Storytime
!
Franz Joseph Haydn was one of the
most prolific and important
composers of the Classical period
and one of the pivotal figures in all
of Western music history.
Haydn is often called the “Father of
the Symphony” because of the
extraordinary work he did in
developing the musical form of the
symphony, and perhaps even more
significantly, for his work in
developing the musical ensemble
that came to be known as the
Symphony Orchestra.
Haydn is also called the “Father of
the String Quartet” because of his
important contribution to this
musical form.

String quartet: 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello

String Quartet Example
Vitamin String Quartet
Franz Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Austria,
a small village near the border of Austria and
Hungary. As a boy, his talent for music was
apparent, but his parents did not have enough
money to provide him with music lessons, or
even any sort of education.
There were, of course, no public schools in 18th
century Europe, so if a child from a poor family
showed talent or intellectual promise, it was not
uncommon for the parents to give the child over
to a guardian who had the resources to help the
child obtain an education. This is what
happened to Haydn.
 Haydn’s parents realized that there was no
opportunity for their son to become educated in
their tiny village. When he was 6 years old, they
gave him to a choir master named Johann
Matthias Frankh, who took the young boy to the
town of Hainburg, 7 miles away. For the next 2
years, Haydn was trained there as a young boy
soprano and sang as a soloist and in a church
choir. From the age of 6 on, Haydn never
returned to live with his family.
 Life in the Frankh household was not easy for
Haydn, who later remembered that he was
frequently hungry and continuously humiliated
by the filthy state of his clothing. However, he
did begin his musical training there, and soon
was able to play both the harpsichord and the
violin.
Haydn’s singing impressed those who heard him
and he was eventually brought to the attention
of Georg von Reutter, the director of music in St.
Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, who happened to
be visiting Hainburg. Haydn passed his audition
with Reutter, and in 1740 (when Haydn was 8)
he moved to Vienna, where he worked for the
next 9 years as a member of the cathedral choir.
 Haydn lived in the
Kapellhaus next to the
cathedral, along with
Reutter, Reutter’s
family, and the other 4
choir boys. He was
instructed in Latin and
other school subjects
as well as voice, violin,
and keyboard.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna
Reutter was of little help to Haydn in the areas of
music theory and composition, giving him only
two lessons in his entire time as a chorister.
However, since St. Stephens was one of the
leading musical centers in Europe, Haydn was
able to learn a great deal simply by serving as a
professional musician there.
Like Frankh before him, Reutter did not always
bother to make sure Haydn was properly fed. As
Haydn later told his biographer, he was
motivated to sing very well in hopes of gaining
more invitations to perform before aristocratic
audiences -- where the singers were usually
served food.
 By 1750, Haydn had matured physically to the
point that he was no longer able to sing high
choral parts. The Empress herself complained to
Reutter about his singing, calling it “crowing”. In
November of 1749, when Haydn was 17 years
old, he carried out one of his many pranks --
snipping off the pigtail of a fellow chorister. This
was enough for Reutter. Haydn was first beaten,
then sent into the streets with no home to go to,
even though it was November.
Penniless and homeless, Haydn spent a period of
time living on the streets in Vienna. (Some
sources say this period of time was one day, but
that seems unlikely.) As a teenager, Haydn did
whatever he could to scrape together a living,
including playing the violin as a street musician.
 Eventually, Haydn was taken in by an older
friend, Johann Michael Spangler, who for a few
months shared with Haydn his family’s one-
room garret apartment. (A garret is an attic
room, usually unfinished and unheated, with
low, sloping ceilings.) Despite these difficult
conditions, Haydn was able to begin his pursuit
of a career as a freelance musician.
 By the end of the winter, Haydn had saved
enough money to rent his own place in a
tenement building in Vienna. He stayed there for
the next 18 months, practicing on a very worn
out harpsichord he acquired and studied music
day and night. It was during this period that
Haydn began to seriously study musical
composition.
 When he had earned enough money, he
purchased a printed edition of the keyboard
sonatas of C.P.E. Bach, (one of the sons of J.S.
Bach and a leading composer of the very early
Classical period) which he practiced until he had
mastered them.
Unlike his successor Mozart, Haydn did not have
immediate success as a composer. Haydn’s
success came only after many years of hard
work. He composed his first symphony in 1759
when he was 27 years old (Mozart composed his
first symphony when he was 8).
 With the increase in his reputation, Haydn
eventually was able to obtain aristocratic
patronage, crucial for the career of a composer
in his day. Countess Thun, having seen one of
Haydn’s compositions, summoned him and
engaged him as her singing and keyboard
teacher.
In 1756, Baron Carl Josef Fü rnberg employed
Haydn at his country estate, Weinzierl, where
Haydn composed his first string quartets.
Fü rnberg later recommended Haydn to Count
Morzin, who, in 1757, became Haydn’s first full
time employer.
 In 1761 when he was 29, Haydn was offered a
position as Kapellmeister (music director) by
Prince Paul Anton Esterhá zy family. Haydn was
given charge of most of the Esterhá zy musical
establishment, which included an orchestra and
an opera house.
During the time that Haydn was in their employ,
the Esterhá zy family divided their time between
their ancestral home in Vienna (above)...
...and their 127-room summer palace in rural
Eisenstadt, Austria.
 (another view of Esterhá zy Palace)
Haydn would remain in the employ of the
Esterhá zys for 29 years until 1790.
An aerial view of Esterhá zy Palace in Eisenstadt,
Austria.
 Haydn Hall Esterhá zy Palace in Eisenstadt,
where many of Haydn’s symphonies were first
performed.
 Beginning in 1791, when Haydn was 59 years
old, he spent four years in London composing
music and experiencing life outside the royal
court. His time in London was the high point of
his career. He earned nearly 24,000 gulden in a
single year (the sum of his combined salary of
nearly 20 years as Kapellmeister).
While he was in London, Haydn composed his
last 12 symphonies, which are among his
greatest and most famous works. Many of the
symphonies from his London period have
nicknames, such as:
The “Surprise Symphony” (No. 94)
The “Military Symphony” (No. 100)
The “Clock Symphony” (No. 101) and
The “Drumroll Symphony” (No. 103).
 Haydn spent the last years of his life in Vienna
composing only choral/vocal works such as
masses and oratorios. Haydn passed away from
old age when he was 77 years old.
Mozart’s Requiem was performed at his funeral.
 In all, Haydn composed:
104 symphonies
83 string quartets
31 concertos
62 piano sonatas
40 piano trios
21 string trios
41 divertimentos
14 operas
14 masses
and hundreds of other works.
Haydn

- Celebrated, prolific
- Taught Beethoven
- Major influencer of classical music
- Father of symphonies and quartets
Duties at the Ezterházy Estate

- Conductor
- Music for Court entertainment
- Train music personnel
- Keep instruments in good repair
- Build the orchestra to about 25 musicians
Personality

- Wrote catchy tunes that people would sing on the street

- Folk style
- Gimmicks and unexpected events (teasing listeners)
- A bit of a prankster
Please pull out your Form Assignment.

- First listen to this chunk of music. On you worksheet, this is the piece of music called section “A”. As
you listen, come up with a symbol that you will write whenever you hear this section come back.

- Second, decide on two more symbols to use: one for section “B” and one for section “C”. These
symbols are commonly swirls, dots, or anything that you can draw continuously.
- Now, listen to the entire piece on the next slide. Keep in mind that the form for this piece is
supposed to be ABACA, meaning that the “A” section material that you heard at the beginning should
come back in the middle and at the end. Does that happen?
The Joke Quartet - Haydn
Now, to finish...

- The last question on your paper asks you to listen to the first minute of Haydn’s Surprise Symphony.
It is available on the next slide. As you listen, ask yourself: why exactly is this symphony nicknamed
the “Surprise Symphony”?
The Surprise Symphony - Haydn
For those interested, here’s one more song by The Vitamin String Quartet
Rather Be by Clean Bandit
Wolfgang
Amadeus
Mozart
Childhood

- Prodigy
- Father made him perform for people all the time
- Leopold Mozart, violinist
- Performed as a child like a circus act for 11 years
- Sister Nannerl was talented as well, but not allowed to follow profession
- Mimic - great at copying
- Routine
- Prepared multiple pieces
- Sightread concertos
- Tested by experts
- Improvised variations and fugues
1772-1780 (age 16-24)

- Composer/performer for Archbishop Colloredo’s Court in Salzburg

- Hated this job
- Couldn’t find any other jobs because he was seen as a circus act
- Behaved poorly
- Never had a childhood
- Better than everyone else
- Eventually was able to prove himself and move on
Mozart in Vienna

- 1781-91: freelancing in Vienna

- Chamber music composer for the emperor
- Operas
- Piano and composition students
- Public and private concerts
- Piano Concertos
- 3 movements
- Sonata and ritornello form
 What type of A. Concertos

composition B.
C.
Operas
Choral Works

made composers D. Symphonies

popular?
Opera by Mozart

- It made people popular, and Mozart loved to be popular

- Opera was the KING
- Wrote serious and comic opera
- Wrote character melodies
- Class-appropriate music
- Don Giovanni sings differently than the townspeople
- From solos to ensembles
- Have people sing to each other instead of by themselves
- Much more invested in the DRAMA
Therefore, Mozart
loved opera.
Let’s learn a bit more about Mozart as
a person by watching two short scenes
from the movie Amadeus.
Scene 1: Mozart with the Archbishop
- Scene Description and Background:
- Other composers didn’t always like Mozart very much because of how talented he was. He was good, and he
knew it. That bothered other musicians. The musician in this clip, Salieri, didn’t care for Mozart. He even said
years later that he’s the one who killed Mozart (a conspiracy theory).
- In this scene, the Archbishop of Austria (guy with the white wig that plays the harpsichord) has asked Mozart to
write an opera for him. Mozart is coming to discuss it with him.
- Salieri (grayish-brown hair in a ponytail, helping the man at the piano) works as a musician for the Archbishop,
and he writes a song for Mozart as a gift. The Archbishop decides to play it on the harpsichord (with moderate
success) as Mozart comes in.
- Mozart (wearing a fluffy, white wig) comes in while the Archbishop is playing, bows to the wrong person on
accident, then proceeds to listen to the Archbishop play.
- At the end of the scene, the Archbishop tries to give Mozart the sheetmusic, but he says he doesn’t need it. He
says that the music is already in his head.
- Then, Mozart sits at the harpsichord and plays Salieri’s piece from memory, having only heard it ONCE. Then,
he takes that same piece and basically rearranges it to make it better. That was really embarrassing for Salieri.
Scene 1: Mozart with the Archbishop
 Cool Fact about Mozart #1:
He could memorize music after hearing it once.
He could listen to a song, then go home and
play it without looking at any sheet music.
Scene 2: Salieri Reviews Mozart’s Portfolio
- Scene Description and Background:
- At this point, Salieri still doesn’t like Mozart very much. They are still rivals.
- Salieri is a part of a group of people that has been chosen to hire music tutors (people to teach others about
music). Mozart says that he would like the job, so Salieri asks Mozart to send him some examples of his work as
an application for the job.
- Mozart basically says, “No. You already know that I’m better than everyone else. I shouldn’t have to apply.”
Pretty egotistical, no?
- Later, Mozart’s wife secretly visits Salieri to show him some of Mozart’s music so that Mozart can still have the
job. She basically came and applied for him.
- In this scene, you will see Salieri and Mozart’s wife talking. Then, Salieri will look through Mozart’s music. The
music will play as he looks at it, and an older version of Salieri will narrate what’s going through his head.
- Salieri realizes in this scene that Mozart wrote music from start to finish without making any changes or
mistakes.
Scene 2: Salieri Reviews Mozart’s Portfolio
 Cool Fact about Mozart #2:
He wrote music from start to finish (entire
symphonies) without making mistakes. He
didn’t have to go back and fix anything. He
wrote music perfectly the first time.
Ready for some dance moves?
The Marriage of Figaro
 Please pull out your Conducting 101
Worksheet and get ready to answer some
questions.
TED Talk - The Language of Conducting
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
If you need some inspiration...
Ludwig van
Beethoven
Childhood

- German
- His father wanted him to be like Mozart, but…
- Alcoholic
- Forced him to practice
- Lied about age
- Left school at 11, breadwinner by 18
- Started as a court organist
- Possibly met Mozart?
- Definitely taught by Haydn for a short time
Personality
Personality

- Irritable
Personality

- Irritable
- Stubborn
Personality

- Irritable
- Stubborn
- Bull-headed
Personality

- Irritable
- Stubborn
- Bull-headed
- Passionate
Personality

- Irritable
- Stubborn
- Bull-headed
- Passionate
- A bit conceited
- “What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a
thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.”
Was he deaf?
Was he deaf?

- Yes, he began to go deaf around age 30

- Didn’t get to hear most of the music that he wrote
- Similarly to Mozart, he heard it in his head
“Music is a higher
revelation than all
wisdom and
philosophy.”
Beethoven
He composed...

9 symphonies

5 piano concertos

32 piano sonatas

16 string quartets

Other works as well

The Eroica Symphony

- Unprecedented length
- Technical difficulty
- Relationship to political events
- It was beyond just entertainment
- It caused people to rethink what music could do
The Eroica Symphony - Beethoven, 3m, 4m
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony
Pathetíque - Beethoven
Skip to 5min
Pathetíque - Beethoven