Classical Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Classical Music - Essay Example The Enlightenment Period is characteristic of its close association to the major changes that took place in the arts. It was this period during which balance, order and structure was infused into the arts. Composers were highly impressed and gradually aspired to maintain a perfect order and balance in their music. The Classical Period (1750 - 1820) (Music History) saw artists and musicians slowly wean away from the richly bottom and styles of the Baroque period and adapted a new style that was uncluttered which catered to the realm of elegant music that was made up of a simple but systematic form and structure with good melody and perfect harmony. The music in the Classical period was filled with a lot of emotion and feelings in addition to being lighter and more personal instead of intellectual. This style was a great attraction to the composers of that time who imbibed the Classical music style which possessed greater clarity, depth in addition to simpler structures and formal mode ls. A good example of such a composition was Mozart's creation of the 'Comic Opera' which became very popular during the Classical period. During the period of the Renaissance music took a lot of liberty in making use of the musical form. During the 1300s French and secular music was quite popular. In 1330 An Italian school of music was developed in areas such as Verona, Padua and Florence etc. with composers improvised lyrics to the accompaniment of instruments such as the viola and lute. In course of time such experimentation led to a new development of contrapuntal music. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition) As humanism spread far and wide, gradually sacred music broke away from the confines of the Papacy which gave birth to a new school of composers who mastered the art of polyphony after having been trained in the Netherlands. Mozart's Contribution to Classical Music It was during the Classical Period that the great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Harold C. Schonberg. W. W. Norton, 1997) lived. His father Leopold Mozart (1719 - 1787) who was a great violinist at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg greatly encouraged his son by enhancing his musical skills. Mozart visit child prodigy who achieved much from a very young age. He was a genius par excel lance who dazzled his audiences. In 1782 Mozart composed the 'Singspiel Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), (Jan Swafford, 1992) and thereafter was no turning back as Mozart composed one masterpiece after another in different forms and genres. In fact he is on the composer to have created undisputed masterpieces that belonged to every musical genre of his times. Mozart's 'serenades, divertimenti and dance' written for the nobility became synonymous with the "Classical "age of elegance," His Serenade in G major, which the composer called Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Jan Swafford, 1992) which means 'A little night music', was the highlighted as his best. Mozart's contribution to music during the Enlightenment Period cannot be explained when considering its depth and vastness. He was a regular at the court of Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790) in Vienna where much of his greatest music was the victim. Some of His greatest works include