Image via Wikipedia (Text in large print for classroom projection) Characteristics of Classical Era Music Homophony and clarity of melody Balance and proportion "Naturalness" Symmetry Clarity Elegance More contrast Melodies simplified and less ornate Folk music influence Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Mozart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGln8LFA8Qw " Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman " Twelve Variations by Mozart Music was considered the "language of the heart" Major Composers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-crzq1PX4A Joseph Hadyn Amadeus Mozart Beethoven Music was meant to reach the listener emotionally. Composer Training: Harmony Theory Performance Opera Characters were more realistic Themes were often political in nature Homophony Opera Buffa ( Comic Opera ) Real life characters in humorous situations Mozart "Marriage of Figaro" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx5ixDUduvE Mozart Opera by Victor Borge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKYzmtJ_Ueg Humorou...

(Note: Text is larger for Projection in Class) (Above Images from BaylisCourtMusic ) What is musical form? Definition (From Britannica Online ) "The Structure of a Musical Composition " Binary Form: AB Ternary Form : ABA Bar Form : AAB Rondo: ABACA or ABACABA Strophic: AAA Arch : ABCBA Sonata: Exposition, Development , Recapitulation Sonata Rondo: ABA-C-ABA Through-Composed : Composed from beginning to end with little repetition Different musical forms: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/213672/musical-form Why use Musical Form ? Musical form is important because it helps give a composition structure and continuity. Often, works that lack form seem aimless, without a strong beginning or end. The influence of nonwestern cultures, especially in the 20th century, gave birth to many forms of music which no longer depended on strict musical forms like binary and ternary. All the same, the study of musical forms is integral to any classical composer's training. Ternary ...