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Three Style Periods of the Common Practice Era

General Music Theory by Leah Frederick at Oberlin Conservertory

The Western Art Music that is colloquially referred to as “Classical Music,” is often what we refer to as the music written during the Common Practice Era. This music is described as tonal, meaning that its pitch structures are organized using the system of major and minor keys and harmonic patterns that we’ve studied in this class. (Pitch structure in music written before the Baroque era and from the 20th-century to the present often follows different organizing principles.)

The Common Practice Era is often divided into three stylistic eras: Baroque, Classical, Romantic. Of course, composers don’t just wake up one day and decide to write in a new style, so the boundaries between these periods are somewhat artificial. That said, it’s quite incredible how quickly musical style changed in just 200 years, from 1700 to 1900. These three style periods give us a good introductory framework to differentiate the musical style of Western Art Music in this time period.

The list below is certainly not comprehensive, specifically with regards to genres and composers, but it does include many well-known genres and famous composers.

BAROQUE (1600–1750)

Style Characteristics:

  • Light accompaniment and textures
  • Small orchestra; use of harpsichords
  • Less contrast in register
  • Few dynamics and tempo changes
  • Lots of ornaments and decoration
  • Continuity; lack of clear phrase boundaries

Genres:

  • Dance Suite: usually for solo instrument; many movements (4–6 is common)
  • Prelude and Fugue: improvisatory movement (prelude) followed by a polyphonic work (fugue)
  • Concerto: work for solo or small group with orchestra; multiple movements (often 3–4)
  • Sonata: work for solo or small ensemble; multiple movements (often 3-4)

Composers:

  • Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
  • Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
  • George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
  • Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713)
  • Henry Purcell (1659–1695)
  • Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665–1729)

Musical Examples:

  • Handel: Suite in D minor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihbh-C6ORpM
  • Bach: Violin Partita in D minor, Chaconne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkfsGCIiHb4
  • Corelli: Trio Sonata https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwJRzYv6HNI
  • Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C major https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CVlBSgj0bk (prelude) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUJpXpCbNgw (fugue)

CLASSICAL (1750–1800)

Style Characteristics:

  • Light instrumentation
  • Orchestra with strings and small wind section (horns/oboes)
  • Often clear distinction between melody and accompaniment
  • Clear boundaries between phrases; obvious cadences
  • Clarity and elegance

Genres:

  • String Quartet: work for 2 violins, viola, and cello; often 4 movements
  • Symphony: work for orchestra; often 4 movements
  • Sonata: work for solo or small ensemble; often 3–4 movements
  • Concerto: work for soloist and orchestra; usually 3 movements

Composers:

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
  • Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
  • Marianna Martines (1744–1812)
  • Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Musical Examples:

  • Mozart: Violin Sonata in E minor, K. 304 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynpTXUWrBXc
  • Haydn: String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 76 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biyy2tzMb8M
  • Mozart: Piano Concerto in A major, K. 488 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMYjGkgzinU
  • Beethoven: String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDonq3gQqf8
  • Mozart: Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6EOb86YdIs

ROMANTIC (1800–1900)

Style Characteristics:

  • Dramatic, epic works, often much longer
  • Bigger orchestra with use of brass and percussion (sometimes choir)
  • Lush, thick textures
  • Large changes in tempo and dynamics
  • Virtuosic, emphasis on perfomer
  • Sometimes “programmatic,” depicting a story, emotion, or image

Genres:

  • Symphony: work for orchestra; often 4 movements
  • Sonata: work for solo or small ensemble; often 3–4 movements
  • Concerto: work for soloist and orchestra; usually 3 movements
  • Character Piece: short work for a single instrument or small ensemble; usually a single movement capturing a specific image or mood
  • Song (Lied): work for voice and piano

Composers:

  • Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)*
  • Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
  • Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805–1847)
  • Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
  • Clara Schumann (1818–1896)
  • Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
  • Antonìn Dvořák (1841–1904)
  • Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)

*Note: Beethoven’s works span between the Classical and Romantic Eras. His music was important in inspiring the shift towards the Romantic Style.

Musical Examples:

  • Schumann: Dichterliebe (set of songs) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZLjf_m6j0A
  • Mendelssohn: Songs without Words (set of character pieces) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1uvYdW8MSk
  • Brahms: Symphony No. 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PyAkTW5HDU
  • Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K67o86CS5uo