Lesson 5: Symphony

Lesson 5: Symphony

The Classical period also saw changes and developments to what was known as a symphony. In the Baroque period and the beginning of the Classical period, symphonies were associated with vocal music, such as operas. However, as the Classical period progressed, the term symphony began to solidify as the term for a longer musical composition and scored for an orchestra. Symphonies do not always have a standard structure, although many used a standard structure of three or four movements. Joseph Haydn, who we will discuss later in the unit, was perhaps the first master of this style of music.

The new style of symphony began to flourish in Italy and other places throughout Europe. This Italian style generally had three movements: a fast movement, a slow movement, and another fast movement. Movements can be thought of as the chapters in the book; taken together, they make up the whole. Some of Mozart’s early symphonies followed this structure. This three-movement structure was gradually replaced by a four-movement structure that contained the following aspects:

• Allegro or opening sonata: This movement is often brisk and upbeat.
• A slow movement
• A minuet or a scherzo: A minuet is a type of social dance in ¾ time. A scherzo is a fast-paced composition that sometimes replaces the minuet in longer compositions.
• An allegro, sonata, or rondo

As with the sonata form, there were many variations on this four-movement type of symphony. Some composers added a fifth movement and some reordered the typical arrangement of fast and slow music.

Composers of the Classical Period

When speaking of the Classical period, three composers are easily at the forefront because of their lasting influence: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig von Beethoven.