MUSI 1350 Music in the Baroque and Classical Eras

Abstract

This course examines the development of Western art music from the seventeenth century through the first quarter of the nineteenth century. This period covers the Baroque, a transitional style known variously as Empfindsamer Stil, Rococo, Style gallant or Pre-Classical and then the Classical Era, also known as the First Viennese School. These periods are also subsumed under a larger label, the Common Practice Period, which extended through the Romantic Era. These periods are defined by the almost exclusive use of triadic harmony and functional tonality, while homophony is usually the dominant texture. The Baroque era saw the invention of opera with its various aria types, figured bass and the development of focus on the melody and bass, the suite, the concerto grosso and fugue. The First Viennese School Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven brought the symphony, string quartet and concerto to a state of perfection that has not been surpassed Much of our class time will be devoted to listening to seminal works written between 1600 and 1825, give or take a decade. All the music we study in class will be available on the Naxos website or YouTube. The readings will deal with the historical survey aspects of the course; the development and transformation of style over the two centuries that these periods encompass as well as the social changes taking place at the time and their effect on the music.