Classical

Period
The Orchestra
Instruments
The Concerto

 Began

around 1750
At that time, composers worked for
royalty and aristocrats
Paid to write music for official
events, church services, and
entertainment
Patrons (employers) had to approve

 Society

changed middle class people

had more money and wanted
entertainment
Public concert halls were built
By the 1800s, composers could earn good
money from ticket sales
More freedom to compose for the
audience instead of pleasing their
employers.
WOOO

HOOO!!!

 At

first, composers wrote for small

orchestras
Mainly strings, with horns and oboes.

Later

on, the woodwind section grew

Clarinets were invented and included

Bassoons were introduced too

The

brass section grew too

Trumpets were added

So

did the percussion section

Timpanis were also included

 Harpsichord

(remember the Baroque

era?)
Some

early Classical music still had

it
To fill in the harmonies

But

soon, composers stopped using

it because of extra woodwind
instruments

 Most

important section in the

Classical orchestra is the strings
Dominant sound in most Classical music

Violins

generally play most of the

tunes
Tunes refer to the melody parts

 Wind

instruments play extra notes

To fill out the harmony

If they get a tune, they mostly double

the strings
In

later Classical music, woodwinds

started to play the tune alone
However, the strings were still really,
really, really important though

Healthy Harpsichord

 This

is a typical layout for a later

Classical orchestra: