The Classical Period signifies the height of artistic achievement based on the standards of the Greeks and Romans. Piano music of this time has changed a lot from the previous Baroque style. The instrument itself is also coming into acceptance.
Classicism is art as a mean of communication. It emphasizes clarity of thought, beauty of form, and objective approach. This is apparent in its music in which form is considered more important than expression. The main focus of this period is to explore the major-minor system created during the Baroque period, and to use large instrumental forms to prove this system. Therefore the piano sonata is very popular during this period.
There were
three major composers of this period: W. A. Mozart, Joseph
Haydn, and L. van Beethoven. The first two are truly
classical. The later years of Beethoven are usually
considered to be more romantic.
Mozart (1756-1791) is considered to be the most brilliant child prodigy in the history of music. He began composing at the age of 5 and his ambitious father took him on a tour to various cities to show him off. By age 13 he has written sonatas, concertos, symphonies, religious works, and operas. Later he worked under several aristocrats but didn't enjoy it at all. He became successful with many of his operas but he died at a young age.
Mozart contributed 17 piano sonatas, Fantasia in C minor, and 27 piano concertos to the piano repertory. His melodies are simple, elegant, and songful, with moderate chromatic harmony. He injected a sense of drama into his instrumental forms with the contrast of mood. In his piano sonatas, you will often find a certain lightness to the sound, with sometimes florid scales and fingerwork.
Haydn (1732-1809)
was born in Rohrau, Austria. In his early life he taught and
accompanied for a living. He also played with street
musicians, absorbing the popular style of Vienna. He worked
under the Esterhazy family for 30 years, and unlike Mozart,
was very successful there. After Prince Esterhazy's death he
went to England where his music was received enthusiastically.
He died in 1809 in Vienna.
Haydn wrote about 40 piano sonatas, songs and folk song arrangements. He perfected instrumental forms with development of themes involving expressive harmony, logical structure, and variation of moods. His piano sonatas are denser in texture than Mozarts, with heavier chords.
Beethoven (1770-1827) was born in Bonn, Germany,
into a very unhappy family. His father was a drunkard and
often made his son practice late into the night. Beethoven
took on various jobs at his youth to support his family.
Later he moved to Vienna where he earned much respect from
the aristocrats. He lived on lessons, gifts, performances,
and publishing. However in his late 20's he began to grow
deaf. This was catastrophic to his career and he often
considered suicide, but he decided that art must give him the
happiness that life withheld. His last years were spent in
ceaseless efforts to achieve his artistic goals. He died at
the age of 57, revered by thousands as the finest composer of
his time.
Beethoven contributed 32 piano sonatas, 5 piano concertos, and various chamber work for the piano. He developed the sonata into a grander form. The piano is the central position in his art, and his 32 sonatas have been called the New Testament of piano music. In them you often find dynamic cntrasts, explosive accents, opposition of low and high register, syncopation, and powerful crescendos. His piano works tend to be harder to play than most other classical composers but they also contain much more emotion, and is leaning towards the Romantic style that came later.