Classical Music Movement

The classical music period coincided with a revolution in thought called the age of enlightenment, which focused on the search for intellectual freedom. Unlike the preceding Baroque music which emphasized textural intricacy, classical music is characterized by it's near obsession with structural balance and clarity, however many other elements were integral to forming the musical foundations for the Classical period.
The music of this era began with a pre-classical, somewhat transitional music style called Rococo which was a reaction to the rigidity and seriousness of Baroque music. Rococo style occurred around 1720. This music with its refined ornamentation is usually seen as connected to the movement in art and the worship of Greek or
Sonata form is by far the most important of these forms, and one that continued to evolve throughout the Classical period. Although Baroque composers also wrote pieces called sonatas, the Classical sonata was different, it had four sections; the introduction, the development, the exposition and the coda. The texture of a composition could often change during a piece to a more complex polyphonic texture but most composers chose always to at least start with a homophonic texture to maintain the pieces tunefulness.
Classical composers tended to be liberal when it came to rhythmic patterns, unlike baroque music in which a few patterns are repeated creating perpetual motion, classical compositions can feature many changing patterns. As well as this, classical style used syncopations, unexpected pauses and often jumped from long notes to short notes. Also featured, were sudden or gradual changes from patterns of note lengths. The only fairly consistent aspect of classical rhythm was the common time signature which kept the music simple and
Although the aristocracy continued to play an important role to music, it was now possible for composers to survive without being the employee of one person or family. This also meant that concerts were no longer limited to palaces and parties and composers could have their music heard by many more people. Composers started organizing big concerts featuring their own music and would usually attract large audiences. This increasing popularity of the public concert impacted on the growth of the orchestra. Although chamber music and solo works were played in the home or other intimate settings, orchestral concerts were for big public spaces. As a result, symphonic music became more unrestrained. Composers gradually expanded the size of the orchestra to accommodate this growing musical