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Jean-Philippe Rameau
French composer and theorist Tried to establish a rational foundation for harmonic practice
“Treatise on Harmony” (1722) the beginning of the ideas of modern music theory -
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Frederick the Great
Military victories
Reorganization of Prussian armies
Patronage of Prussian Arts
A gifted musician: played flute.
Composed at least 100 sonatas and 4 symphonies
Spoke German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Latin, ancient and modern Greek, and Hebrew -
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The Rococo Style
Rococo” derives from the French word, “rocaille” meaning “scroll”
Ornate style: scrolls were often featured
Francois Couperin (1668-1733), French composer, wrote in this new charming and entertaining style -
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Classical era
characterized by the qualities of:
Order
Objectivity
Symmetry
Etiquette
Restraint
Harmonic proportion -
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Empfindsamkeit
The style of Empfindsamkeit desired to be, above all, simple and expressive of “natural” feeling
The translation does not reflect the true meaning: “Sensitive style” or “Sentimental style”
The primary composer of this style was the eldest son of J.S. Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-88) -
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Franz Joseph Haydn
credited as the primary mover within the new classic style concerning instrumental music but he did not invent the style. -
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Giovanni Paisiello
was a very good Italian composer
He spent time in Naples, St. Petersburg, and Paris, ending his career back in Naples
He wrote 94 operas
In 1816 he was offended when Rossini set the story, “The Barber of Seville” (Il barbiere di Siviglia) because Paisiello had set the story back in 1776 -
The First String Quartets
The inventor of the string quartet genre was Franz Xaver Richter (1709-89)
First composed in the 1750s
It was a prestigious chamber music genre; appealed to aristocratic social life -
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Antonio Salieri
One of the successful court composers in Vienna; very popular and talented
Composed many operas in Italian, German, and French
Often used to accompany celebrations, masked balls and banquets
Simple, cheerful compositions were preferred
Mozart’s music was far more complex: he was not a good fit for this sort of entertaining, light music -
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Maria Anna Mozart
Mozart’s older sister: often described as equal in talent and skill
Toured with Mozart during her childhood
When she was twelve, Leopold Mozart said that she was one of the most skillful players in Europe
When she retired to raise a family, Mozart wrote several works for her and sent her his piano cadenzas to play and critique -
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
A child prodigy, as was his sister, Nannerl (Maria Anna) (1751-1829)
They were taken on tours of Europe by their musician/teacher/ violinist /author/father, Leopold Mozart (1719-87)
1762-1773: went on tours with his father through the Austrian-Hungarian countries, Germany, France, England, Holland, and Italy
Performed in aristocratic homes, courts, and in public
Always tested by older musicians who wanted to see the extent of his talent and skill -
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Maria Theresa von Paradis
Excellent pianist and organist
Renowned for her remarkable musical memory (60 concertos at a time)
Blind
Composed two concertos, a piano trio, songs, cantatas, operas, and other chamber music -
Period: to
The American Revolution
The American Revolution—also called the U.S. War of Independence—was the insurrection fought between 1775 and 1783 through which 13 of Great Britain's North American colonies threw off British rule to establish the sovereign United States of America, founded with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. -
Piano Concerto in G Major, K. 453
Mozart wrote 27 piano concertos, most of which he played himself
K. 453 was written for a student of his named Babette (Barbara von Ployer)
He wrote 2 concertos for her
He was proud of her and wrote to his father: “I am fetching Paisiello in my carriage, as I want him to hear both my pupil and my compositions -
Period: to
The French Revolution
The French Revolution was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799.