Period Research
Step 1
1. Provide approximate dates for the Classical Period punctuated with notable world/historical events.
July 28, 1750- Bach Dies
Jan 27, 1756- Mozart is Born
1764- Mozart's first is composed
Dec 16, 1770- Beethoven is Born
1770- First New York Performance of Messiah
1775- 1783 American Revolutionary War
1789- Beginning of the French Revolution
1791- Paris Conservatory of Music Founded
1799- Beethoven's First Symphony Completed
1809- Haydn Dies
1819- Beethoven is now completely deaf :(
2. Describe similar qualities and characteristics of Classical Period Art, Architecture and Music.
Characterized by the Enlightenment Movement and the newly found science of archeology, art and architecture of the Classical Period was made with an intent to represent the era. It was an attempt to preserve the time like bones preserved in the ground. It was much less ornamental than the Baroque art and architecture and had a stern, unemotional aspect to them (heroic like the Classical art of Greece and Rome). Similarly, the music of this time was elegant and simple, following the pattern of downsizing after the Baroque era. However, use of contrast in a piece was at an all time high with dynamics and articulations gaining some vocabulary (and common use).
3. In what ways has listening to the music of Mozart been linked to I.Q. and Intellect? linkLinks to an external site.
Dubbed the "Mozart effect", it is believed that listening to Mozart can boost your spatial IQ score by up to 10 points. However, this effect lasts only 10-15 minutes, meaning you have to constantly listen to Mozart to always reap the benefits. However, when this test was done to mice in utero, the mice who heard Mozart completed a maze — 60 days later — faster than two other groups (one listened to Glass, one to white noise). This means we have more to find out about the Mozart effect!
4. Cite examples of why Vienna was thought of as the 'Cultural Capital of the World' during the Classical Period.
1) More famous composers have lived in Vienna than any other city in the world! Many were drawn to Vienna in this period due to the Habsburg dynasty and the amount of aristocrats present in the city. Due to the influx of composers, performances, instrument production, sheet music printing, etc. all skyrocketed in the city. Not to mention, this is Mozart's birthplace (which I got to see!). He was no doubt incredibly famous and helped Vienna get its reputation as the Cultural Capital of the World.
5. What two instruments were invented and made famous during this time period?
1) The piano
2) The clarinet :)
6. What are 2 features that distinguish the harpsichord from the piano?
1) the ability to sustain notes using pedals
2) the method of making sound (harpsichord= pluck, piano= struck with a mallet)
3) the ability to control dynamics
7. Provide the following Mannheim School trivia: History, Composers & Musical Innovations(i.e. The Mannheim Rocket)
The Mannheim School was an important group of German composers that wrote music for the court orchestra of Mannheim, Germany. They created an entire new style of orchestral music that was the baseline for the Viennese School. They specialized in long crescendos, dramatic dynamic changes, homophonic texture, long pauses, tremolo, and broken chords (in string parts). They were essential in the transition from the Baroque into the Classical Period, and relished in the abandonment of Baroque fugal and imitative styles. They also expanded the orchestra to include wind parts, and popularized the four movement structure. The Mannheim Rocket is a single movement piece composed by John Corigiliano. It is made to represent the "Mannheim crescendo" which grows louder as it gets higher.
Two generations of composers:
1) Johann Stamitz (founder of this style), Ignaz Holzbauer, Franz Xaver Richter, and Carlo Giuseppe Toeschi.
2) Anton Filtz, Johann Christian Cannabich, Anton and Karl Stamitz, and Franz Bec
Step 2
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Who was Haydn’s Patron?
- Esterházy was Haydn's patron. This family helped reconnect Haydn's body and head.
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What was it that people were hoping to discover by studying Haydn’s head?
- Not many were able to study the head of a genius; they mostly were allowed to study criminals and such. They believed that intellect was tied to the shape of the head and were eager to study the head of a musical genius.
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Describe the events in 1954 that led up to reuniting Haydn’s skull with the rest of his remains.
- A mausoleum was being created to honor Haydn, and when they dug up his body to move him, his head was gone. They searched Rosenbalms house but his wife hid the head under her skirt. When he died, he left the head to the Music Society of Vienna. Eventually the head turned up at the museum and The Society of the Friends of Music sued for its return. They continued to display the head. After pressure from the Esterházy family, it was returned to the body.