A Very Basic Introduction

Today most people understand the term “classical music” to refer to music written before the beginning of the first World War or which requires an orchestra to perform.  In actual fact, classical music is still being written today and can be performed by as few as three people (a trio).

Classical music is divided into “periods.”  These include:

• Medieval

• Renaissance

• Baroque

• Classical

• Romantic

• Twentieth Century

In this article we will be looking at composers from the Baroque, the Classical and the Romantic periods.  Let’s get started.

The Baroque Period And Vivaldi

The Baroque period occurred between 1685 and 1750.  During this time, Rembrandt was painting up a storm.  Architect Christopher Wren was given the job of restoring London, which lay ravaged after the Great Fire of 1667.  One of the great universities of the United States, Yale, was founded.  And in 1731, Benjamin Franklin started the very first circulating library.

Music written during this period was very elaborate and energetic.  The musical form known as “opera” emerged (which was either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view).  Composers began to indicate the “tempo” (fast, slow, etc.) they wished their pieces performed at.  This direction helped to define the mood they wanted their work to convey.  Music was also being written in a way that mimicked the sounds of nature.  Probably the best example of this style of music was written by the Baroque composer, Vivaldi.

Antonio Vivaldi was born in 1678 in Venice, Italy.  He was known as the “Red Priest” for his hair color and his first career choice.  However, Vivaldi's days as a man of the cloth came to an end in 1737 when he was accused of conduct unbecoming a priest.  Legend has it that one Sunday, while celebrating Mass, Vivaldi abruptly left the service and disappeared.  The reason?  To jot down a musical idea.

During his lifetime, Antonio composed over 500 concertos, of which 230 of these were constructed around the violin.  A concerto is a piece of music written which features a solo instrument performing with an orchestra.  Quite often the solo instrument and the orchestra are said to “oppose” each other, with the music going back and forth between them.  An accomplished violinist himself, Vivaldi’s first official post involved teaching young girls in an orphanage how to play the violin as well as a number of other musical instruments.

One of Vivaldi’s best-known compositions are the first four concertos (out of 12) in his “Opus 8 – Il Cimento Dell’Armonio E Dell’Invention.”  That’s a mouthful!  For those of us who speak English that would be “The Trial of Harmony and Invention.”

Each of the four seasons is represented by a concerto.  Listen for the sound of birds welcoming Spring as performed by three solo violins.  Feel the lazy days of Summer as they are reflected in the slow moving, almost languid tempo of the second concerto.  The drunken antics of peasants celebrating the Fall harvest, the sound of cautious footsteps on Winter’s ice, all are found within this beautiful composition.

The Classical Period And Mozart

Music composed during the Classical period (1775-1830) embodied logic, precision and unity.  Music was written so that it flowed in an orderly, reasoned way.  Which was in stark contrast to other events happening in the world.

Louis the XVI’s regime was overthrown by the French revolution.  Americans were fighting for their independence from the British.  And a short, feisty man by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte began waging war across Europe and Russia.

And there were changes in the world of classical music as well.  No longer were composers writing primarily for the church; the nobility had become the desired audience.  If you were a member of royalty, you were certain to have a composer as well as a chef on your payroll.   Without question, the most famous of these “employees” was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Regarded by many as the world’s greatest composer, Mozart’s genius graced Europe for a mere 35 years.  Born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, he began playing the piano at age four and was composing simple pieces a year later.  At age seven, little Amadeus went out on his first “tour” which lasted three and a half years.  He would do four additional tours over the next ten years at the urging of his tour manager, his father Leopold.

But traveling and performing were not all that Mozart was doing. He was a prolific composer.  The following is only a partial list of his accomplishments.

• 41 symphonies

• 26 string quartets

• 17 piano sonatas

• 42 violin sonatas

Is it any wonder that ones of the things that killed him was quite simply overwork?

One of my favorite compositions written by Mozart is “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” (A Little Night Music).  Composed in the summer of 1787, it originally contained five movements (a movement is a section of music within a larger piece) but somewhere along the way, one movement was lost.  Light and airy, this is definitely easy and enjoyable listening.

The Romantic Period And Saint-Saens

Between the years 1830 and 1900, music turned towards the emotional.  From intimate to dramatic to rousing, you can’t help but be moved in some way by the compositions of the Romantic Period.

And it wasn’t just music that had emotions running high.  The world watched while 2.5 million people perished as potato crops failed in Europe, Great Britain and Russia.  In 1849, the first gold seekers arrived in San Francisco, anxious to stake their claim.  And the Americans were fighting again, but this time they were battling each other.

This was the golden age of the piano with Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt leading the way.  A new dance craze, the waltz, emerged.  Music was all about individual expression and one of the most expressive of these individuals was Camille Saint-Saens.

Born in Paris in 1835, Saint-Saens was nothing short of a child prodigy.  At the age of three he was taking piano lessons, making his debut at ten.  A virtuoso at the piano, he was also an accomplished organist.  In fact, he was so enamored of this instrument that he wrote his third symphony featuring the organ as a complement to the orchestra.

But by far the most entertaining of Saint-Saens works is “The Carnival of the Animals.”  It would appear that he knew in advance just how popular this piece would be.  He actually forbid its publication for fear it would overshadow his more serious work.  It wasn’t until after his death that the world was treated to this parody of then contemporary music.  Each movement was named for an animal.  Listen as elephants, tortoises and a swan cavort.  Who said classical music couldn’t be fun?

Let’s Go To The Store

First, let’s review my recommendations.

• Vivaldi - “The Four Seasons”

• Mozart - “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”

• Saint-Saens – “The Carnival of the Animals”

Now let’s march into our nearest record store and pick these up.  But wait.  There are 20 different versions of “The Four Seasons.”  And twice as many variations of “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.”  How do you know which are good and which aren’t?  Is there even such a thing as a bad classical music recording?

Well yes and no.  Classical music is all about interpretation.  And that job falls to the conductor.  Of course the musical skills of the orchestra are important as well, but the conductor is ultimately the one leading the show.  Here is a list of some of the better-known conductors.  Of course, this is but a few of  the wonderful conductors who have recorded but one has to start somewhere.

• Herbert von Karajan

• Daniel Barenboim

• Michael Tilson Thomas

• Charles Dutoit

• Sir Neville Marriner

• Andre Previn

Still overwhelmed?  Then let me give you some specific information.  These are recordings which I particularly enjoy.

• “The Four Seasons” – conducted by Sir Neville Marriner leading the Academy of St. Martin-In-The-Fields, soloist Alan Loveday

• “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” – conducted by Herbert von Karajan leading the Berlin Philharmonic

• “Carnival of the Animals” – conducted by Richard Stamp leading the Academy of London (this CD also has “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” on it – two recommendations for the price of one!)

I truly hope that you will give classical music a listen.  After all, if people are still enjoying it hundreds of years after it was written, well there must be something to it!