Unlike Renaissance music that took almost 150 years to change into Baroque music, Baroque music underwent a transition that quickly converted it to Classical music in a relatively short period of time. This transition was called the preclassical period and occurred from 1730 through to 1770. Some of the earliest classical composers were J.S. Bach’s own sons, Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian. These new composers rejected many of the Baroque methods of composition and focused more on simplicity and clarity, rather than fancy ornamentations. Homophonic texture became the dominant style with its pleasant melody and simple harmonies. Classical composers tried to entertain their audience with pieces that contrasted mood and theme. This light, graceful music was called style galant or in a gallant style. Music historians later named the period the Classical. While the term classical is generally used to refer to anything other than rock, jazz or blues, it was used in this context to describe this period as the music of the time was not modern band music, but at the same time was not antique in form. The most famous of the Classical composers, and of perhaps all composers, were Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig Van Beethoven.

One of Mozart’s most favoured forms of music was that of the opera. Opera was developed in Italy during the late 1500’s and the early 1600’s by a small group of nobles, poets and composers who called themselves the Camerata, which means a fellowship or society. They first started meeting in Florence around 1575 to prepare their plans of the opera. One of their most prominent members was that of Vincenzo Galilei who fathered the famous astronomer Galileo. The subject matter of these operas was usually drawn from Greek mythology or ancient history and the characters and plot were portrayed to the audience through a combination of music, song, dance and acting. Rather than speaking to the audience as in typical theatre the words were sung by the actors as they played their part. The scenery used in opera was very detailed and special effects were used to show the audience fire, explosions, floods, storms and supernatural occurrences. Operas were huge shows to put on and once all the technicians, vocal coaches, rehearsal accompanists, stagehands, actors and so on were hired, the personnel used to perform an opera could easily add up to several hundred. Writing an opera takes two people instead of the usual one, firstly a composer needs to write all of the music that plays throughout the opera and then the dramatist or librettist needs to write the libretto or text of the opera. All of the story and action in an opera is sung and this leaves great room for more specialised voices, these voice categories start with the Coloratura Sopranos, then the Lyric Sopranos, Dramatic Sopranos, Lyric Tenors, Dramatic Tenors, Basso Buffos and the Basso Profundos. The main attraction for many people in an opera is the Arias, which are solo songs with an orchestral accompaniment that is expressing one of the characters emotional states. Operas have several different main areas that keep the show running, one is the prompters box which is just over the edge of centre stage invisible to the audience and another is the orchestral pit, which is a sunken area just in front of the stage were the orchestra resides. Most operas start with a prelude or overture, which is purely instrumental and leads in the main story, which begins straight after the introduction without a stop in the music. Many operas are no longer performed today because singers can no longer reach that high with their voices, this is purely because Castrati or a male singer castrated before puberty are no longer created. Opera is quite probably the most expressive performance of any kind because it incorporates all the elements of the performing arts, dance, song, music and theatre.

Some topics in this essay:
Don Giovanni, Mozart Exposition, Mozart Beethoven, Salzburg Austria, Vincenzo Galilei, Basso Profundos, Johann Christian, Clemency Titus, Antoine Watteau, JS Bach’s, don giovanni, donna anna, classical music, classical period, classical composers, opera buffa, allegro sonata, opera giocoso, flat major, wolfgang amadeus mozart, characteristics classical, allegro sonata form, opera don giovanni,