... Understandably, musical ability was much greater during the classical era than today. There were some advances in the musical aspect of the classical period as well. For example, the piano had been perfected thus becoming the dominant keyboard instrument. This led to the harpsichord fading, and because the church was ... over 80 string quartets, as well as oratorios, operas, and a large body of piano music. Haydn even composed the Austrian National Anthem. When Haydn died at the age of 76, he was mourned as one of the greatest musicians of his time. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) i...

• Word Count: 1299
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... still somewhat damp - before the musicians. That is why Mozart could state after the first night that somehow or other a few of the notes "had fallen under the desks-. As to the music it is obvious that Mozart uses characteristic keys. The listener connects certain keys ... quite accurately, without propagating naturalistic "sound pictures-. The opera as a whole goes for more than three hours, with the overture lasting about 6-7 minutes. The orchestra consists of 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, drums, mandolin, and strings ( first and second violins,...

• Word Count: 1856
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... I enjoyed his music and his amazing talent. It was astonishing, for one, that he could simply hear music being played and than recite it onto a piano. It is also neat how he heard and wrote his music in his head, and also how he hardly ever made a mistake on his compositions. He ... did everything perfectly in his mind, never settling for mediocrity. Even when the Emperor told him that there was too many notes in his opera, in Mozart's mind it was perfect. Salieri was a jealous man, and it is hard to find any sympathy for a man like that ... believe society back then wasn't fair to mos...

• Word Count: 1706
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School