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The Classical Era


Some other popular authors of the classical era were Jane Austen and Lord Byron. On the other hand, the painting, sculpting, and architecture of the period were often influenced by Greek and Roman models. Some famous artists of the time were Fragonard, David, and Hogarth.
             During the classical era, improvements were made in the social aspect of life. New developments in means of production led to increases in material goods and wealth. As production was centralized, urban society became more central to life in Europe and America. This led to the Industrial Revolution which impart led to the rise of the middle working class. The patronage system began breaking down at this point; personal and court fortune replaced the church as patrons of the arts. Most music was written for upper class social events. Coinciding with the rise of the middle class, this era saw the beginning of public concerts and music publication. In addition to this, the piano was found in a large percentage of homes and many families would sit around the piano and play the latest sonata. 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 less powerful, new organ music dropped off considerably. The element of a prominent melody became very important in the era's musical style. The classical period also saw the rise of the sonata, Haydn's invention of the string quartet and the symphony, and comic opera becoming more prevalent in the opera house. Slowly music started to move to the concert hall for public performances of current composers and their new works. The most important composers of the era were Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.
             Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was born in Austria to a musical family.


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