How important was individuality to the composers of the Clas
In order to assess how important individuality was to composers of the Classical period the question of what exactly individuality is must first be tackled. It can be defined as "the aggregate of qualities and characteristics that distinguish one person or thing from others" and in a musical context I believe this would refer most specifically to style and overall effect. It is perhaps easiest to detect individuality by simply listening to a piece of music, (although conductor's and performer's interpretations must be acknowledged), and it is then possible to analyse the music in detail in order to locate the specific devices, harmonies and textures which give it this unique sound and effect. During the Baroque period a great deal of music was composed explicitly for a particular means or setting such as the church. It is therefore not entirely surprising that the word "individuality" has come to be associated less with this period and more with that of the Classical and composers such as Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart. The Classical period and the emergence of the galant style, brought with them a much greater interest in public displays of music than had previously been prevalent. It is therefore likely that this was one reas
Haydn consciously employed the galant style which was light and elegant, and emphasized melody, and it is his use of melody which really expresses his individuality as a composer in the Classical period. However, the idea of uncertain tonality that Haydn often plays with, and his treatment of principal tune and accompaniment, certainly seem to be. Monothematicism (based on a single theme) is the underlying base of these pieces, an example of this is having the tonic note follow the dominant so enforcing the perfect cadence (such as in Op. on behind composers striving for a more individual style. In order to illustrate Haydn's individuality as a composer I have chosen to focus on three sets of his quartets - Opus 20, 33 and 50. Here is music for both player and listener to enjoy to the full. Less complicated (more homophonic) textures than in the Baroque period also allowed more scope for composers of the time to experiment with style and so take a more individual approach. There was more focus on melody, sharp contrasts, contrasting phrasing within movements, and antecedent and consequent phrases. These movements would often be in rounded binary form with the first section modulating from the tonic to the dominant, the second section remaining in the dominant and the third comprising of essentially a return to the first section material in the tonic. 50 quartets were the first set he had published in five years, since the Op. 22 quartets Haydn's mastery of a conversational dialogue style based on the exchange of motives between the instruments becomes more and more evident. Humour is perhaps most obvious in the third quartet of the group "The Bird" which is also one of the most popular.
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Acceptance Essays
