Classic Music in the Late Eighteenth Century

16 important questions on Classic Music in the Late Eighteenth Century

How many symphonies did Haydn compose?

106

How many movements do Haydn symphonies typically have and how are they configured? (This became the standard for later composers)

Four


A fast sonata-form movement, often with a slow introduction
A slow movement
A minuet and trioA fast finale, usually in sonata or rondo form 

All in same key except for slow movement which is in a related key

How are Haydn's symphonies divided and what were the years of each period?

Early 1757-67 - Count Morzin and Esterhazys
1768-1772 - sturm und drang
1773-1781 - popular elements mixed with serious qualities
1781-1791 - standard instrumentation
1791-1794 - London Symphonies
  • Higher grades + faster learning
  • Never study anything twice
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Discover Study Smart

What were the 6 defining characteristics of Haydn's London Symphonies?


1. More daring harmonies
2. Intensified rhythmic drive
3. Memorable thematic inventions
4. Expanded orchestra: trumpets and timpani are standard, and clarinets frequently appear
5. The woodwinds and string bass are more independent.
6. The effect is spacious and brilliant.

What is special about Haydn's Symphony No. 101?

There is a ticking sound used and it is nicknamed the "Clock" symphony

Haydn's string quartets were often described how?

As conversations between four instruments

Name four important Haydn Masses

Theresienmesse
Harmoniemesse (Wind band mass)
Missa in tempore belli (mass in time of war)
Lord Nelson Mass

What were Haydn's two oratorios?

The Creation
The Seasons

Dates for Haydn's Mass in Time of War and Lord Nelson Mass

Mass in Time of War - 1796
Lord Nelson Mass - 1798

What type of treatise did Leopold Mozart publish and when?

Treatise on playing the violin, published in 1756, the year of his son's birth

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1756-1791

A child prodigy who travelled around Europe performing and absorbing the different styles that he encountered.

How many keyboard sonatas did Mozart compose?

19 - they are among his most popular works

Where were Mozart's piano concertos composed and around what decade?

Vienna, 1770s

How many symphonies did Mozart write in his Vienna years?

Only 6, though he wrote 50 prior to moving there in 1781

What is remarkable about Mozart's Jupiter Symphony?

It is a contrapuntal masterpiece, in which the coda links five themes together in a passage of ars combinatoria

What is ars combinatoria?

It is the art of combination and permutation derived from mathematics that 18th century theorists taught as a way of achieving melodic variety in composition

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

  • A unique study and practice tool
  • Never study anything twice again
  • Get the grades you hope for
  • 100% sure, 100% understanding
Remember faster, study better. Scientifically proven.
Trustpilot Logo