Episode 3 - The Classical Period: Part 1
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Program
Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH
Sonata in A minor for Solo Flute, W132
Ignatius SANCHO
Twelve Country Dances
Franz Joseph HAYDN
String Quartet Op. 76, No. 4 “Sunrise”
The Classical Period
Episode 3 of The Chronophone moves on to the classical period. If you missed Episodes 1 and 2 check them out here. In the most general of terms, “classical music” refers to all of western art music (spanning from the medieval period to today). This nomenclature originated in the 19th century as a way to refer to the music of composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven as “the classics.” However, classical period refers to music from roughly the mid-18th to the first quarter of the 19th-century. Like many other transitions between historical eras, the classical period is spurred on by a new way of thinking, in this case: the Enlightenment. The tenets of the Enlightenment were grounded in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and ideals, which inspired new architectural, literary, and musical styles. The Enlightenment also inspired the development of ideas in natural philosophy and science, including Newton’s laws of physics and the emphasis on structural clarity and order. These developments directly affected the music of the classical period.
Classical period music, like that of the baroque era, is very rule oriented; however, it is less complex and highlights clear melodic lines. Classical period composers were craving a style that was more effectively dramatic and offered more musical variety. They believed that by adding contrast within clear hierarchical structures, they could create music that more authentically mirrored the wide spectrum of individual emotions. Two compositional approaches defined music of the early classical period: the Galant style, and the Empfindsam style. The Galant style is characterized by its light elegance and the Empfindsam style is sensitive and captures the nature of human emotions.
Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was the most important composer in Protestant Germany during the second half of the 18th century. Born in 1714, he is the second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the most famous of his sons. He spent his life working as a composer, church musician, and beloved teacher. CPE Bach received his musical education from his father and started writing music around the age of 16; his compositional career lasts almost 60 years. From 1738-1768 he served in the Prussian court under Frederick II and helped develop the musical scene in Berlin. In 1968 CPE Bach became the director of sacred music in Hamburg, as well as an active member of Hamburg’s concert scene. Throughout his lifetime CPE Bach wrote almost 1000 works in almost every genre of the time. He widely published his works to ensure that they would be extensively distributed and as a result he became one of the greatest influences on the development of instrumental music in Germany. He was regarded by his contemporaries as the “leading representative of a specifically German musical taste,” and he developed an independent compositional style that helped push music from the baroque period to the classical period.
CPE Bach wrote his Sonata in A minor for Solo Flute, W132 in 1747. It is presumed to have been composed for Frederick II, the King of Prussia, although there is some doubt around that assumption. The Sonata in A minor for Solo Flute was the only flute work that was printed and published during CPE Bach’s lifetime; it was published twice in the 1760s, which would insinuate that it wasn’t necessarily written for King Frederick II because Bach wasn’t allowed to make music intended for the King available to the public. However, it is conceivable that the publishing was a secret and King Frederick II didn’t know because it was published almost 20 years after he wrote it. Unlike the rest of CPE Bach’s early solo sonatas, the solo flute sonata does not have any accompaniment. The work has three movements (slow, fast, fast), all in one key (A minor), which was standard practice for instrumental sonatas at this time.
It embodies the Empfindsam style that developed in 18th-century Germany and intended to express “true and natural” feelings with its sudden contrasts of mood.
Ignatius SANCHO
Ignatius Sancho was an English writer and composer who embodied the early classical style. Sancho was born on a slave ship en route from Guinea West Africa to Cartagena, Columbia and at the age of two he was brought to England. He gained an extensive knowledge of British literature and music, thanks to his friendship with noble Montagu family. Sancho became a pronounced voice in England’s abolitionist movement and corresponded extensively on the slave trade. Sancho is the first composer of African descent to publish music in the West and throughout his compositional career he published a collection of 62 songs, two sets of minuets and country dances for assorted instruments and a set of 12 Country Dances for the Year 1779.
Sancho published his set of 12 Country Dances for the Year 1779 in 1779 originally for harpsichord. In this episode you will hear them arranged for violin and cello. All twelve dances embody the early classical style. This set of dances is particularly astounding in that it contained clear instructions on how each of the dances should be danced in practice. The titles of the twelve dance movements are as follows:
Lady Mary Montagus Reel
Culford Heath Camp
Ruffs and Rhees
Bushy Park
Lord Dalkeiths Reel
Lindrindod Lasses
Trip to Dillington
Strawberrys and Cream
All of one Mind
The Royal Bishop
Dutchess of Devonshires Reel
Mungos Delight
Franz Joseph HAYDN
Arguably one of the most recognizable composers of the classical period, Franz Joseph Haydn set the standards of style, content and form during the classical period. He was so influential that today he is affectionately known as the “father” of the symphony, string quartet and piano trio. Haydn was born in 1732 and now is regarded as the first of the “Viennese Classics,” which included Mozart and Beethoven. Hayden gained extensive fame during his lifetime and was viewed as a “culture-hero” throughout Europe. He wrote and excelled in every musical genre, although today he is mostly revered for his instrumental music. Haydn was born into a musical family; his parents loved music and all three of their surviving male children became professional musicians. Not much is known about Haydn’s early career until 1761, when he was employed by the Esterházy Family, an incredibly wealthy and powerful Hungarian noble family, at their court: Esterháza. As the court composer he was expected to compose a large amount of music for the court musicians and ensembles, some of which was for Prince Nicolaus Esterházy himself, who played an extinct version of the cello, the baryton. As a direct result of this employment Haydn amasses an extensive output of music in many different genres. In 1790, following the death of Prince Nicolaus, he formally left his official court duties, and gained more independence, which led to an increased freedom with the style of music that he could write. Haydn spent the later part of his career in London and Vienna.
While Haydn was not the first to write string quartets, he was among the earliest, and the first great master of the genre. Throughout his career he wrote 68 quartets that clearly trace an evolution of his compositional style. In Haydn’s quartets, the first violin typically has the leading role, while the inner parts and cello alternate between providing support for the first violin and exchanging in dialogue. By the time Haydn is writing his late quartets, including Op. 76 no. 4 from this episode, the string quartet evolved from a social activity primarily intended for amateurs to a concert genre performed by professionals. The late quartets showcase Haydn’s expertise in both the Empfindsam and Galant styles. Haydn’s Op. 76 collection contains six string quartets written between 1797-1798 and dedicated to the Hungarian County Joseph Georg von Erdődy; they are the last set of string quartets that the composer wrote during his lifetime. Quartet 76, No. 4 “Sunrise” earned its nickname from the opening rising theme, which can be interpreted as Haydn’s musical depiction of the sun rising at dawn.
Credits
Musicians
Violins: Emma Burge and Zenas Hsu
Viola: Daniel Orsen
Cello: Eunghee Cho
Flute: Allison Parramore
Staff
Host: Chris Voss
Principal Videographer: Scott Quade
Assistant Videographer: Chris DeSanty
Recording Engineer: Antonio Oliart Ros
Video Editor: Michael Schondek
Research conducted by: Christina Dioguardi
Thank Yous
The entire Phoenix Phamily would like to thank the Boston Athenaeum for opening up their home to us to film these episodes.
Bibliography
Boosey and Hawkes. “Flute Sonata in A Minor Wq 132.” Accessed 22 October 2020. https://www.boosey.com/shop/prod/Bach-Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Flute-Sonata-in-A-minor-Wq-132/2085924.
The British Library. “Minuets, Cotillons & Country Dances by Ignatius Sancho.” Accessed 22 October 2020. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/minuets-cotillons-and-country-dances-by-ignatius-sancho.
Feder, Georg and James Webster. “Haydn, (Franz) Joseph.” Grove Music Online. 2001. Accessed 21 October 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.44593.
Wolff, Christoph, and Ulrich Leisinger. “Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel.” Grove Music Online. 2001. Accessed 21 October 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.6002278185.
Wright, Josephine. “Sancho, Ignatius.” Grove Music Online. 2001. Accessed 21 October 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.41478.