Classical Era Essentials

Confusingly, the term “classical” not only refers to the genre as a whole, but also to the classical period in musical history. Spanning from roughly 1730 to 1820, it boasts such towering composers as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, who pushed back the boundaries of classical expression like few others. There are many more composers who may have less famous names, but who gave us some very famous music. Elegance, balance and poise are the hallmarks of much Classical music—as witnessed by Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro Overture”, Haydn’s “Lark” Quartet or a Gluck sinfonia—but that doesn’t preclude high drama and hints of grand gestures that lay in the future.