Instrumental music experienced a great development during the Classical period. New instruments like the piano and the clarinet were introduced. The Classical orchestra experienced new instrumental arrangements, just like chamber ensembles.
Instrumental music moved to public concert halls, which needed more sonority. This led to the orchestra having more members; the number of string and wind instruments increased, and the basso continuo was eliminated. Timbre was essential, presenting musical ideas with a specific instrumental color.
4.2.1. Main instrumental forms
During the Classical period, there were some instrumental forms that were profusely used by composers. Among them, we can name the sonata, the symphony and the concerto.
4.2.1.1. Sonata
It is an instrumental composition for one or more soloists. It was structured generally in three or four movements, alternating fast and slow tempos. The first movement had a sonata form (since sonata was both, an instrumental form and a musical scheme used in many compositions - see below).
Sonata scheme as a compositional model:
Sonata became the main composition model during the Classicism. It was applied to the first movement o all instrumental forms. The compositional scheme of the sonata is:
1. Exposition: presentation of two musical themes linked by a modulating passage (bridge). The first theme is in the main tonality, while the second theme is in a neighboring tonality.
2. Development: the two main themes are developed and combined through different keys.
3. Recapitulation: similar to the exposition, but now both themes are in the main tonality. It usually ends in a coda that joins material from both main themes.
4.2.1.2. Symphony
A symphony is a musical composition for orchestra structured in several movements. Its origin is in the overtures of the operas. Symphony was originated at the end of the Baroque as a three movements composition (fast-slow-fast) and was consolidated during the Classicism. One of the main composers of this genre was Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), who wrote 104 symphonies.
The following video is the performance of a symphony written by Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805), who worked and lived in Spain for many years.
4.2.1.3. Concerto
The concerts of Classicism have the same structure (or scheme) than sonatas (3 or 4 movements), applied to a soloist instrument (usually piano, violin or wind instrument) accompanied by the orchestra.
4.2.2. Chamber music
Chamber music slowly found its way into small concert halls thanks to the access of bourgeoisie to instrumental and musical learning. The demand for chamber music works increased during the Classical period.
The most usual ensembles were:
- Soloist: piano, guitar...
- Trio: three instruments (i.e. piano, violin, cello).
- Quartet: four instruments (i.e. two violins, viola, cello).
- Quintet: five instruments (i.e. clarinet, two violins, viola, cello).
Among them, the most popular and usual was the string quartet (two violins, viola, cello).
