Lecture: Science and Sentiment
Music
Late Baroque
The Late Baroque style was popular at the beginning of the Enlightenment, but was also a holdover from the 17th century. Handel is a great example:
Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks: Overture (1749)
The grandeur and formality of the style are characteristc. I don't like listening to Handel. I keep looking over my shoulder to see what great person is entering the room! Handel was a professional composer, who achieved international fame and earned a fortune with his music.
Johann
Sebastian Bach kept the drama, but focused on
skillful renditions of variations on themes
people would enjoy listening to. In contrast
to Handel, Bach's influence was confined to
Protestant Germany until after his death, when
others revived his music.
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos -- Concerto No. 4 in G major (1721)
Bach's music is intellectual, and to my mind a far better representation of refined Enlightenment tastes.
Classic music
Many of us use the term "classical music" to mean anything that's old, doesn't have lyrics, and is played on violin or piano. But in fact it's a specific era and style marking an effort toward true lyricism, using clear melodies which could be enjoyed by the elites in society who patronized composers. The music tends to be light, with little of the dissonance that occurred in Baroque music.
Classicists were trying to revive an ideal of balance and moderation inherent in the ancient societies of Greece and Rome, while at the same time creating graceful melodies and harmonies.
Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart took what could have been a very
austere and restrained form, and created some
of the most beautiful music in history. Although
he wanted to be a court composer, he worked
in many genres, including opera and dance music.
He died unappreciated and unfulfilled in his
ambitions; in some ways I think his music was
simply beyond the comprehension of the wealthier
set of patrons. (In the play and film Amadeus,
the Emperor tells him his music has "too
many notes".) In his case, it was the middle
class that knew a good thing when they heard
it. Here's one with lots of notes:
Mozart: First Movement, Sonata No. 15 in C Major (1788)
Baroque music reflected the drama and emotion of religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant, while Classical music reflected an orderly, controlled, graceful society. The transition marks the Enlightenment.
Now see how the art and music went together in the transfer from Baroque to Classical
Link to audio only with narration for visually-impaired students