Classical period (1750–1820)

After Bach’s death (1750), taste changed. Counterpoint seemed too learned; people wanted natural, elegant music that was easy to follow. Melody came to the front with a simple accompaniment: this is the reign of melody and accompaniment, for example with the Alberti bass (a steady broken chord in the left hand).

Phrases became regular and symmetrical: a four-bar “question”, a four-bar “answer”. Composers built large works with sonata form: two contrasting themes are presented, developed, then brought back. This architecture shapes the sonata, the symphony, the string quartet and the concerto.

The fortepiano gradually replaced the harpsichord. Its great advantage: you can play loud or soft depending on how hard you press, and make crescendos. Mozart, who was delighted by the pianos of the builder Stein, and Clementi wrote for this new instrument, and “easy” sonatas became the backbone of teaching.

Vienna became the capital of music. Haydn shaped the symphony and the quartet, Mozart shone in every genre from opera to the piano concerto. Beethoven, trained in this style, pushed its limits and opened the door to Romanticism. In the same years the guitar settled on six single strings: Sor and Giuliani made it a concert instrument.