The rising of the middle class was one of the most impactful influences in the classical era. Artists and composers didn’t just write, sculpt, or paint for the wealthy or the church anymore. The Classical era was one of the first times in history where art is was now being written and composed for the middle class. Music was affected heavily during this “enlightenment” period. As a result, music was less complex, but still very much dynamic, and probably more entertaining than ever. As a result forms of music such as the symphony, sonata, and solo concerto were all formed as a result of the rising middle class. The following pieces of work each have their own unique contributions to society as well as influences by the middle class.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ode to Joy
This is one of the best and well known musical compositions of all time. This piece was heavily influenced by the middle class. All of Beethoven’s works were! Beethoven is known as the culmination of the Classical music era. If one has every seen a documentary on Beethoven you know that Beethoven was not a rich composer for aristocracy or religion. He did things his way and he is known for that. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony debuted on May 7th, 1824 in front of much of the public. He wrote this not for royalty or religion, but for the good of music and for people to enjoy good music. Also, as the middle class economic standing grew and the focus of target audience of the arts shifted, new forms of music were created. One of them was the symphony like this one by Beethoven. Ode to Joy by Beethoven has to be my favorite by Mr. Beethoven. It was his last hurrah. His final salute. It is so great and even better that it has been entombed into the pages of history.
Franz Joseph Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 52
Piano Sonata No. 52 by Franz Joseph Haydn is his last and considered his best sonata. A sonata is a form of musical created during the Classical Era as a result of the rise of the middle class. It usually consists of a keyboard instrument or a solo instrument accompanied by a keyboard instrument. It has three parts: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. Haydn’s last sonata as seen or heard above is an exemplary example of the characteristics of a sonata which was created as a result of the rising of the middle class. Piano Sonata No. 52 by Haydn was written in 1794. It consisted of three movements: Allegro, Adagio, and Presto. Overall, I like Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 52. Before this class, I can’t say I have heard of him, but his music and compositions definitely sound familiar. His last sonata is peppy and delightful and will forever be engraved in my brain.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 was created on March 9, 1785 and boy was it a thing of beauty. It is his most famous piano concerto. His concerto was broken up into three parts: Allegro maestoso, Andante, and Allegro vivace assai. This breaking up into three or four parts shows the influence of the middle class on music during the Classical Era. Once again, as the middle class grew in standing, music became less complex and simpler and structured. As you can see here, this piece by Mozart has three movements that can be distinguished. It is also simpler as it focuses on a single piano soloist. These are both influences from the increasing middle class standing. I, although haven’t heard the piece this class, still found it joyful and enlightening. Music during the time period was so “classic” and it soothed me as I wrote each one of these entries about each piece. Overall, this era of music had a huge impact on the history of music and I hope it can be seen how the middle class influenced these works with the creation of different forms of music due to the want for simpler, more structured, focused music.
Works Cited
Alessandro152. “Mozart: Piano Concerto N. No. 21 in C Major, K.467 Pollini-Muti.” YouTube. YouTube, 12 Sept. 2011. Web. 04 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2uYb6bMKyI>.
Dobney, Jayson K. “Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” Nineteenth-Century Classical Music. N.p., Oct. 2004. Web. 03 July 2014. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/amcm/hd_amcm.htm>.
“Keyboard Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob.XVI:52 (Haydn, Joseph).” – IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 July 2014. <http://imslp.org/wiki/Keyboard_Sonata_in_E-flat_major%2C_Hob.XVI%3A52_%28Haydn%2C_Joseph%29>.
Musically Speaking. “Ludwig Van Beethoven.” Ludwig Van Beethoven. Musically Speaking, n.d. Web. 03 July 2014. <http://www.musicallyspeaking.com/id60.html>.
“Piano Concerto No. 21 (Mozart).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 June 2014. Web. 04 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No._21_%28Mozart%29>.
The Spirit of Classical Music. “Beethoven – Symphony No. 9: Ode To Joy.”YouTube. YouTube, 4 Oct. 2012. Web. 03 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVL7gLwzct0>.
“Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 07 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 July 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_%28Beethoven%29>.
Strokes Of Genius 
After reading your blog and listening to the pieces in it is clear that music during the classical era was heavily influenced by the rise of the middle class and was created more for them. You did a good job showing us the different styles that appear in each piece. I really enjoy Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 and how it is each of its three movements have their own style yet all fit great together. I found it interesting in your source on Beethoven that in his day his music was misunderstood and viewed highly of till later on. Keep up the good work!