Orchestral Landmarks

Classical 1750 - 1800

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Bigger orchestra than Classical
Brass and strings share same melodies
Bigger changes in dynamics
Even phrase lengths
Added instruments: cymbals, bass drum, triangle etc.
Beethoven made contrasting sections of the orchestra - brass playing against the strings
2 timpani
Tremolo in strings introduced
Sounds exciting and dramatic

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Large orchestra
Conductor brought in
Richer, fuller musical textures than earlier eras, often with doubling of harmony parts
Greater technical virtuosity, especially piano
Expanded orchestra includes more horns, trombones, tuba
Added instruments like Celeste, harp, piccolo and cor anglais
Greater use of chromaticism and richer harmonies including dissonance
A broader range of pieces, from short songs ad salon music to Wagner's music dramas
Massive range of dynamics, expression markings, tempo changes, changes in texture
Sounds very emotional
Developed new structures (below):
Concert overture - a one movement piece in sonata form
Program symphony - a work with several movements based on a story
Symphonic poem - a large one movement piece often using a theme
Incidental music - played between the acts of a play
Composers: Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Berlioz

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Huge orchestra
Composers started to experiment with different sounds and effects
Wind: breathing sounds, clicking keys or rattling valves, glissando, pitch bending
Strings: vibrato, tremolo, pizzicato, tapping on the body of the instrument
Percussion: Different ways of hitting instruments, Special effect like playing on top of timpani or scraping a coin down the side of a cymbal. Instruments from beyong Europe e.g. bells and gongs
Composers interested in new textures and timbres
Percussion section expanded
Some pieces bi tonal (two parts played at the same time in different keys)
Some atonal, no main key
Syncopated rhythms
Poly rhythms
Ostinato
Metre changes
Composers: Aaron Copeland (Nationalism), John Cage (Aleatoric), Gershwin (Jazz influence)

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