Viennese Classicism
The classical school around Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven.
What it means
Viennese Classicism designates the music around Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven, whose activity has a shared reference point in Vienna. The term is a nineteenth-century attribution and summarizes a development that was actually more varied: numerous other composers were involved, and the three named differ considerably among themselves. In time the period lies roughly between 1770 and the first decades of the nineteenth century, with fluid edges.
Musical use
Musically, the formation of sonata form and the cycles based on it are associated with it — symphony, sonata, string quartet, concerto. Characteristic are clear periodic structure, functionally ordered harmony, thematic work in which small motives are processed and developed, and contrasts of character within a movement. The string quartet gains its rank as the most demanding chamber-music genre, and the symphony becomes the weightiest orchestral work. Beethoven's late work goes beyond the premises of the period, which is why its classification is debated in research. Its main genres include the symphony, string quartet, piano sonata, solo concerto, and opera.
Performance practice
Work out the periodic structure and watch for extensions and contractions; from these the course of tension results. Take articulation marks seriously; in this music they carry the character. Observe repeat signs and decide deliberately. Keep the sound lean and mobile; fullness is rarely the goal. With older editions, check which markings come from editors, and consult an Urtext edition.
Bear in mind that the term lumps together three very different composers and blanks out numerous others: it is a nineteenth-century ordering aid, not a finding. Use it accordingly. The term only arose in the nineteenth century. The string quartet counts as its central genre. Consult a critical edition to recognize editorial additions.
Check whether the work contains indications of the scoring's strength, because otherwise the proportions easily tip in favour of the strings.
Also check whether a critical edition exists, because older prints contain numerous additions.