Classical Era Art

 

Music in the classical era

I think it speaks volumes that if asked what the words ‘classical music’ brought to mind you are very likely to get a response about Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, or perhaps, Tchaikovsky. In the baroque period art in all forms started to move from purely the entertainment of the wealthy and instead both about common people and for common people. It became a form that all people could understand and appreciate. Music was perhaps the most accessible to everyone. It also required more and more public support as music moved from the land of concerts in mansions where musicians were on staff to public concerts, opera, and theatre. These non-exclusive performances also helped them reach a wider audience. The piano also made it’s debut which created a wider range of sounds as each cord could be made louder or softer, short or long at the musician’s discretion. Although some parts of music were made less complex in their melodies the new abilities of the piano offered a greater range of emotional expression.

Example: One in which I would be surprised anyone in the western world wouldn’t recognize immediately.  A piece that is hard not to feel the emotion in it. Can you imagine this piece without the dramatic sounds available to it by the piano?  I tried… take the video below and listen to the last 2 or 3 minutes.

Now listen again to the last few minutes on the piano.

Would this piece be famous today without the piano? Can you name another piece prior to the pianos invention? I know I can’t.

Art

The Gore Family with George, third Earl Cowper by Johan Joseph Zoffany 

This painting is not a good example of common people doing common things. Although of course playing music was as important then as it is now but as the title suggests this was a wealthy family who hired Zoffany for this painting. The real beauty  in this painting is in the details. The lace on the lady in blues dress, the writing in the book she is holding… but for purposes of this blog I actually want to focus on the painting within the painting as it is a great example of classical era style. A reclaiming of Greek and Roman art happen during the classical period and this small part shows that.

Perhaps he painted this from another painting but to me, it appears to be all the ‘best’ of greek and roman art. We have cherubs and an angles/goddess, what appears to be the three muses, a hero clad in gold armor, and a man fighting off some sort of goblin type woman. If this painting was alone it would easily fit in with other paintings of previous times. I like how despite being a commissioned family portrait the art and thought of the time shows through in the details within the painting.

In searching for art of the time I also kept running across this piece.

The Concert  by Gaspare Traversi 

In fact, I ran across many paintings of people playing music. I’ve noticed a theme in many paintings around this time where there are either 2 or 3 people only or many people who aren’t necessarily interacting. The above painting has a few other musicians playing along with the lady at the piano, but there is also the men in the background who seem to be there for some other reason. My favourite part though is the man staring adoringly at her while she looks at us with an exspresson that clearly states she is not enjoying herself.

This painting is from the earlier classical period and you can really see how his art developed. I found several paintings of people just doing… things. Things everyone does. The beautiful art of everyday occurrences. Some of my favourite today are paintings like this. I wonder though after these were painted what happen to them? Were they able to be sold? Did people hang them in their houses? Did the fascination with every day-ness strike the fancy of the wealthy? Perhaps the artists just couldn’t help themselves and were called to paint even if there was nowhere to put the paintings when they were completed. This art though obviously also spoke to the people of the time. It was about them. Less puffy wigs, more real situations of like done in a beatiful form.

Reading a letter. by Gaspare Traversi 

The school of needlework by Gaspare Traversi 

The fortune teller by Gaspare Traversi 

I perticularly like this one. Okay sure the gpsy is pick pocketing her but look at the girls face. She looks so happy, elated at whatever the women is telling her.

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Refrences

“The Classical Era.” AllMusic. Allmusic, 2016. Web.

“THE CLASSICAL PERIOD (1775-1825).” THE CLASSICAL PERIOD (1775-1825). N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2016.

David Pearl. “How the Piano Changed Music.” PIANO EXERCISES FOR DUMMIES. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. How the Piano Changed Music. Web. Sept. 2016.

“Age of Enlightenment.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Oct. 2016. Web.

Trina, By. “Thank the Middle Class for the Art of the Classical Era.“Trinaajleee. N.p., 05 Mar. 2015. Web. Sept. 2016.

“The Classical Period.” The Classical Period. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2016.

“An Analysis of Classical Era Music: Middle Class Economic Growth.”Dlfitzpatrick. N.p., 03 Mar. 2013. Web. Sept. 2016.

“Classical Era: Growing Middle Class.” Into the Mind of Gunnar. N.p., 27 June 2013. Web. Sept. 2016.