In Chapter 13 we examined the symphony as exemplified by Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor and three movements from Haydn’s London symphonies. We go on in this chapter to examine the other main genres of music in the Viennese Classical era: the sonata, the Classical concerto, the string quartet, and opera buffa, the name for Italian comic opera of the time.
It would be somewhat redundant to spend the same amount of detail on each of these genres as on the symphony, for many features of the symphony are duplicated in these other genres. Indeed, for Classical instrumental music, the symphony can be used as a sort of prototype. Bear in mind the symphony outline from Chapter 13; we reprint it here.
In the following pages we discuss the sonata, concerto, and string quartet, emphasizing the specific features that differentiate each genre from the symphony. We finish by turning from instrumental music to opera buffa.
| MOVEMENTS OF THE SYMPHONY | ||||
| OPENING MOVEMENT | SLOW MOVEMENT | MINUET (WITH TRIO) | CLOSING MOVEMENT | |
| Tempo | Fast/moderate | Slow/very slow | Moderate | Fast/very fast |
| Form | Sonata form (sometimes preceded by a slow introduction) | Sonata form, variations, rondo form, or other | Minuet form | Sonata form or rondo form |