Classical Music Forms

  Classical Forms/Genres 101 “In the age of Haydn and Mozart, there were five main genres of art music: the instrumental genres of symphony, string quartet, sonata, and concerto, and the vocal genre of opera. Whereas the sonata, concerto, and opera emerged during the Baroque era, the symphony and string quartet were entirely new to the classical period.” Craig Wright During the Classical era of music, many forms of music introduced during previous periods were affirmed as standard forms of music. These musical forms are like templates for musical themes, giving the listener certain expectations of how a song might unfold. Such forms include ternary, rondo, sonata-allegro, binary, strophic, theme and variations, and more (Wright). Said forms were standards that could be heard in the classical genres of symphony, string quartet, sonatas, and concertos. These forms made it possible for concertgoers to engage with music on a deeper level, listening and focusing on the music in order ...