Classical 古典樂派

以音樂的派別來分，古典時期通常指十八世紀的音樂，以音樂上的　術語來說，一般則被定義為一種形式嚴謹、比例對稱和風格穩健的音樂。十八世紀日耳曼邦聯諸國中普魯士、薩克森、奧地利等政治核心的首都，逐漸形成音樂中心，以海頓和莫札特為首的維也納古典樂派就在這種環境下得以興起。

接下來是古典樂派後期旳作曲家，這個時期大約橫跨了整個十八世紀，一直到十九世紀初，也就是在所謂的法國大革命前後的時期．

這個時代中的作曲家到現代最有名的是天才神童莫札特，這位享盡風光作曲家的音樂是不管男女老少、專業或業餘都會不由自主喜歡上他的音樂；舒伯特是優美旋律的作曲家，之所以把他擺在較中性的地位，是因為他的音樂較內向，雖有優美的旋律，可是在同一部作品的其他部分則會有見人見智的看法．

貝多芬其實並不能完全算是古典樂派的作曲家，那是因為他的音樂擁有許多超越時代的想法，可是不能否認的，他的浪漫樂派較關連，貝多芬的音樂是真正要傾聽的，儘管他寫了許多讓人朗朗上口的旋律，可是那都只是他藉音槳表刻意念的工具之一，不是全部。
"Classical" is the most ambiguous of the descriptions used to divide the history of Western music. The study of Greek and Roman culture and society was given impetus with the discovery in 1748 of the remains of Pompeii. Painters, poets and opera librettists turned to antiquity for inspiration.
But `classicism' in music is anachronistic, since Greek and Roman compositions were largely unknown and they bear no relation to Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. It is possible, though, to speak of a "classical style" in music composed from around 1750 to the death of Beethoven in 1827, developed in European opera houses and at such enlightened centres as the courts of the Elector of Mannheim and Frederick IV.
Where baroque music had developed its own complex series of musical phrases - or "affections" - descriptive of objects, ideas and emotions often directed to the praise of God or designed to challenge the intellect, the classical style was founded on music being an inducement to pleasure - entertainment that served as "a great improvement and gratification of the sense of hearing".
Purity and clarity of thought became the chief concern. The emphasis was on a predominant melodic line above a simple chordal accompaniment within a recognisable structure, such as a symphony or operatic aria. While fugues and other old-fashioned techniques were brilliantly exploited by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, their music embodies the essential requirements of the classical style. Audiences could make sense of Mozart's music, without being grossly offended by any wild departure from the accepted forms or gestures of the day.
It was to the genius of Mozart and Haydn that they were able to work within the confines of public taste and yet produce music that showed a remarkable spirit of originality. Beethoven pushed the classical style to its limits and beyond, unleashing an energy and harmonic daring into his later works that puzzled those who still saw music as sensory gratification but exciting those who believed it to be a vehicle for uninhibited self-expression. His vast Missa Solemnis is a deeply personal response to the text of the Latin mass, apparently wild and episodic at times but unified by a formal logic that Mozart or Haydn would have recognised.
Back to Baroque Forward to Romantic