... making the music clearer by making the top melodic line the main point of listening. GENERAL MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CLASSICAL PERIOD FORM: The classical period is generally characterised by a near-obsession with the clarification of formal structure as the modern sonata form emerged from the rounded binary form of Baroque. During this period, the evolution of the trio sonata into the string quartet; concerto grosso into symphony concertante; and emergence of symphony and modern solo concerto occurred, and both the symphony and concerto form expanded so that each movement became self-contained- a small self-sufficient unit. MELODIC STYLE: A new type of melody is developed and is often folk-like in its clarity and simplicity. This homophonic texture replaced the long lines and figuration styles of baroque polyphony. Elements of grand baroque style such as basso continuo were abandoned and inner parts were fully written out. HOMOPHONIC STYLE: Homophonic style has decided preference over ...

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