Chapter Summary

As the Baroque period was style conscious, the Classical period was form conscious. Composers organized each movement of their symphonies, concertos, sonatas, and string quartets according to specific designs, of which the most complex and the most frequently used was the sonata-allegro. Most music of the Classical period was instrumental rather than vocal and secular rather than religious. The predominant texture was homophony. The piano surpassed the harpsichord in popularity, and the instrumentation of the orchestra was standardized during this period.