An Overview of Pre-Classical Period
The Classical Period in Western music occurred from about 1730 to 1820, but there was considerable overlap and transition between these periods of time, with preceding and following periods. This is true for all musical eras. Hence, the late works by Beethoven falls into Romantic Period, even though he was regarded as a Classical Period composer. Before Classical Period reached its full maturity in the hands of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, the period before it, from about 1730 to 1770, was generally called pre-Classical period.
In the middle of 18th-century, Europe began to move to a new style in architecture, literature and the arts, generally known as Classicism, which is the aesthetic attitudes and principles based on the culture, art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, and characterized by emphasis on form, balance, clarity, serenity, and restrained emotion. As a result, the musical world too was affected. The most obvious manifestation was the moving away from the complex polyphonic texture of the Baroque Period, towards a simpler and clearer homophonic texture. Since polyphonic texture was no longer favoured, but rather a single melodic line with accompaniment, there were greater emphasis on notating the dynamics and phrasing, rhythmic patterns, and contrasts of mood. The music of this era is “lively and various, and if it lacks the intellectual gravity of the ripest Baroque and Classical styles, it has numerous attractions peculiar to itself”, manifested especially in opera, keyboard music and symphony.