Out of all of the six musical periods that we were recently introduced to, the Classical Period (ca. 1730 – ca. 1820) is what caught my attention most. This period of time is interesting to me because I feel that everyone has learned about the actual time period, however not the musical part of it and/or just not enough of it in general. In high school I was always fascinated by the Enlightenment Period and all of the social and economical advances that were being made. I am now finding out that my teacher didn’t care to “enlighten” me about the musical advances of this time period. As described in the textbook, the classical period had a “international” style that drew from various areas but primarily Italian and Germanic tastes. In my opinion, it was one of the most historical musical periods of all times, since it drew inspiration from social and political events such as the Industrial Revolution, American Revolution, and the French Revolution. It also introduced new social aspects such as the middle class, which still holds up to this day. Opera was still the most mainstream genre, however the classical period introduced symphony and string quartets, which both became concert staples.

I listened to Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” (Piano Sonata No.14). I don’t have much knowledge on the Classical Period and it’s “International” tastes, but after listening to this piece I feel like I got a better sense of what it is. It matched what I expected from reading the text, and it matched what I thought going into it blindly. For me, it has that sound that I imagine whenever I imagine what “classical” sounds like. There’s a beauty to it that soothes my mind and puts me in a peaceful and relaxed state.