This class offers an engaging journey through the diverse and evolving world of European classical music. We begin by exploring the 18th century golden age of European art music – from the high Baroque of Bach and Vivaldi to the Classical Era of Haydn and Mozart. We will discuss Baroque developments we take for granted today (such as chordal harmony and a “lead melody”) and the major innovations of the Classical Era (such as the symphony and sonata form, which gave us a purely instrumental musical narrative). In our second week, we will explore how the 19th and 20th centuries took the foundation of 18th century Classical Era music and exploded into many different directions, exploring program music, the abandonment of a common harmonic practice, ethnic and national elements, and so forth. We'll also discuss the continuities (such as instrumental ensembles and forms) and the more accessible traditional-minded composers (such as Brahms and the twentieth-century American symphonists).