Classical period

This is a tough question to answer, because these categories are arbitrary and that means you’re going to get loads of different answers. I’ll take a crack at it, though; just note that this is my own perspective and I know other opinionated folks will find things to disagree with me on. Because the categories are arbitrary, defining the boundaries of each era is similarly arbitrary, usually connected to the work of a specific figure. In general, we consider the Baroque era to have begun with the creation of opera, and to have ended when Bach died. During this time, there was an emphasis on contrapuntal textures, which were an extension of the counterpoint featured in liturgical music from Medieval times. Around Bach’s death, Haydn began writing music in a style that was distinct from the heavily-ornamented music of the Baroque era, instead favoring clearer textures and homophony, as well as more strict forms like sonata-allegro form. For the Classical era, we usually mark the end of that as being the death of Beethoven in 1827. Defining the Romantic era is a bit more challenging, as it coincided with a broader artistic movement that began and ended at different times in different parts of the world. We roughly consider the Romantic era to span from around 1800 to the end of World War I. While Classical-era music was very focused on emotional restraint through adherence to strict compositional rules, the Romantic era emphasized emotional expression and expanding the musical language that was relatively limited by Classical-era rules. Tempos and dynamics varied much more, imagery and story became an explicit inspiration for the music, and the harmonic language expanded to include more frequent and dissonant chromaticism, enharmonic modulation, and extended chords. All of these tools helped to create new “colors” of dissonance and consonance in music. Beyond this, distinct eras of music become not very useful. Chromaticism was extended further after World War I to include atonality and serialism. Some can make a case for specific eras such as an Impressionist era, a Modernist era, and a Postmodernist era, each with their distinct textures and forms, but these distinctions are much more nuanced and debatable. I generally attribute this to an emphasis on individuality in music that really focuses on “plowing new ground” that other composers have not yet touched. With the rise of the modern university and then the internet, it’s become much more common for composers since ~1960 to develop an eclectic musical language that borrows from the counterpoint and ornamentation of the Baroque era, the precision and restraint of the Classical era, the nuanced harmonies of the Romantic era, and the individuality of the postwar aesthetic. Personally, I would argue that the distinction between eras boils down to the harmonic language that is commonly used. The Baroque era was more concerned about counterpoint, with harmony being something that emerges out of interacting voices. The Classical era was very focused on harmonies of triads and seventh chords organized in a rigid way. The Romantic era took this a step further with extended chords and chromaticism. Finally, post-Romantic music challenged traditional notions of harmony as being built on thirds and involved harmonies based on other rules that resulted in things like quartal harmonies and tone clusters. More on reddit.com

Let me ask you this: What are the core elements of Elizabethan Poetry? Words? Letters? Phrases? Rhyme Scheme? What are the core elements of Impressionist painting? Color? Subject Matter? Frames? Canvas? I mean, do you know what a Melody is? Have you listened to any Classical music? I mean honestly, this is kind of an ill-formed question. Is Melody a core component of Classical Music? Yes. And every other music for that matter. You "keep hearing about" these things. Well, are you DIRECTLY hearing them in the music? If you keep hearing about them, don't you think that would indicate that they're common enough to keep mentioning? Why would everyone keep mentioning Melody if it's rare? What you really should be focusing on is maybe defining what it is you're trying to learn. The "core elements" of classical music are about the same as most other music. The devil is in the details. So are you asking what makes Classical Classical and not something else? Those are not necessarily the core elements. Though a better way to say it might be it's HOW the core elements are implemented. What makes a House different from an Apartment Building. Both might use "bricks" as a core element. So what's different about them? On one hand I'd say, just listen to the music and enjoy it and stop worrying about what it's core elements are. In fact, if you listen to it for a bit you should be able to hear all the core elements. I see another response where composing is mentioned - but I don't see it in the original post. What is it you are trying to do? More on reddit.com

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Baroque music is different from Classical. It’s not too hard to hear the differences. I will explain them: Baroque music is often described as polyphonic. Polyphony is a “type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody…”. Think of the Baroque fugue as an example of polyphony. Classical music is characterized more so by homophony or a “texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, homophony.” The Baroque music form would typically consist of a suite of several movements. These movements were all connected together and would often be in the same key. The difference between the movements is in the form. An Allemande was considered at a moderate tempo while a courante was at a more lively tempo. Both were part of this unified dance suite form that was common in the Baroque. The partita is an example of this dance suite and these suites were meant to be listened to instead of danced to. The Baroque is characterized as being more grandeur, grandiose, or just dignified and serious. The harpsichord was also an important instrument of the Baroque. The Classical style is different. The music is considered elegant and light. Homophonic texture is the dominant music form of this period. The Sonata-allegro form was invented during this time period. The fortepiano replaced the harpsichord as an instrument commonly used by composers and performers. One key difference in the Baroque and classical is the sound structure. Baroque music consists of what could be called a very consistent “motor movement” where there is a great deal of polyphony and quick contrast in harmony. This kind of movement is featured in one key and in one movement. Minor pieces may end on a major chord (the famous Picardy third resolution). Baroque modulations will indeed differ from Classical modulations just because of this sound structure. Classical music is characterized more so by separate sections and clearly defined phrases (a music section that contain a full statement before the next one is introduced). Examples: Mozart’s Sonata No. 16 in C Major is Classical in form. Listen especially to the first movement to get an idea of Classical form. Contrast this Mozart sonata with Bach’s WTC1 No. 2 in c minor BWV 847 prelude + fugue from the Well Tempered Clavier series and you can hear why both styles are different from each other. More on reddit.com