Although the word “classical” is used widely to cover the whole canon of largely western music from the post-Roman era through to the modern age, it has a much more specific use to describe the music of the period from the mid-18th century through to the early years of the 19th. Although a relatively short time in chronological terms, the period – which extended from the end of the Baroque period to the start of the Romantic – was to see the emergence of some of the most important composers in history, including Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert.
Classical music was a reaction against the increasing complexity of Baroque music. It was a simpler style that reflected the burgeoning intellectualism of the 18th century – the Age of Enlightenment – rejecting the polyphony, counterpoint and ornamented melodies of the earlier age in favor of simple melodies with harmonic progressions. This meant that the playing of chords became much more prevalent, resulting in the tonal structure of the works becoming more audible.
The classical period. (2017). In M. Swift (Ed.), Latin American History and Culture: Classical music: an introduction. Greene Media. Credo Reference: https://ezproxy.southern.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/gmclassical/the_classical_period/0?institutionId=2258