The Classical Turn: Clarity and Enlightenment

The Style Galant

By 1750, tastes were shifting from Baroque complexity toward Classical clarity. The style galant emphasized: - Simpler melodies with clear phrase structures - Lighter textures and accompaniments - Natural expression over learned counterpoint - Accessibility over sophistication

Opera Reform

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), though German-Bohemian, created his revolutionary reform operas for Paris: - "Iphigénie en Aulide" (1774) - "Orphée et Eurydice" (French version, 1774) - "Iphigénie en Tauride" (1779)

Gluck's reforms aligned with Enlightenment ideals: - Music serving drama, not vice versa - Elimination of da capo arias that stopped dramatic flow - Integration of chorus and ballet into the action - Simpler, more natural vocal lines

The "Gluckistes vs. Piccinnistes" controversy (1777-1779) replayed earlier debates, with Gluck representing reform and Niccolò Piccinni traditional Italian opera.

Instrumental Music: The Symphony Arrives

While Paris wasn't a major symphonic center like Mannheim or Vienna, it embraced the new genre:

François-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829) pioneered French symphonic writing: - Over 50 symphonies bridging Baroque and Classical styles - Founder of the Concert Spirituel's orchestra - Revolutionary music including the "Marche lugubre"

The Concert Spirituel (1725-1790): This concert series, originally for religious music during periods when opera was forbidden, became Paris's primary venue for instrumental music, introducing Parisians to: - Italian violin virtuosos - German symphonies - The latest compositional styles