Idler intern Barney Trimble goes on a whirlwind tour through four centuries of classical music

The 28th of November was a cold Tuesday night that saw a troupe of musically intrigued idlers gathered together in the warmth of Queens Park’s Alice House, G&Ts in hand, to hear broadcaster Sandy Burnett’s class on classical music.

Sandy started us off in the 17th century with the beginning of Baroque and Bach. We were shown just how extravagantly, show-stoppingly over-the-top the music of the era was. Listening to segments of Prelude & Fugue in C major from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1, the craftsmanship of Johann Sebastian Bach was revealed through the carefully constructed composition of the piece as well as the technical complexities. Despite the intricacies of the era though, there was something deeply liberating about the lack of instructions on the score so that Baroque can be played however the players wish.

Like a child rebelling against their parent, the Classical era sought to be less complicated than what came before. While Mozart was a student of Baroque, for Johann Christian Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach, this was more than a metaphor. We also learned how composers were slowly spreading across society. Mozart, unlike many modern musicians, moved away from waiting tables to support his work in royal courts towards freelancing across Vienna. Despite this, the audience largely remained elite, educated, and engaged – much like how we felt come the end of the evening.

After a break to catch our breath, we dived into the swirling energy of the Romantic era. Here we saw the extension of music beyond its boundaries. Mahler’s autobiographical Symphony no 1 showed the turn towards incorporating aspects outside of the concert halls. Sandy helpfully pointed us towards the London Symphony Orchestra who recently appointed Mahler-specialist Sir Simon Rattle as their musical director – particularly as we would all now be well equipped to appreciate it.

This also marked the beginning of the diversification of the musical eras. The Romantic era was based on a divide between those who focussed on form and those who wanted to answer questions and explore. This divide grew greater in the early 20th century as composers looked to individual national identity and war to inspire their work. This proved rather too shocking for contemporary audiences, some of whom even turned violent – throwing punches, chairs, and foul language in the debut performance of Stravinsky’s Rites of Spring. Since World War 2, music has become increasingly diverse in scope, style, and participation; so this marked the end of our musical journey for the evening. However, I suspect that, with the knowledge and inspiration that we received, this will not be the end of our own journeys through classical music.

Sandy Burnett is teaching another masterclass at the Idler Academy in February – find out more here. Learn more about the history of classical music in Sandy Burnett’s online course. You can also buy one of our lovely classical music gift packs, which includes an online course, Sandy’s Idler Guide to Classical Music, an exercise book, a badge and bookmark. Take a look here.