The three prominent composers of the classical period were Franz Haydn, Wolfgang Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. These three composers together are known as the masters of the Viennese School. All three of them studied and composed their music in a time of experimentation. They examined the different uses of the major-minor system and then capitalized on the possibilities. From this came the ideal form, the sonata. Franz Joseph Haydn was born in Austria in 1732. …showed first 75 words of 711 total…

…showed last 75 words of 711 total…the Classical period but Beethoven was also the transition between the Classical and Romantic periods. In 1792 Beethoven received composition lessons from Haydn and they became lifelong friends. In 1802 he was starting to loose his hearing, and by 1824 he was almost completely deaf. Ludwig van Beethoven died in 1827, and in his 57 years was able to compose nine symphonies, sixteen quartets, and thirty-two piano sonatas. BIBLIOGRAPHY Norton Sony Classical Essentials of Music, www.wwnorton.com/classical/composers