The term classical music is a generic term and covers a range of music too immense to quantify.

There is also the classical period of music. The classical period is roughly 1750 to 1830 and the primary composers were Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert.

This period of music saw the transition of composers from court servant to genius/artist.

Most of Haydn’s music was written as a member of the Hungarian Prince Esterhazy’s court.

Mozart was a member of the courts of The Archbishop of Salzburg and Emperor Joseph II. Mozart did make attempts to free himself of dependence on court employment. He offered a subscription series of concerts at which he would premiere new music.

Beethoven was associated with the aristocracy but was not tied to a specific court. He considered his genius to be superior to the blood birth of the nobility.

An early advocate for Napoleon, he was disillusioned when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of Europe.

Beethoven’s third symphony was originally planned as a dedication to Napoleon but he tore up the dedication and replaced it with, “To the memory of a great man.” Interestingly, some musicologists consider the opening bars of the third symphony to be the beginning of The Romantic Period of music.

Schubert has one foot in the Classical Period and one in the Romantic.

Schubert is best known as a composer of German Art Songs or Lieder. These songs were for solo voice and piano and were performed in intimate salon settings throughout Vienna.

Schubert worked as a music teacher for the aristocracy but was not a member of the court.

Over the span of about eighty years, composers shed the mantle of servant. They still relied on the nobility for funding but composers gained the ability to write music as they saw fit instead of music for the benefit of the court.