This program studies the birth of Classical music, which occurred during the final decades of the Baroque Era, and its maturation up to about 1800. Differences between Baroque and Classical music—particularly in matters of tonality and form—are identified, as a growing middle class and the Age of Enlightenment ushered Johann Stamitz, Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven—a transitional figure—into prominence. The gallant and sentimental styles, the sonata and symphony, comic opera, and chamber music are given special attention, and the pianoforte, successor to the harpsichord, is spotlighted. A Discovery Channel Production. (23 minutes)