Classical Era 1750-1820
The art of this period is characterized by grace, the beauty of line, clarity of form, and balance of structure.
Classical music gave place into the Romantic Era, established in 1750. It began with the invention of the sonata, which is a composition for one or more solo instruments.
Unlike the Baroque era the classical era followed certain rules and regulations when it came to composing music. They didn't have much freedom thus they did not concentrate on improvisation. Instead of playing multiple instruments like the harpsichord, most musicians favored the piano.
Classical music set two different moods, one is related to lyricism and the other is related to pace, more specifically a fast pace. The rondo style of classical musicians is ABA or ABACA.
Some of the famous pianist or musicians of this era were: Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Haydn. In which Haydn was the first composer to develop the sonata form as well as the piano trios.
Rondo style:
Rondo, in music, an instrumental form characterized by the initial statement and subsequent restatement of a particular melody or section, the various statements of which are separated by contrasting material.