Sturm and Drang, 3

The Classical period of music (1750–1800) has been associated with Sturm und Drang. Literature or music was aimed at shocking the audience or imbuing them with extremes of emotion. Sturm and Drang musical compositions, for example, were often predominantly written in a minor key in an attempt to convey difficult or depressing sentiments. Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony, Mozart's Symphony No. 25 (the 'Little' G-minor symphony, 1773), and Johann Christian Bach’s Symphony in G minor op.6 No.6, are often touted as examples. The Sturm und Drang movement reportedly rebelled against all the rules of neoclassicism and the enlightenment and first recognized Shakespeare as a “genius” of dramaturgy. Several playwrights are credited with popularizing the Sturm und Drang movement including, Goethe, Klinger, Lenz, Wagner, and Schiller. It’s a handy phrase to have in one’s literary pocket. When someone is going off through the use of vitriolic language, you might say calmly: “There’s quite a bit of Sturm and Drang in what you say.”