Originally Posted by starrynight

This period does get some criticism from some classical listeners. Of course some of the very greatest names within the whole of classical actually originate from this period (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert), but beyond them people don't tend to know much of the music. Also very important genres like the symphony and string quartet originated and flourished. I think it helps to look at the full development of it up to about 1830 when you could say the romantic period started more obviously with the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique. The High Classical is more the earlier period up to about 1800 or maybe slightly earlier during the 1790s. But I think it continued to develop beyond that and even had lasting influence with the sonata form structure on many important later composers (like Brahms).