1. Listen again to the Handel aria 'I know My Redeemer Liveth', from the Oratorio 'The Messiah', and if possible try to get hold of the vocal score. What form does the piece take, if any? Compare the melodic line to that of an aria from 'The Magic Flute' (Pamina's main aria perhaps?). Goodall compares the baroque composer Handel's work with that of the classical composer Mozart. Sing both pieces, if possible, and this might give you a better insight into the composer's intentions. Listen to the accompaniments of both. What differences are apparent in orchestration and harmonic structure?

2. Listen to any symphony by Mozart or Haydn (other than the Mozart No. 40 in G minor) and preferably with a score and see if you can 'route map' the structure of the piece (both melodically and harmonically, as well as structurally). The late symphonies of either composer are interesting examples (Haydn wrote 104 and Mozart 41). If you are listening with a group or in pairs, try to indicate to each other when there is a recapitulation of the main themes and melodic ideas. Discuss with each other the way in which the composer has devised the development section, and consider why Mozart is masterful in his treatment of the form. Compare these works with very early Haydn and this will give you some idea of how the form was to develop. Pianists might like to play some piano sonatas by Mozart, or even the later Beethoven. The form will also be apparent in many of these works.

3. Howard Goodall describes Mozart as having 'written the best tunes on the planet'. Listen again to extracts from recordings of 'The Magic Flute'. In particular, select extracts that offer arias which are written to support specific characters. First listen to the two arias written for the Queen of the Night. In the first, she comes to the rescue of Tamino ('O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn!') and the second, when she has been revealed as a force for evil ('Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen'). Compare them as pieces of musical drama. Listen also to Papageno's arias 'The Birdcatcher's Song' and his duet with Papagena in the closing scenes of the opera (Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa etc). The part of the Birdcatcher was sung originally by the theatre manager, Emmanuel Schikaneder. Do you think that he was a trained singer? What is the difference in the melodic lines in comparison to the Queen of the Night's dramatic solos?

4. Mozart wrote some of his finest works using the minor keys of G minor (in particular the Symphony No. 40 and the String Quintet) as well as D minor and C minor. Imagine that you have been asked to write a piece of music in which you need to provide drama, pathos or solemnity. Compose a short work using the simple A B A form, perhaps employing a change to the dominant for the B section. Complete your work with a coda. Use strings and pairs of oboes, bassoons, French horns and trumpets. Rather than replicating and imitating the styles of Mozart and Haydn, try to give it a contemporary twist whilst employing the 'classical form'.