<P> While vocal music such as comic opera was popular, great importance was given to instrumental music . The main kinds of instrumental music were the sonata, trio, string quartet, symphony, concerto (usually for a virtuoso solo instrument accompanied by orchestra), and light pieces such as serenades and divertimentos . Sonata form developed and became the most important form . It was used to build up the first movement of most large - scale works in symphonies and string quartets . Sonata form was also used in other movements and in single, standalone pieces such as overtures . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section does not cite any sources . Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> At first the new style took over Baroque forms--the ternary da capo aria and the sinfonia and concerto--but composed with simpler parts, more notated ornamentation, rather than the improvised ornaments that were common in the Baroque era, and more emphatic division of pieces into sections . However, over time, the new aesthetic caused radical changes in how pieces were put together, and the basic formal layouts changed . Composers from this period sought dramatic effects, striking melodies, and clearer textures . One of the big textural changes was a shift away from the complex, dense polyphonic style of the Baroque, in which multiple interweaving melodic lines were played simultaneously, and towards homophony, a lighter texture which uses a clear single melody line accompanied by chords . </P>

Which form of entertainment became widely popular during the classical period