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First of all, it's spelled Leitmotif. Second, if you can name one 17th century composer who used it, I will be very impressed. While the idea was certainly not entirely original at the time, it was Wagner that was most famous for using it, and for using it to the degree that he did. Similarly, John Williams is famous for using Leitmotif in a manner similar to Wagner's use of it in Der Ring (often included as one of several similarities between the trilogy and the Opera cycle). That is one of the things that makes Star Wars an excellent example of a good film score--while the music itself is barely listenable on its own (it's simultaneously shallow, transparent and emotionless), it is incredibly appropriate in the way it was used.
A last comment is in regards to the so-called Classical period. There are 2 Classical periods, one of which is the Viennese Classical period, which began in the early 18th century and ended with Beethoven establishing the beginnings of the Romantic tradition in the very start of the 19th, and the other is the more general term that encompasses all music that is part of a long chain extending from the Renaissance and hasn't ended yet. Both uses of the term are entirely inappropriate, but they managed to stick, and there aren't any other terms to use.
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