Zara Guinard-Bachman Music Craig Ferrin

Biography

The BeginningThe Beginning  Born in Salzburg, Austria  January 27, 1756  Baptized: Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart

Childhood  Mimicked his sister playing the piano at age 3  His father tutored them both.  Age 5, Wolfgang was beyond Leopold’s level of teaching.  The siblings went to Bavarian court for several European tours.  Met Johann Christian Bach.

Teens  Age 13 traveled to Italy for an extended tour ( )  Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere, performed in the Sistine Chapel  Composed three new operas:  Mitridante, re di Ponto  Ascanio in Alba  Lucio Silla

Early AdulthoodEarly Adulthood  Hieronymus von Colleredo, appoints Wolfgang assistant concertmaster  Grows bored, travels with mother till she falls ill  Returns home, becoming organist in Salzburg  Settles in Vienna 1781  Meets wife Constanze, has two surviving children:  Karl Thomas  Franz Xaver

Career of WolfgangCareer of Wolfgang  1783 studied Baroque elements of Johannes Christain Bach and George Frederic Handel  1784 joined the Freemasons  This year appeared in 22 concerts, 5 he produced and performed solo  Sought an appointment as a court musician

Career cont.Career cont.  Collaborated with Lorenzo da Ponte to create:  The Marriage of Figaro  Don Giovanni  Late 1780’s: Emperor Joseph II appoints Wolfgang chamber composer  Wolfgang’s finances deteriorate  1790 the last Da Ponte Opera Cosi Fan Tutte premiered

Final YearFinal Year  Composed most well-known works:  The Magic Flute  The final piano concerto in B-flat  The Clarinet Concerto in A minor  The unfinished Requiem  About this time Mozart fell ill and died on December 5, 1971 from rheumatic fever.

Overview  All the traits of Classical music: clarity, balance and transparency  Enlivened elements used in the Baroque period  Influenced by:  Johann Christian Bach and the  Mannheim Orchestra  Italian Overture  Opera Buffa  Continually sophisticated his work  Played with the instrumentation and orchestral texture to create masterpieces of musical art

Composition HistoriesComposition Histories

Piano Concerto No. 23 in “A” Major  Written for piano and orchestra  Finished March 2, 1786,  One flute, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns and strings  Wind instruments equal to the string instruments  Keys correspond to specific moods  “A” major: warm, tender and cheerful mood

No. 23 cont.No. 23 cont.  Prince Fürstenberg in Donaueshcingen  With the composition Mozart wrote  “these compositions which I keep for myself or for a small circle of music-lovers and connoisseurs (who promise not to let them out of their hands)”  Assured prince the compositions had not been advertised  Hoped His Highness would commission symphonies, concertos and chamber works regularly

Overture, The Magic Flute  The last great-completed work of Mozart’s life  Passed away two months after the premiere  Scored for: flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets in pairs, three trombones, timpani and strings  Compact and energetic piece  Few pauses in the music, dynamics used make it sound more complex than it really is

Overture cont.Overture cont.  Member of the Freemasons after 1784, Mozart wrote music for many of the Masonic lodges  Considered a Masonic opera due to the symbolism  Singspiel- song-play, a reference to the music dramas of the German-language

Magic FluteMagic Flute  The story about Tamino  With traveling companion Papageno helps to rescue Pamina  Held by her mother the Queen of Night.

Listening GuidesListening Guides

Piano Concerto No. 23 in “A” major TimeAnalysis of: Piano Concerto No. 23 in “A” major Intro First Subject: Theme 1A is played only by the piano. :40 Theme 1B is played first by the orchestra alone and then joined by the soloist. 1:15 Second subject: Theme 1C is the solo piano again with the same orchestral decorations. 1:44 Theme 1D by the piano extends control to the orchestral instruments.

2:12 Theme 1B material again played by the orchestra and acting as a codetta to the exposition 3:31 The form of the second movement is in ternary form, somewhat operatic in tone.. This is theme 1E. 4:14 Incorporating the string instruments again we repeat 1E 4:43 There is a brief cadenza to end the development section. 5:03 The third movement seen is in the form of a rondo. Beginning back with Theme A again in the typical sonata form of ABA 6:03 It closes using material from Theme D. Piano Concerto No. 23 cont.Piano Concerto No. 23 cont.

The MusicThe Music Piano Concerto, No. 23

Overture, The Magic Flute TimeAnalysis of: Overture, The Magic Flute Intro Introduction with Variation 1 Theme A 1:23 Theme B 2:21 Theme C 2:33 You can still hear the first theme under the second and the texture is smoother on the second theme than it was in the first. Returns again to Theme B

Overture, The Magic Flute cont.Overture, The Magic Flute cont. 3:01 End of the first Variation, returns to theme A 3:30 There are awkwardly long pauses that you expect to stretch on until they are punctuated by another blast from the wind instruments section. There is a lacking in the range of keys played during this section and continues on for some time. 3:43 Returns again to Theme B in a higher key 4:15 Theme C 4:50 Theme B repeats with variation throughout the rest of the piece including a cadenza concentrating on the string instruments. 6:21 Ends with a crescendo repeating short sequences of theme B and theme C.

The MusicThe Music Magic Flute, Overture

Bibliography  “Wolfgang Mozart” Bio.TruStory. Biography.com. Web. Oct. 5, 2013  “2. Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, II. Adagio” Asiyclassical.com. Web. Oct. 5, 2013  Sheranne, Robert. “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart”. IPL2.com. Web. Oct. 5, 2013