Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart “Mozart was the Shakespeare of music.” (New-York Mirror, 1830) “Listening to Mozart, we cannot think of any possible improvement.” (George Szell) “What was evident was that Mozart was simply transcribing music completely finished in his head.  And finished as most music is never finished.  Displace one note and there would be diminishment.  Displace one phrase and structure would fall.  I was staring through the cage of those meticulous ink strokes at Absolute Beauty.” (Peter Shaffer) 1756-1791 https://youtu.be/FCi2u265wxQ

Mozart’s Legacy Mozart is considered the most famous composer ever for two reasons: He was an amazing child prodigy, both as a composer and as a musician. He wrote some of the best music ever in every genre of music at the time (opera, symphony, concerto, mass, string quartet, etc.) Many consider Mozart the best melody writer that ever lived.

Mozart’s Legacy Over his short 35-year lifetime, Mozart wrote over 600 musical works including 21 stage and opera works, 15 masses, 41 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 12 violin concertos, 17 piano sonatas, and 26 string quartets. His music has a distinct quality that is immediately recognizable to the trained ear as creative and playful and yet perfectly precise and balanced. His operas are the earliest typically still performed today, and his symphonies and concertos are used in music schools to teach how to write in these genres. Essentially every composer since has recognized the superiority of Mozart’s music, including Haydn, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and Stravinsky. https://youtu.be/9bK9h12Qdvs

Mozart: Boy Genius Wolfgang was born in 1756. His father, Leopold Mozart, was a composer, author of an important violin manual, and vice- court composer to the Archbishop of Saltzburg in Austria. Leopold began teaching Wolfgang’s sister Nannerl keyboard lessons when she turned 7. They soon discovered that Wolfgang, who was then age 3, was able to learn and play her pieces by ear. Three days before he turned 5, he wrote his first keyboard piece, written down by his father. Young Mozart published his first harpsichord sonatas at 8, and wrote his first opera at 13 at the request of an emperor.

The Mozarts on Tour Realizing Wolfgang’s potential, Leopold took his two children on tour off and on for 9 years. Wolfgang and Nannerl performed for kings and queens, nobility, and emperors in France, England, Germany, Italy, Austria, etc. He performed for George III of England, Louis IV of France, Marie-Antoinette (future queen of France), and Pope Clement XIV, etc. Mozart met and studied many famous composers who influenced him including Johann Christian Bach in London.

The Mozarts on Tour Audiences were astounded by Mozart’s ability to play the keyboard and violin at such a young age. He further amazed by playing blindfolded and improvising music on the spot in any key he was told. He amazed Italian audiences by remembering and writing down Allegri’s 15-minute “Miserere” after just one hearing. An earlier Pope had declared that anyone publishing or performing the song outside of the Sistine Chapel would be excommunicated, but instead the current Pope praised Mozart and knighted him in the Order of the Golden Spur. Other royals gave him gifts of golden pocket watches and snuffboxes. https://youtu.be/HXjn6srhAlY

Trouble with Patrons The Mozarts enjoyed their gifts and popularity, but could not convince any of the nobility to accept Wolfgang as their court composer. At age 22, Mozart took another trip to Paris, this time accompanied by only his mother. Not only did he again fail to get a patron, but his mother got sick and died there. Mozart was devastated. Mozart was forced to take a job as organist for the Archbishop of Saltzburg. Their relationship was rocky since Mozart resented being treated like a servant and the Archbishop disliked Mozart’s complaints and absences. He was glad when the Archbishiop finally had enough and kicked Mozart out of the palace.

Freelance Composer in Vienna Mozart confidently set out selling subscription tickets to concerts full of the masterpieces of opera, orchestra, and chamber music that he wrote. During his last 10 years, Mozart wrote many of his best pieces. His operas Cosi fan tutte and The Marriage of Figaro were very popular. Many paid to some see him perform his new symphonies and piano concertos. https://youtu.be/BTWBieDvZb8

Freelance Composer in Vienna Mozart met and befriended Joseph Haydn in Vienna. Mozart greatly admired Haydn’s works, and Haydn said of Mozart: “Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name: He has taste and, furthermore, the most profound knowledge of composition.”

Financial Troubles, Success Mozart married Constanze in 1782 and started a family. The Mozarts spent lavishly and began having money problems. Mozart tried to fix them by writing more, but demand for his music dropped and their debts rose. Overworked, Mozart became increasingly depressed and sick. During the last year of his life, Mozart wrote many of his most famous and dramatic pieces including the operas Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute, his final piano concerto, and his unfinished Requiem. https://youtu.be/k1-TrAvp_xs

Sickness and Death Mozart became ill as he was premiering his opera La clemenza di Tito for the coronation of the Austrian Emperor. He premiered another opera The Magic Flute, but then got so sick he had to stay in bed. Mozart died in 1791 at age 35 and was buried in an unmarked grave. The cause of his fatal sickness is unknown, but there have been many theories (and conspiracies) over the years.

Mozart’s Unfinished Requiem Around this time an anonymous patron offered Mozart a large sum of money to write him a requiem mass. Even though he knew the man would probably try to pass it off as his own, Mozart began composing the requiem because his family needed the money. It is said that Mozart became obsessed with his Requiem as he got closer to dying and felt he was writing it for his own death. Mozart died before finishing his Requiem, and his student Sussmayr wrote the remainder.

Mozart’s Philosophy on Music “The passions, whether violent or not, should never be so expressed as to reach the point of causing disgust; and music, even in situations of the greatest horror, should never be painful to the ear, but should flatter and charm it, and thereby always remain music.” – W. A. Mozart Summarize Mozart’s philosophy on music. https://youtu.be/CVKpvD3X6EM