Mozart’s Musical Legacy: A Deep Dive into His Life and Works
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756 – 1791) was a child prodigy.
The influence of Leopold Mozart was: Violin pedagogue and musician at the court of the archbishop of Salzburg. He traveled, showing his talent throughout Europe.
His influences were: – National styles, folk musics – Johann Schobert (Paris), keyboard music – J.C. Bach (London). Mozart: general characteristics
He had an evolution comparable to Haydn (Viennese Classicism). The orchestra grew bigger, more winds, timpani, winds’ growing independence. Harmony, thematic disposition, forms getting more complex. Large opera output and songful themes (J.C. Bach). Focus on thematic work, material economy (Haydn, Beethoven). ‘Galant’ basis evolution to more complexity.
The synthesis of different styles is important for the evolution of almost all instrumental genres. Enormous impact on opera: refined drama (story, characters), reflected in music. Synthesis of: buffa, seria. Learned, folk, galant. Political dimension in drama and music. The Salzburg years (1774-1781)
The social position of composers was: Patronage and self-employment.
• Mozart was at the court of the archbishop. • Commission of Idomeneo (’81, Munich)
! Taste of freedom did not want to ‘serve’ anymore. The Vienna years
(1781-1791) He was a freelance musician, income from several sources:
The success of Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He organized his own concerts, ticket-sale (Burgtheater). He composed on commission, publishing (cf. students).
In 1787: he composed chamber-music to the emperor. His influences were: – Haydn, Bach, Händel (cf. transcriptions). Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera in Singspiel, from 1782: It has romantic/comical themes (tradition) and spoken texts (tradition). Raising the level/political and philosophical dimension: Turks became ‘humane’ characters. Character/atmosphere drawing—> rage of Osmin: ‘music must no longer know itself’—> difficult to experience the impact today! Turkish fashion (cf. originality, attractive, recognizable market)
Don Giovanni 1787 (4 acts): Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The opera mixes opera seria characters and opera buffa characters. • Leporello = servant: short phrases, repetitions, buffa style • Donna Anna = lady: longer phrases, dramatic seria style, complex melodies, chromatic • Don Giovanni = mix, switches between both worlds. The score calls for double woodwinds, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones (alto, tenor, bass), timpani, basso continuo for the recitatives, and the usual string section. The composer also specified occasional special musical effects.
Piano Music The purpose was: domestic music making, pupils
He used the galant style and lyrical melodies (considered as a difference between Mozart and Haydn). The Piano Concerto: was influenced by J.C. Bach and formally is a ritornello and a sonata. Sonata in F-major, kv 332
We can see the typical Mozart combination of styles/atmospheres, difficult for modern listeners. He also used contrasting ideas within the first phrase/theme group and lyrical work/material economy (cf. Haydn, Beethoven): • e.g. opening theme • e.g. development with new melodic material
Keyboard Concerto 23, kv 488 Inspired by J.C. Bach, but his own (free) adaptation of the ritornello-sonata. Typically galant (but also for specialists)
JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH (1735-82) was the youngest son of J. S. Bach. He went to London in 1762 where he was a composer, performer, and teacher.
He used the galant style and he had a major influence on the young W.A. Mozart.