Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Life and Musical Legacy
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Introduction
Born in Salzburg in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was soon revealed as a child prodigy. Educated by his father, at age six he played the violin and keyboard instruments and could improvise and read music. His father took him on a tour of European courts, where he earned fame and honors, as he composed several works. He died in Vienna on December 5, 1791, at 35 years old. His funeral was held at the Cathedral of St. Stephen. It was laid out according to the Masonic ritual.
Works
Requiem
The Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626) is a work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart based on the Latin texts for the Catholic liturgy offered in deaths. Mozart died before finishing it in 1791. It was composed for a symphony orchestra, chorus, and solo voices. The instruments for which he composed the Requiem respond to the typical pattern of a symphony orchestra.
Symphonies
The symphonies of Mozart are a wonderful treatise on the evolution of the composer, from some reminiscences of Haydn and his father, to the personal style of his later symphonies. He composed 41 symphonies, among which is the Symphony No. 35, “Haffner” (1782).
Concertos
For Piano:
The piano concertos of Mozart represent, even more than his symphonies, the most perfect achievement of eighteenth-century symphonic expression. In his concertos, Mozart consolidated “double exposition” as characteristic of the initial movements. He composed 27 works for piano.
For Other Instruments:
Besides being a piano virtuoso, do not forget that Mozart was also proficient on the viola and violin. For the latter, he composed five concertos that show his good knowledge of the melodic and graceful style of the Italian school. He composed five concertos for violin and others for other instruments.
Sonatas
For Piano:
He wrote 17 piano sonatas. His last sonata, K.576, was written in 1789. All his sonatas have three movements, except for the sonatas K.282 and K.331. Sonata form is not used in any movement. In the Sonata in D major K.284, he first used a set of variations for the last movement of a sonata.
For Violin:
It is often noted that the decisive impulse to the Mozart sonata with violin is to transform the role of the latter instrument to give it absolutely equal importance with the keyboard. In his first cycle, it is of particular interest to note the preponderance of works in two movements, usually in a lively rhythm. He composed 16 sonatas for violin.
Chamber Music
The Trios:
Mozart’s output for violin, cello, and piano shows, like the violin sonatas, a general tendency towards the establishment of equitable distribution among the various parts.
The Quartet:
The formation of the string quartet in its regular provision of two violins, viola, and cello, for reasons of inheritance of traditional writing for four voices, is perhaps the chamber music formation with the longest history and broadest repertoire.
The Quintet:
Mozart’s quintets are probably the most beautiful and original examples of his chamber music writing.
Operas
Mozart’s operas are characterized by a symphonic approach and design over the chamber music orchestra, the creation of music using characters of universal stature, and musical innovations. He composed 22 operas.