Mozart Essay Research Paper The Life of

Mozart Essay, Research Paper The Life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91) is regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived. He began writing minuets at the age of 5,and by the time he died in 1791 at the age of 35, he had produced 626 cataloged works. “ Mozart has enriched the concerto form with a larger number of masterpieces than any other composer.”1 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is said to be the greatest genius in western music history. Wolfgang Amadeus was born in Salzburg, Austria January 27, 1756 his parents were Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s father was a successful composer, violinist, and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. The Archbishop Sigismund von Schratten told Leopold Mozart to encourage the kids musical abilities. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Life By the age of four Wolfgang had great musical memory and a great ear for music. Due to Wolfgang’s talent his father signed him up for Harpsichord lessons. After a few lessons Wolfgang’s talent was noticed by many. Wolfgang also had a sister Maria Anna she was a musician and they toured Munich and Vienna. At the time of the tour Wolfang was only six years old, but he began composing at the age of five. Because of this early start Wolfgang composed for the rest of his life he never stopped performing or composing music. While on the tour Wolfgang became a violin virtuoso. By Wolfgang’s early teens he had mastered playing the piano, violin, and harpsichord. Also he had composed keyboard pieces, oratorios, symphonies, and operas. He performed his first major opera when he was fourteen it was staged in Milan in 1770 the style of the opera was opera seria, Mitriade. In 1762 he and his sister performed in the courts of Vienna for the Emperor Francis I and the Empress Maria Theresa. During the time of (1763-1766) the children performed in Germany, Paris at the court of Versailles ,and in London Mozart’s Compositional Style Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s style unlike anyone else. Mozart was a master of counterpoint, fugue, and the other traditional compositional points of his day. He is also considered the best melody writer the world has ever known. Wolfgang perfected the grand forms of symphony, opera string quartet, and concerto made the classical period. “Mozart’s music is characterized by lucid ease and distinction of style….”2 Wolfgang wrote over 600 works which consisted of 21 stage and opera works, 15 masses, over 50 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 12 violin concertos,27 concert arias, 17 piano sonatas, 26 string quartets, and many more. His operas range from comic baubles to tragic pieces. In his Requiem it illustrates the supreme vocal sounds in any of his work. Wolfgang’s musical influence and preparation Wolfgang did not have much preparation because he was a child prodigy. Wolfgang did take a few music lessons on the Harpsichord and he thought himself how play the violin. While in London on tour Wolfgang meet Johann Bach and it is found evident that Bach influenced the young composer. His father a great composer-musician also influenced his son. Also another composer that influenced the young composer was Josef Haydn it said that Mozart dedicated six string quartets to Haydn. The review of Marriage of Figaro The Marriage of Figaro was composed for Viennese court in 1786. The Marriage of Figaro was a very controversial piece of music it contained revolutionary ideas that made the Viennese court nervous. The opera is an opera buffa or called by some as opera comedy. The opera is based upon real human life as Jacob’s says “ It is an opera about masters and servants and the complications in that relationship caused by sex.”3 On the musical side of Figaro the opera has a monophonic texture with vocal timbres consisting of sopranos and baritones. The form of this piece is a ternary form ABA or the De Capo style. The type of music is a secular style. Bibliography 1.Grabbe, Paul The Story of One Hundred Symphonic Favorites p.129 1986. 2.Gridlestone, Cuthbert Mozart and His Piano Concertos p.13 164. 3.Jacobs, Arthur Greatest Composers in Synopsis p.26 1966.