Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart example essay topic

(1756-1791) Probably the greatest genius in Western musical history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756, his father was Leopold Mozart and his mother was, Anna Maria Perl. Leopold was a successful composer, violinist and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. Wolfgang began composing minuets at the age of 5 and symphonies at 9. When he was 6, his older sister, Maria Anna (who was nicknamed 'Nannerl'), and him, performed a series of concerts to Europe's courts and major cities. Both children played the keyboard, but Wolfgang became a violin virtuoso as well.

In 1762 the Mozart duo played at court in Vienna; the Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I, acknowledged them. From 1763-1766, the Mozart duo displayed their talents to audiences in Germany, Paris, at court in Versailles, and London This was where Wolfgang wrote his first symphonies and began a friendship with Johann Christian Bach, who became a great musical influence on Wolfgang. In Paris, the young Mozart published his first works, four sonatas for clavier with accompanying violin in 1764. In 1768 he composed his first opera, La F inta Semplice, which had its premiere in Salzburg.

In 1769-1770, Leopold and Wolfgang took on a tour through Italy. This first Italian trip ended in a new opera, Mithridate, re di Pon to, which was composed for Milan. In two other Italian journeys he wrote two more operas for Milan, Asca nio in Alba (1771) and Lucio Silla (1772). In 1772, Archbishop von Schrattenbach died, to be succeeded by Hieronymus von Colloredo. The latter, at first concerned for the Mozart, later became irritated by Wolfgang's delayed absences and stubborn ways. In 1772, von Colloredo retained Wolfgang as concertmaster at a token salary.

In this capacity Mozart composed a large number of sacred and worldly works. Wishing to secure a better position outside Salzburg, he got permission to undertake another journey in 1777. With his mother he traveled to France, where he composed the Paris Symphony in 1778, but he was unable to find a permanent position. His mother died in Paris.

When he returned to Salzburg he was given the position of court organist in 1779 and produced a splendid series of church works, including the famous Coronation Mass. He composed a new opera for Munich, Idomeneo in 1781, that proved he was a skilled master of opera seria. Summoned by von Colloredo to Vienna in 1781 he was dismissed after a series of arguments. Mozart's career in Vienna began promisingly, and he was soon wanted to write The Abduction from the Seraglio in 1782.

His concerts were a great success, and the emperor, Joseph II, encouraged him, later engaging him as court composer. In 1782 the now popular Mozart married Constance Weber from Germany. His father did not like this at all. The young pair visited Salzburg in 1783; there, the Kyrie and Gloria of Mozart's great Mass in C Minor, composed in Vienna and never finished, was performed. Mozart's greatest success was Le Nozze di Figaro in 1786, composed for the Vienna Opera.

The great piano concertos and the string quartets which was dedicated to his close friend Josef Haydn were also composed during this period. Mozart's fame began to disappear after Figaro. The nobility and court grew more nervous about his revolutionary ideas as seen in Figaro. He sank into debt and was assisted by a brother Freemason, Michael Puchberg. His greatest operatic success after Figaro was Don Giovanni in 1787, composed for Prague, where Mozart's art was especially appreciated.

This was followed in 1790 by Cosi fan tutte, the third and final libretto provided by the Italian poet Lorenzo Da Ponte; and in 1791 by Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute), produced by a suburban theater in Vienna. During this period of financial strain, Mozart composed his last three symphonies (E flat, G minor, and the Jupiter in C) in less than 7 weeks. These had been preceded by a great series of string quintets, including the two in C and in G minor in 1787. In 1791, Mozart was commissioned to write a requiem which was unfinished. He was at the time quite ill and imagined that the work was for himself, which it proved to be.

His death, on December 5, 1791, gave rise to false rumors of poisoning, it is thought to have resulted from rheumatic fever, a disease which he had suffered from repeatedly through out his life. After a cheap funeral at Saint Stephen's Cathedral, he was buried in an unmarked grave at the cemetery of Saint Marx, a Viennese suburb. Much has been made of this, but at that time such burial was legally required for all Viennese except those of noble or aristocratic birth. Mozart excelled in every form in which he composed.

His contemporaries found the restless ambivalence and complicated emotional content of his music difficult to understand. Accustomed to the light, shallow style of rococo music, his aristocratic audiences could not accept the music's complexity and depth. Yet, with Josef Haydn, Mozart perfected the grand forms of symphony, opera, string quartet, and concerto that marked the classical period in music. In his operas Mozart's uncanny psychological insight is unique in musical history. His music informed the work of the later Haydn and of the next generation of composers, most notably Beethoven. The brilliance of his work continued until the end, although darker themes of poignancy and isolation grew more marked in his last years, and his compositions continue to exert a particular fascination for musicians and music lovers.

Resources 1. Enchanted World- Music: Luis A. Basalt 2. Enchantment of Music: Tamra Orr 3. Language of the Globe: Jim Miles.