WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
(1756-1791)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mozart's Childhood Years

Regarded as one of the most prolific composers in the history of music, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 to a lower middle-class family in Salzburg, Austria. He was the seventh, and last, child of Leopold Mozart (1719-1787) and Anna Maria Pertl. The only two surviving children, however, were Wolfgang and his older sister, Nannerl. Composing before age five, performing concerts at age six, and traveling in a musical tour of Europe at age seven, this Classical composer "began his career as the most extraordinarily gifted child" (Machlis & Forney 238). In fact, a well-known story of the young Mozart was often told by friend of the family Andreas Schachter: "neither games nor toys meant anything to him when he became engrossed in music; most activities had to be accompanied by music to satisfy him . . . he did whatever was to be done wholeheartedly" (Pauly 84). Musical intellect came easily to the Mozart family, as Wolfgang had both a talented musical father and sister. Leopold Mozart was a violinist and court composer for the archbishop of Salzburg. He also wrote a famous essay, "A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing." Because of this extensive musical knowledge, Leopold was to be a dominating factor in the development of his son’s musical skills. In fact, the story is often told of this child playing the violin part in a trio sonata just by watching his father (Downs 261).

W.A. Mozart became quickly known as a child prodigy in the Western musical world, and 1756-1773 are commonly labeled "The Wunderkind Years." In fact, he was the subject of an essay on infant psychology by Daines Barrington of London (Kerman 154). Barrington studied Mozart through the Royal Society on Mozart, making astute observations of Wolfgang’s talent and intellect. This child was so remarkable that by the time he was six, Wolfgang could sight read music perfectly, play both the harpsichord and violin, and improvise fugues and write minuets (Kamien 243). A master at the harpsichord--and later the now-historical fortepiano--he also learned to play the organ. In addition, Mozart began writing down other composers’ works almost perfectly after he first heard them. By age thirteen, Mozart had composed in every imaginable genre, writing piano sonatas first. By age eight, he had completed a symphony; at eleven, an oratorio; and at twelve, his first opera. Even before the boy was five, Leopold discovered his son’s first musical sketches in Nannerl’s piano book.

Because the child had so much promise, the Mozart family traveled frequently during Wolfgang’s childhood. With his parents and sister, Wolfgang made a brief trip to Munich in 1762. Later that year, they went to Vienna and then to Hungary. Destined for Paris in the summer of 1763, the family was gone for more than three years -- this was their longest journey. In the spring of 1764, they left Paris for London, where Wolfgang composed his first symphonies and kept a well-documented compositional notebook with many innovative ideas. Via Holland, the Mozart family returned home to Salzburg in 1766. Wolfgang didn’t stay at home for long. In 1768, he traveled back to Vienna, and wrote his second opera, La finta semplice ("The Pretend Simpleton"). It wasn’t received well, as musical intellects there supposedly complained about the incompetence of a child. From 1770-1773, the composer traveled throughout Italy. He had the opportunity to visit all of the main cities in Germany, Vienna, Italy, France, England, and Holland. In all of his journeys, Mozart performed for many famous and highly regarded people. These included the Empress Maria Theresa; Austrian princess and future Queen of France Marie Antoinette; King Louis XII in Versailles; and King George III in London. In 1778, Mozart traveled again to Paris with his mother. They also went to Munich, Augsburg, and Mannheim, where he met the Weber family. The two Weber daughters would later play a significant role in the composer’s life. Mozart’s mother became ill and died on this trip, and her son then returned quickly to Salzburg.

 

Mozart's Jobs

Mozart’s first musical position was in his Salzburg hometown. During the 1770s, he was employed by the Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo, who was the composer’s patron. Most of Mozart’s compositions during this period were designed for public performance. But he was treated poorly and was dismissed after a disagreement with the Archbishop. Soon after, Mozart went to Vienna, hoping to establish himself as an independent musician. Here he composed a few works for Emperor Joseph II. But Joseph and his successor, Leopold II, were somewhat indifferent toward music, and Mozart wasn’t paid well. This was the beginning of his financial struggles, which was an important concern for the rest of his short life.

Though he taught music students to help stabilize his monetary situation, Mozart was "too good-natured, not active enough, too easily taken in, too little concerned with the means that may lead him to good fortune" (qtd. in Kamien 244). Wolfgang’s skill at the piano allowed him to earn money as a concert pianist, but his frivolous lifestyle and indifferent responses from musical supporters wiped out his funds. The composer’s marriage to Constanze Weber in 1782 didn’t help matters; she was as impractical with money as he. Mozart had intended to marry her sister, Aloysia Weber, who was a singer from Mannheim, Germany. She declined, so Mozart eventually chose Constanze. His father was disapproving: "The step signaled Mozart’s liberation from the close ties that had bound him to the well-meaning but domineering parent who strove so futilely to ensure the happiness of his son" (Machlis & Forney 239). The couple was married at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in 1782. They had six children, but only two survived. Wolfgang and Constanze led a busy social life as marriage partners. As the composer’s funds depleted, he wrote many letters begging for financial assistance. In one instance, he pleaded to a friend: "I turn to you in my distress and beg you to help me out with some money, which I need very badly at the moment" (qtd. in Downs 491).

 

Musical Works

Composing in every existing musical genre, Mozart’s works have been organized in chronological catalog numbers by Ludwig Köchel. Important early compositions leading into his mature style include thirteen piano sonatas from 1774-1784; piano variations; sonatas for piano and violin; and serenades and divertimentos. The latter were specifically composed for entertainment purposes, and the most famous of these is Eine Kleine Nachtmusik ("A Little Night Music") from 1787. Despite Mozart’s devout religious background, he didn't compose much church music. The sacred music he did produce was mainly during employment with the Archbishop Colloredo. Written mostly for his own performances as show pieces, Mozart composed a total of 42 sonatas. He also started to develop the concerto for solo piano and orchestra, three-movement works in a contrasting fast-slow-fast form. Composing more than 20 in his lifetime, Mozart brought the genre of piano concerto to its peak and also wrote concertos for violin, horn, flute, and clarinet. Also producing more than 40 symphonies, Wolfgang composed six in the last ten years of his life that are considered among the most important in this genre. In these symphonies, his orchestration shows color and dramatic affect, not unlike the effects of opera. String quartets and quintets are also considered significant to his total output. From 1782-85, Mozart dedicated six string quartets, a genre in which he wrote more than 30 pieces, to Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), whom he claimed to be his "most celebrated and very dear friend" (Machlis & Forney 241).

Even today, some of Mozart’s most impressive works for the public are the operas. In this genre, he thought that the music was more important than the poetry. Mozart wrote to his father of the poetry being "altogether the obedient daughter of the music" (qtd. in Grout 526). His favorite librettist was Lorenzo da Ponte, a Viennese poet who wrote the texts for three of the composer’s operas. Mozart wrote in three different styles of opera: opera buffa (comic Italian opera); opera seria (serious Italian opera); and Singspiel (German opera with spoken parts). Apollo et Hyacinthus, his first operatic composition, was written when he was only twelve. In both young and mature works, ". . . he achieved a perfect synthesis of form and content . . . of polish and charm on the one hand and textural and emotional depth on the other" (Grout 515).

 

The Late Works

"The compositions of the last ten years show Mozart unfailingly improving upon every genre he touched" (Downs 500). Telling his father it was one of his best, Wolfgang wrote the famous Quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon (K. 452) in 1784. During these years, he also produced 22 concertos: 17 for piano, four for horn, and one for clarinet. Mozart only wrote six symphonies during this time, but the specific reasons for composing the last three are unknown. In 1788 he wrote his last symphony (No. 41), nicknamed "Jupiter": "For as Jupiter was the father of the gods whose weapon was the lightning bolt and thunder, so the symphony wields superhuman power and moves with sovereign ease through the biggest symphonic architecture of the century" (Downs 521).

Wolfgang’s greatest operas were also written during this final decade of life. "Mozart lavished the utmost care on the two operas of 1781-82: on Idomeneo because he hoped it would lead to employment in Munich; and on Die Entführung aus dem Serail ["The Abduction from the Seraglio"] because he hoped it would bring him favor with the emperor and employment in Vienna" (Downs 529). In all of these late operas, the composer gave great attention to both drama and characterization. La clemenza di Tito ("The Clemency of Titus") premiered on September 6, 1791, for the inauguration of Leopold II, King of Bohemia. Die Zauberflöte ("The Magic Flute") was first heard in Vienna on September 30. Based on the libretto of Emanuel Schikaneder, this opera was written for the theater. Mozart’s themes of universal brotherhood in a folksong setting were not uncommon for someone active in Freemasonry.

Left unfinished at his death, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s last work is the Requiem Mass (K. 626). It was commissioned anonymously in 1791 by a member of high society who evidently wanted to claim the work as his own. Later this man was identified as Count Walsegg, who wanted people to think he had written the Mass for his wife’s funeral. After accepting the commission, Mozart had to postpone the process due to other compositional engagements. Therefore, the only finished parts are the Requiem aeternam of the Introit and the Kyrie fugue. As he became more ill, he started to think he was writing the Requiem for his own death. After Mozart’s death, his student Franz Xavier Süssmayr completed the piece from Mozart’s sketches, with Süssmayr’s own additions to the Requiem.

 

Mozart's Style

Stylistically, "Mozart is preeminent among composers for the inexhaustible wealth of his melodic ideas" (Machlis & Forney 241), which are elegant, lyrical, and simple. "All his music sings: even his instrumental melodies seem to grow out of the human voice" (Kamien 247). As a young adult, Mozart’s style became more practiced, focused, and mature. His father’s influence gave way to Wolfgang’s own independent style characteristics. "The Mozartian style comes to full maturity in the early seventies . . . his craft becomes more complex and his melodic inventiveness richer. Above all, he becomes increasingly capable of creating music imbued with a uniquely deep and passionate expressivity" (Downs 307). This passion manifests in the melancholy quality that pervades much of Mozart’s music. Using the typical Classical style of balance, he also added interesting and unique harmonies to fit with the beautiful, expressive melodies. Perhaps this intense focus on melody was because the composer thought music "must never offend the ear, but must please the hearer, or in other words, must never cease to be music" (qtd. in Kamien 247). But his popularity in Vienna diminished after a few years of success. The citizens thought his music was too complex. Mozart’s late style reversed this trend: "In the last months of his life he had broadened his style to include a simpler and more popular vein, making his music accessible to an audience previously put off by its complexity . . . . ethereal music of such elemental simplicity that it is hard to believe it was not produced by the gestures of divinity" (Downs 499).

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s death at age 35, on December 4, 1791, robbed the world of a musical genius. Though at times leading an extravagant lifestyle, the composer died in debt after battles with poverty and illness. Around the time of his death, which was only ten years after his arrival in Vienna, Mozart had been chosen as Music Director of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. He was buried humbly in a pauper’s grave.

Despite Mozart’s life of poverty and struggle for musical success, he impacted composers like Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert (1797-1828), and Richard Strauss (1865-1949). Haydn told Mozart’s father: "Your son is the greatest composer that I know, either personally or by reputation; he has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition" (qtd. in Kamien 246). Indeed, "Today Mozart is generally ranked with Bach and Beethoven as the greatest of Western composers" (Kerman 400). Immortally remembered for his delightful and expressive melodies, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has had profound influence on the course of music history. A famous Mozart quote relays his thoughts on musical creation: "I am never happier than when I have something to compose, for that, after all, is my sole delight and passion" (qtd. in Kamien 249).

 

Musical Terms

Concerto: A multimovement work in which an instrument is blended with orchestra or contrasted as a soloist.

Divertimento: A characteristically light suite in the second part of the 18th century written for a small number of performers. Mozart wrote 25 divertimentos, and the term has come to denote a work which is not serious. Includes a wide variety of secular instrumental pieces for soloist or small ensemble.

Fugue: Imitation in counterpoint (combination of the different parts), in which the musical theme is stated successfully in all the parts or voices.

Minuet: Elegant dance in triple meter, originating as a French rustic dance and used in the 17th-century court. The minuet also served as the final movement of an opera overture and was one of the original elements of the symphony.

Opera Buffa: Comic opera, opposite opera seria. Developed in the 18th century, this type of opera uses comic subjects of everyday life. Many national varieties arose, and opera buffa became an independent genre after serving as intermezzi between acts of serious operas.

Opera Seria: Serious opera most prevalent in the 17th and 18th centuries. Typically using mythological subjects and characters of ancient history and set to Italian librettos, this type of opera was formal in nature.

Oratorio: A sacred musical composition for solo vocalists, chorus, and orchestra. Performed without scenery or costumes and emphasizing narration; secular works also scored for a combination of solo singers, chorus, and orchestra.

Serenade: Open-air evening music, such as a song addressed to a lover; late 18th-century instrumental piece, similar to the divertimento, with several movements written for small ensemble.

Singspiel: German song-play, or a type of opera with spoken dialogue that uses a comic or light subject.

Sonata ("to sound"): Instrumental composition in several movements for piano solo or instrumental combinations with piano accompaniment. Originated in the 16th century for any work played and not sung, becoming prevalent in the 17th century and later.

Symphony ("a sounding together"): Large-scale orchestral composition, usually in four movements. Some examples of the 19th and 20th centuries have explicit programs (programmatic symphony).

Variation: Type of composition in which a popular or famous tune, or an original theme, is used as a base for varied versions of the melody. This kind of piece alters a given musical idea.