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Mozart

  • Foto do escritor: Carlos Alencar
    Carlos Alencar
  • 15 de mai.
  • 11 min de leitura

Atualizado: 1 de jul.

Introduction:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is, quite simply, the most renowned name in classical music, the greatest of all prodigies. Despite his relatively short life, his work stands among the most extensive, and his influence on subsequent generations is immeasurable. Like most musicians of his caliber, his repertoire was not limited to keyboard works; Mozart left an indelible mark on opera and symphonic music as well. In this article, I focus on his biography and piano works, while recommendations for exploring his impact on other genres can be found at the end.

Child Prodigy:

Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, modern-day Austria. As is typical with prodigies, his childhood was remarkably well-documented, allowing researchers to reconstruct his early years with great accuracy. The young Mozart began his musical studies exceptionally early, first encountering the harpsichord at age three, likely inspired by watching his sister Nannerl's lessons with their father, Johann Georg Leopold Mozart; a voracious musician, composer, entrepreneur, and pedagogue.


The child demonstrated extraordinary aptitude, and approximately a year after this initial exposure, he began formal instruction under his father. Accounts from his sister, five years his senior, reveal that the youngest Mozart learned with astonishing ease, playing new pieces "flawlessly and with splendid delicacy" after just hours of study. Within another year, the young Mozart began improvising his first compositions, which his father lovingly transcribed into musical notation.


At age six, Mozart embarked on his first musical tour. Accompanied by his parents and equally virtuosic sister, he performed on harpsichord and violin for Vienna's nobility, from counts and countesses to dukes, archdukes, and eventually Empress Maria Theresa herself. This royal encounter spawned one of the most famous anecdotes about Mozart's childhood: during the performance for the imperial court, the young boy supposedly ran to the Empress, threw his arms around her neck, and kissed her, a tender and childish gesture that undoubtedly amused the assembled dignitaries.


After nearly four months of travel, the family returned to Salzburg, thoroughly satisfied with the boy's triumphant debut. Shortly thereafter, Leopold was honored with the position of Vice-Kapellmeister, announced during celebrations for the local Archbishop's birthday, where both Mozart children performed. Contemporary newspaper accounts hailed young Mozart as a phenomenal prodigy, capable of sight-reading unfamiliar pieces, playing blindfolded, and improvising masterfully on given themes.

The Grand Tour:

Mozart's life was marked by an almost endless series of musical pilgrimages. Following their initial success, within a year Leopold organized an even more ambitious tour - recognizing that much of the children's appeal lay in their tender ages, he was determined not to miss this window of opportunity. In June 1763, the family embarked on their grand expedition.


From Salzburg, they traveled across Europe, performing for aristocracy in Munich, Augsburg, Mainz, Frankfurt, Bonn, Liège, Brussels, Paris, London, The Hague, Amsterdam, Lyon, Geneva, and Zurich. This monumental journey lasted from mid-1763 through late 1766. During this grand tour, the Mozarts cemented their reputation, captivating audiences that included a 14-year-old Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Frankfurt (destined to become Germany's greatest poet) and Johann van Beethoven of Bonn (whose son would later emerge as possibly the greatest musical master of all).


Travel in the 18th century was notoriously arduous, inevitably involving cold, damp lodgings, and poor food. Yet this journey exposed Mozart to diverse musical traditions that would profoundly influence his art. It was during these travels that he first encountered pipe organs, demonstrating immediate affinity with the instrument.


Their routine was methodical: arrive in a city, secure lodging (either at an inn or through acquaintances), notify local nobility of their presence, and await invitations. Depending on the city's size and musical sophistication, they might give private concerts for aristocrats or public recitals. Regardless of venue, certain feats became trademarks: performing blindfolded, improvising on original themes, and sight-reading unknown compositions, the latter particularly common at private gatherings.


Two cities particularly stood out: Paris and London, then Europe's musical capitals. The family visited Paris both coming and going, where the children performed for King Louis XV himself, and where Mozart published his first four compositions, the Violin and Harpsichord Sonatas K.6-9. During one court performance, Mozart repeated his imperial embrace, this time kissing Queen Consort Maria Leszczyńska. Their London sojourn proved equally triumphant, featuring performances for King George III, duets with Queen Charlotte, encounters with Johann Christian Bach, son of the great Johann Sebastian Bach, exposure to Handel's music, and the composition of Mozart's first symphonies, some sonatas, an aria, and a choral piece, now at ten years of age. Their return to Salzburg in December 1766 concluded this formative journey.

Youth and Studies:

The period following the grand tour was devoted to intensive study. Mozart immersed himself in counterpoint, using Johann Fux's monumental Gradus ad Parnassum as his guide. His abilities were put to a remarkable test when Archbishop Sigismund, skeptical of the young composer's talents, challenged Leopold to sequester his son for a week to compose an oratorio on an assigned theme. The result was Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots K.35, Mozart's first oratorio, 208-pages long. Shortly thereafter, he composed his first opera, Apollo et Hyacinthus.


After an unsuccessful trip to Vienna aimed at replicating their touring success and premiering an opera, father and son returned to Salzburg, where Mozart was appointed Konzertmeister, without fixed salary. Leopold then organized three Italian journeys (1769-1771) to expose Wolfgang to supreme operatic artistry. These trips proved phenomenally productive, Mozart was even knighted by Pope Clement XIV with the Order of the Golden Spur for his musical services to the Church. Among his most important mentors was counterpoint specialist Giovanni Battista Martini.


Following the old Archbishop's death and his successor's appointment, the Mozarts returned to Austria permanently. The new Archbishop conceded Mozart his right to salary, now he was in a position carrying greater responsibilities. Between 1774-1777, Mozart composed his famous violin concertos, numerous symphonies, sacred works, and chamber pieces.

Mannheim and Paris:

The new Archbishop, named Colloredo, based on his religious views, believed that music should be purely functional, he did not regard it as art or cultural expression. This frugal and simplistic view of music suffocated Mozart as an artist, from whom pieces that were overly superficial and far beneath the true limits of his imagination were demanded. Unable to constrain and degrade himself to such requirements, he tendered his resignation in 1777. The request was refused, and yet Mozart departed from Salzburg.


Accompanied by his mother, Amadeus set out for Mannheim, where he sought a permanent position that would provide good compensation and allow him to escape the control exerted by both Colloredo and his father in Salzburg. The objective was not achieved, yet the journey was not without its benefits. It was during this period in Mannheim that Mozart met and fell in love with Aloysia Weber, sister of his future wife, he was now 21 years old.


Dissatisfied with the failure in Mannheim, he and his mother left for Paris, still in search of employment. Upon arrival, they discovered an insensitive and thoroughly nationalistic court. In a letter to his father, Mozart wrote: "Here only what is French is valued." A few months after their arrival in Paris, his mother contracted typhus, an illness that, if not properly treated, inevitably leads to death.


The 18th century was completely devoid of scientific medicine, antibiotics would not emerge for another 150 years, and the treatments available at the time were as ineffective as they were harmful. She died on June 3, 1778. Devastated by the loss, Amadeus saw no other choice but to return to Salzburg and comply with his father's wishes, who blamed him for his wife's death. He accepted the position of court organist, where he remained for just over two years.

Rupture, Vienna and Tragedy:

In the year 1781, the disagreements between Mozart and Colloredo intensified one final time, which culminated in the former's expulsion from his position as court organist; and from the possibility of any position at all, it should be mentioned. Fed up with life in provincial Salzburg, he moved to Vienna; where he remained until his death, producing a substantial portion of his oeuvre and fame. Without a fixed income and without a place to stay, Mozart sought shelter in the Weber household, the family he had met in Mannheim when he fell in love with the aforementioned Aloysia Weber.


Wolfgang's arrival in Vienna coincided with the arrival of summer, which, at that time, meant that all the nobility had left the city and gone to their country residences, where they could enjoy the good weather, far from the ills of the big city. Mozart used his time wisely, approaching the few nobles interested in music who had remained, such as Countess Rumbeck, who became his student and later a renowned pianist.


Mozart's connections grew rapidly; and it wasn't long before Emperor Joseph II, son of Empress Maria Theresa, held the musician in high esteem. This connection naturally opened many doors for him. One such door opened on Christmas Eve of 1781, when the Emperor organized a duel between him and Muzio Clementi, one of the pioneers of the first repertoire dedicated to the piano and the dynamic possibilities it brought with it. A duel of titans, worthy of note. The duel, a common tradition at the time, took place at Hofburg Palace and was witnessed by distinguished members of the nobility. During the encounter, both giants improvised on themes chosen by the audience, sight-read sonata movements, and performed their own pieces. At the end of the contest, the Emperor declared a draw, emphasizing that Clementi had more technique, while Mozart had more sensitivity. Despite the latter's evident dislike for the Italian, Clementi always recognized Amadeus's greatness and later went on to edit and publish his works in England, despite considering him exceedingly arrogant.


With the end of summer and the growth of his fame, life in Vienna could truly begin. In 1782, he married Constanze Weber, Aloysia's younger sister. The marriage had a hasty beginning and faced strong opposition from Leopold; however, the couple had a happy life and two children who survived infancy: Carl Thomas and Franz Xaver. The peak of Wolfgang's musical career and his sudden decline would extend over the following years. Between 1782 and 1791, the year of his death, the composer wrote 17 piano concertos, three horn concertos, several violin sonatas, five piano trios, two piano quartets, ten string quartets, three serenades, many minuets, various dances, a significant amount of sacred music, six symphonies, multiple other pieces, and the following operas: The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte, and The Magic Flute.


In the year 1787, Leopold Mozart died at the age of 67 after months of illness. The death had a profound emotional and practical impact on Amadeus's life. Beyond the completely natural grief, there was the added loss of the one who kept his finances in order. Although financially independent, Wolfgang relied on his father for all kinds of advice and to dissuade him from his spending impulses; Amadeus was, notoriously, someone with a very costly lifestyle, especially when it came to clothing.


Affected by the loss, it wasn't long before Mozart found himself buried under debts he couldn't pay; he was then forced to move to a poorer part of the city, taking his children and wife with him, who also didn't handle money well. There were multiple attempts to recover economically, none of which produced results. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on December 5, 1791, poor and ill. The genius's death is shrouded in mysteries, ranging from conspiracies involving poisoning to diabolical commissions of pieces for his own funeral; more can be discovered in the bibliography at the end. What is known for certain is that his death was likely due to a type of inflammatory rheumatism, possibly aggravated by meningitis and other illnesses resulting from low immunity.


Despite having lived only 35 years, Mozart stands among those composers whose importance will never be forgotten, whose influence cannot be measured, and whose work will forever inspire virtue. W.A. Mozart left us more than 600 pieces, having been a genius in all the genres he set out to compose: from sacred to secular music, from symphony to opera, from sonata to quartet, from variations to fantasies, to Mozart we owe our tradition.

Essential Works:

Sonatas

The 18 piano sonatas are one of Mozart's greatest gifts to young pianists: demanding pieces, at times revolutionary and always beautiful. His contributions to the sonata form were many, the main ones being: achieving a middle ground between structure and expressiveness; and the introduction of an operatic melodiousness to the themes. Of the 18 pieces, 16 are in major keys, one of the remaining two minor ones having been written after his mother's death and the other during his years living in Vienna. They were composed by Amadeus between his 18th and 33rd years, clearly showing his development as a composer. Some of the most famous sonata movements are the third movement of Sonata No. 11 K.331, known as the Turkish March, and the first movement of Sonata No. 16 K.545, an extremely popular piece among young students.


Concertos

Following the line of the sonatas, the concertos are another great gift we received from Mozart. These were dedicated to those of us who are more experienced pianists, better versed in the art of playing. It is from this set that the modern notion of the concerto form emerges, a kind of dramatic dialogue between orchestra and soloist, a true challenge and test of virtuosity. Mozart wrote a total of 27 piano concertos. Considering that the four of these which were written during his childhood are adaptations of sonatas by contemporaries, and that No. 7 and No. 10 are respectively for three and two pianos, it can be stated that Mozart bequeathed us a total of 21 original concertos for solo piano and orchestra. The most popular concertos today are Nos. 20, 21 and 23, which are among the most recorded works in the classical repertoire.


Fantasies

In the fantasies we find a completely different side of the composer, a more sensitive Mozart, more dramatic, more romantic. Very likely, these are his most futuristic works, bringing forth various elements of the romantic movement that would emerge years later. Mozart wrote only four fantasies, and yet it would be unjust to speak of fantasies without referencing him. Being a great improviser, the fantasies carry with them a strong improvisational character and, due to the carousel of emotions they express, they raise questions regarding how Mozart's music might have developed had he reached old age. Ironically, the most famous of his fantasies, the one in D minor, was left unfinished, the last ten measures are usually attributed to August Müller, a musician and admirer of Amadeus.


Variations

Another of Mozart's pianistic revolutions occurred in the field of variations. Continuing the revolutionary milestone that was Bach's Goldberg Variations, with his variations Wolfgang not only popularized the genre but also changed its status within music, transforming them from student collections into pieces worthy of concert halls, demanding both technically and expressively. Amadeus wrote around 15 individual sets of variations and many more as parts of other works, such as the first movement of Sonata No. 11. His most famous set is the Variations on the Theme "Ah, vous dirai-je maman" K.265, a theme better known by its modern nickname: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Many of the others are based on themes from operas of the time.


Other Works

In addition to these musical colossi, Wolfgang also composed a variety of smaller pieces, ideal both for beginners and professionals interested in the classical period, among them: Minuets and Rondos.


  • Minuets: Small pieces in 3/4 time, typically composed of an initial section, followed by a contrasting section, and concluding with a recapitulation of the opening section. They possess an elegant and graceful character.


  • Rondos: These can vary substantially in size depending on the composer's intention. Their structure is characterized by a main theme that recurs, alternating with new contrasting sections.



Further Reading and References:

 
 
 

A vida sem a música seria um erro.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Crepúsculo dos Ídolos (1889)

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