Monday, January 27, 2014

Composer of the month January 2014

COMPOSER OF THE MONTH:


WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART 

Today is his 258th Birthday! 

Fair warning: This will be one of my longer spiels.

A painting of Mozart that I saw at the Mozarts Geburtshaus in Salzburg


Born: Salzburg, 27 January 1756
Died: Vienna, 5 December 1791


Biography (Not focusing too much on his music)

Mozart showed musical talent extremely early, composing when he was five and playing before the Bavarian elector and the Austrian princess at six. Wolfgang's father, Leopold, thought it would be proper to show off his son's talent (along with Wolfgang's sister Nannerl, who played the keyboard), so in mid-1763 the whole family set out on a tour to London and Paris. Mozart played before British and French royalty and began composing symphonies. The family returned to their Salzburg home in 1766 and set off to Vienna nine months later. 

Some photos of Mozarts Geburtshaus and the street in front of it


The family stayed in Salzburg until 1769, when they embarked on the first of three trips to Italy. In the summer of 1773, Wolfgang headed back to Vienna in the hopes of getting a post. He came back to Salzburg and became the Konzertmeister at the Prince Archbishop's court in Salzburg. In late 1777, the Mozart family, seeing limited opportunity in Salzburg for such a gifted musician, decided to seek a post elsewhere for Wolfgang. They went to Munich and Mannheim but came back empty-handed. His father sent him to Paris, where he had minor success, but in 1778 Leopold ordered his son home because a superior post had opened in Salzburg. 

One of four original keyboards that Mozart used

Mozart stayed in Salzburg from 1779-1780 and played in the cathedral, performed at the court, and wrote sacred works, symphonies, concertos, serenades, and dramatic music. Despite all this, opera still remained at the center of Mozart's ambitions, and an opportunity came in 1780 when Mozart was called to write a serious opera in Munich called "Idomeneo."

Salzburg Cathedral where Mozart was baptized and perhaps played

Mozart was then summoned from Munich to Vienna, where the Salzburg court was in residence on the accession of a new emperor. Mozart eventually got sick of his employer (the Prince Archbishop) because he wouldn't let Mozart perform at events the emperor attended. There was some conflict, and as a result Mozart resigned from (and was simultaneously kicked out of) his job in 1781. Mozart wanted a post in the Imperial Court, but was content with freelance work in Vienna--a city with golden opportunities. He made his living by teaching, publishing his music, playing privately and publicly, and composing by commission (usually operas). In 1782 he married Constanze Weber; in 1787 he obtained the post of "Kammermusicus," which gave him a reasonable salary and required only dance music for court balls. 

Facsimile of the autograph score of "Die Entführung aus dem Serail"

In his early years in Vienna, Mozart built up his reputation by publishing music, playing piano, and, in 1782, writing an opera. This opera, "Die Entführung aus dem Serail," was a German Singspiel which went far beyond the usual limits of the tradition with its long, elaborate songs (hence Emperor Joseph II's famous observation, "Too many notes, my dear Mozart"). The work was a success and was taken into the repertories of many provincial companies (for which Mozart was never paid). In these years, Mozart wrote six string quartets dedicated to Haydn. Haydn told Mozart's father that Mozart was "the greatest composer known to me in person or by name; he has taste and, what is more, the greatest knowledge of composition."

In 1782 Mozart started writing piano concertos, and he appeared as both composer and soloist. He wrote 15 before the end of 1786, with early 1784 as the peak of activity. They represent one of his greatest achievements, with their formal mastery, their subtle relationships between piano and orchestra, and their combination of brilliance, lyricism, and symphonic growth. In 1786 he wrote "Le nozze di Figaro," the first of his three comic operas with Lorenzo da Ponte as librettist. The opera premiered at the Burgtheater that year. 

The old Burgtheater (on the right)

In 1787, Mozart became composer of the Imperial and Royal Chamber with an annual salary of 800 florins. His father, Leopold, died on May 28th of that same year. Mozart lived in Vienna for the rest of his life, traveling a few times for performances. In 1787 he premiered Don Giovanni at the Estates Theater in Prague. He went to Berlin in 1789 in hopes of a post and to Frankfurt in 1790 to play at coronation celebrations. His last journey to Prague was in 1791, when he went to premiere "La Clemenza di Tito," a traditional opera seria written for the coronation of Leopold II as the King of Bohemia, but composed with a finesse and economy characteristic of Mozart's late music. Later that month (30 September, 1791), Mozart went back to Vienna and premiered "Die Zauberflöte" at the suburban "Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden." Mozart himself conducted, his sister-in-law Josepha Hofer sang the role of the Queen of the Night, and his librettist and good friend Emanuel Schikaneder played the role of Papageno.

Mozart's later works include a few string quartets, a set of cadenzas for his piano concertos, his famous clarinet concerto in A major, and his unfinished requiem. Mozart died in Vienna at 12:55 A.M. on December 5th, 1791. 
Edited from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/education/mozart.html




The Estates Theater (Ständetheater) in Prague, where Don Giovanni and La Clemenza di Tito were premiered. Many scenes from the movie "Amadeus" were filmed in this opera house--The scenes where Mozart conducts Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Don Giovanni, and Salieri conducts Axur re d'Ormus. 




Selected Works 

Here is a list of my favorite works by Mozart. Sheet music and youtube links are included! This list is in no particular order.


Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466

This piece has recently caught my attention--I find that the whole concerto is extremely emotional. Mozart gives us despair, longing, fiery anger, and lightheartedness (but not jubilation) all in one piece. The Beethoven cadenza is very emotional, and at some places you can really feel Beethoven crying through the piano.

Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216

This was the first Mozart concerto I got to tackle. Unlike the 4th concerto, No. 3 isn't very showy, but is intimate, graceful, and light. The first movement is a happy discussion between the soloist and the orchestra, and the opening theme was borrowed from an aria in Mozart's opera "Il ré pastore" (which, by the way, is a beautiful work and is linked below). The second movement is sublime. I usually dislike playing slow music, but I just HAD to play this movement! It is tranquil and intimate, but still very lyrical. I haven't had much work with the third movement, and I personally find it quite obnoxious; it seems to reflect Mozart's humorous character. 

Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218 

This concerto is definitely my favorite. It's showy, grand, and VERY classical. I find the first movement of this concerto to be much more demanding, but more lyrical than that of No. 3. It has its hard/annoying runs and trills, but is still an amazing concerto with operatic melodies. The second movement is not as famous as that of No. 3, but it's still a gem. I haven't worked on the third movement in depth yet, and I find it obnoxious as well.

Link to youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3tK0836A8c

Link to the sheet music:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_No.4_in_D_major,_K.218_(Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus)



Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola, and orchestra in E flat major, K. 364

I'm only familiar with the first movement of this piece, so I won't go into much detail on the other movements. This piece is the perfect cross between symphony and concerto. It has the most beautiful melodies--my two favorites are linked below. The viola principale part is very peculiar in that it is written in D major and uses the Scordatura technique--this means that the viola has to be tuned a semitone sharper. This technique, although not used on modern violas, gives the viola a brighter sound. This Symphonie Concertante style was popular in Paris when Mozart visited in the late 1770's, and Mozart came back with the impetus for at least two, maybe even four of these pieces.

Link to youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2hsI9UCRX0

Links to my favorite parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=l2hsI9UCRX0#t=52
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=l2hsI9UCRX0#t=248

Link to the sheet music:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Sinfonia_concertante_in_E-flat_major,_K.364/320d_(Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus)

Link to the scordatura viola part:
http://americanviolasociety.org/files/2012/09/Mozart-Sinfonia-Concertante-Extended-Scordatura.pdf



"O Zittre Nicht" from "Die Zauberflöte," K. 620 

I personally prefer this aria over "Der Hölle Rache" because, well, I find it more fun. I noticed that a lot of Mozart soprano arias have a slow-fast format, and the context of this aria makes it fit perfectly. In the slow section, the queen is lamenting over her abducted daughter, and in the fast section, she tells Tamino to go and rescue her daughter Pamina. This aria is challenging because of all of its runs, scales, and high notes. I recently made an arrangement of this aria for 2 flutes, 1 violin, and 1 cello--if anyone is interested, please comment!

Link to youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov1hRqPnm58

Links to the sheet music:
     Two versions are available
             1) Mozart's manuscript: 

             2) A later edition: 



Ein Musikalischer Spaß/A Musical Joke, K. 522

This piece is just straight up weird. Mozart made fun of his incompetent contemporaries by using clumsy, mechanical, and over-repetitive composition. There is asymmetrical phrasing (phrases aren't four bars) in the beginning of the first movement, discords in the horns (which satirizes the incompetence of the copyist or the hornist grabbing the wrong crook), the use of a whole tone scale  

in the violinist's high register (probably to imitate the player's floundering at the high positions), and worst of all, polytonality at the end of the last movement. It is quite painful to listen to. This is not the kind of piece you want to listen to on a regular basis. 

Polytonality at the end

Link to youtube: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFPoRmsiFzc
Link to sheet music: 
http://imslp.org/wiki/Ein_musikalischer_Spa%C3%9F,_K.522_(Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus)




Mozart Interesting Facts

Cool Mozart day by day calendar:
  • Mozart wrote over 600 works during his lifetime, including 41 symphonies and 27 piano concertos--it would take over 8 days to play all of his works, one after the other, without breaks.
  • Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Walter Scott were all alive during the time of Mozart
  • Mozart learned to speak 15 different languages
  • While visiting the Vatican, Mozart heard Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere performed in the Sistine Chapel. He was able to write out the entire score from memory. Previously, the music had not been reproduced outside the Vatican.
  • Mozart's full name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophillus Amadeus Gottlieb Sigismundus Mozart. Theophillus, Amadeus, Gottlieb, and Sigismundus all meant "beloved of God," just in different languages.
  • Mozart could write music before he could write words.
  • Legend has it that at age 2, Mozart identified a pig’s squeal as G sharp
  • He Hated Loud Noises
That Mozart had finely-tuned ears should surprise no one. They were, however, apparently so sensitive that loud noises bothered the composer from a very early age. The blast of a trumpet, for example, often brought tears to his eyes. (He exhibited similar discomfort on a visit to the Tower of London, when he heard lions roaring.) For the cacophony to come from a single trumpet was bad enough, but to add a second or a third -- because those instruments didn't synch nearly as well with one other as did, say, violins -- was to Mozart like drawing one's fingernails across a chalk board. Like any loving father, Leopold Mozart was concerned for his son and at one point even asked a friend, Johann Schactner, to follow Wolfgang around and let out a blare of the trumpet occasionally in hopes that it would cure the boy. Schactner's efforts, however, only made matters worse. The surprise blasts would send young Mozart into a convulsive-like state, so Leopold had to abandon that strategy. Fortunately, by the time Mozart was eleven he had outgrown much of his fear and could take the trumpet-playing in stride.

  • The only surviving opera house that Mozart actually conducted in is the Estates Theater in Prague. It was used in the filming of the movie Amadeus (1984) and can be seen in this scene from the movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uaLaFNzwgc





















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