Mozart, W. A.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756～1791)
Austrian composer, representative of the Vienna classical music school. Born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756 and died in Vienna on December 5, 1791.
Life Mozart was born in the family of a court musician. His musical talent began to show at the age of 3. He learned piano from his father at the age of 4, composed music at the age of 5, and learned violin from his father at the age of 6. He composed a number of sonatas and symphonies at the age of 8, and wrote his first opera at the age of 11. He only lived 36 years old. The heavy creation, performance and poor life damaged his health and caused him to pass away prematurely. His musical works have become precious heritage in the world's music treasure house.
Boyhood (1762-1773) In 1762, the 6-year-old Mozart went on an experimental tour to Munich, Vienna, and Pressburg under the leadership of his father, and achieved success. From June 1763 to March 1773, they went to Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries for a 10-year tour and performance, all of which were successful. These traveling performances had a positive impact on Mozart's artistic development. He had the opportunity to come into contact with the most advanced contemporary music art in Europe - Italian opera, French opera, and German instrumental music. He also met composers J.C. Bach, G.B. Martini, G.B. Sammartini, etc., and learned composition techniques from them. This enabled him to become one of the most versatile composers of his time. On the one hand, the young Mozart was infected with the fashion etiquette and gorgeous artistic style of the aristocratic upper class during his traveling performances. On the other hand, because of his low status as a citizen musician, he also developed a character of being arrogant and contemptuous of the powerful. And the heavy performance tasks of a commercial nature destroyed his health.
During this period, Mozart published 6 sonatas for Harpsicord and violin (or flute) in London, and wrote 3 symphonies and the operas "Hypocritical Kindness" (1768), " Bastian and Bastina" (1768), "King Mithridates of Pontus" (1770), "Luzio Silas" (1772) and other works. Some works reflect his influence by J.C. Bach. The works of this period have shown the breadth of Mozart's creative genres and his interest in opera creation.
Mature period (1774-1781) At the end of 1773, Mozart returned to Salzburg. Under the guidance of his father, he made up for the interrupted study of music and culture, and at the same time made use of the knowledge and materials gained during the trip. , created a large number of works. Including the operas "The False Gardener" (1775) and "The Shepherd King" (1775).
Mozart, who was already an adult at this time, was dissatisfied with his humble slave status. In order to fight for personal and creative freedom, after a fierce struggle, he finally obtained the archbishop's consent in September 1777, and continued to travel and perform with his mother for two years. In order to find another position and leave Salzburg forever, he taught and performed in Munich and Mannheim, further deepening his understanding and experience of the unequal system. While in Mannheim, he received help and sympathy from some citizen musicians, and came into contact with the important Mannheim School of Music in Europe at that time, and heard the performance of the first-class orchestra. In May 1778, he returned to Paris. Due to his mother's death and his failure to find a position, he had to return to Salzburg in January 1779.
During this period, Mozart composed 2 flute concertos, 1 oboe concerto, 7 piano and violin sonatas, and 3 piano sonatas in Mannheim. These works reflect the influence of the Mannheim School. In Paris, he also wrote the "Paris" Symphony, symphony concerto, orchestral overture, flute and harp concerto, flute string quartet, 4 piano variations, 4 piano sonatas, etc. When he passed through Mannheim for the second time, he wrote some religious music: three symphonies, a symphony concerto for violin and viola, a serenade, a diversion, a concerto for two pianos, and three organ concertos. In 1780, he completed the creation of the opera "Idomeneo".
The content of Mozart’s works during this period reflected the influence of the Turbulent Movement at that time, and new elements appeared in form, such as the presentation of the first movement of the Sonata form. The second (or more) themes compared to the first theme often change the order of the themes in the recapitulation, and sometimes the theme materials are treated differently from the presentation. Between the 1st and 2nd movements, With strong intensity contrast and so on. These techniques enhanced the drama of his musical works and further formed the classical sonata form.
In the Vienna Period (1781-1791), Mozart could no longer bear the insult from the archbishop, so he resolutely resigned to the archbishop and went to Vienna to make a living. He was the first composer in Austrian history who had the courage and determination to get rid of the court and the church and maintain his personal dignity. But in the future, although he was nominally a free composer, in fact he was still unable to resist the oppression of feudal society. The hardships of life had a profound impact on his thinking and creation. The 10 years in Vienna became the most important 10 years in his creation. In 1781, after he broke with the archbishop, he wrote the famous opera "The Seraglio". The play premiered in July 1782 and was a great success. In 1782, he married Constance Weber, the daughter of a Mannheim musician, without his father's consent. Mozart formed a deep friendship with J. Haydn, who was in Vienna at the time. He learned from Haydn his experience in quartet and symphony composition, and wrote 6 string quartets as gifts to Haydn. In 1784, he participated in the "Freemasonry" and was a member of the Eighth Branch in Vienna. He enthusiastically participated in the activities of this secret religious group with bourgeois enlightenment ideas. He had a strong resonance with the ideas of freedom, equality and fraternity it preached, and he wrote this book inspired by this idea. Many works.
In 1785, the once-defunct Vienna National Theater was restored, and Mozart had the opportunity to engage in opera creation. He wrote a farce "Theatre Manager" (performed in 1786). "The Marriage of Figaro" was completed and staged in 1786. The play had a great influence and even became a household name in Prague. In 1787 "Don Juan" was completed and performed.
In Vienna, Mozart discovered the works of J.S. Bach. He conducted in-depth study and research on Bach's polyphonic techniques. This had an important influence on his later creations.
In April 1789, Mozart, who was in poverty, was led by his student Duke Karl Lichnovsky to perform in Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and other places. Although it was a sensation, it failed to relieve his financial difficulties. In January 1790, his opera Così fan tutte was performed. In February, the emperor died. Mozart asked the successor emperor Leopold II to take over the position of court music director L. Hoffmann. He was agreed, but it did not happen. In 1791, he wrote the opera "Tito's Mercy", which was unsuccessful. In September of the same year, he wrote his last opera "The Magic Flute" and wrote a large-scale religious music work "Memento" while he was seriously ill. He failed to complete it and passed away. After his death, he was buried in an unknown place in the Vienna Pauper Cemetery.
Creation Mozart wrote a large number of musical works in his short life, covering various genres and forms, and left many immortal masterpieces.
Opera Mozart’s main creative field is opera. In his 36 years of life, he was engaged in opera creation for 25 years and wrote more than 20 operas. Among them, "The Marriage of Figaro", "Don Juan" and "The Magic Flute" are the most representative.
"The Marriage of Figaro" is based on P.A.C. de Beaumarchais's play, which was banned in Austria at the time. The opera libretto was adapted by Italian poet L. da Ponte and premiered in 1786. Although the adapted script weakened the original play's criticism of feudal society and added lyrical description, it still retained the critical spirit of the original work and exposed and satirized the hypocrisy and extravagant life of the feudal aristocrats represented by the count, praising the It reflects the integrity, resourcefulness and bravery of the "third estate" people represented by Figaro and Susanna, and expresses the optimistic spirit of victory in the struggle against feudalism. The main contribution of Mozart's opera is that it did not follow the comic exaggeration and vaudeville techniques of the Italian fun operas that were popular at the time, but focused on depicting the character's personality and psychological characterization, enhancing the lyricism of the opera, and in the drama The duet singing skills and expressiveness were brought into full play.
The script of "Don Juan" was also adapted from Da Pontet. First performed in 1787.
It is based on a famous Spanish folklore. At that time, various versions of the legend were widely circulated in European countries, and there were dramas, operas, ballets and other art forms. Mozart and da Ponte chose G. Bertati's opera script "The Stone Guest" (Italian composition (composed by G. Gazzaniga), which has made major changes in plot and characters. Through the contradictory character of the noble Don Juan and his despicable consequences for deceiving and harming women, the corrupt life of the feudal aristocracy is exposed, while at the same time affirming the protagonist's contempt for feudal ethics and pursuit of happiness. This is an opera with ethical significance, reflecting the interest and concern of the German and Austrian intellectual circles in moral and ethical issues since the late 1880s. It is an important work of Mozart's development of operatic drama based on Italian fun operas. When dealing with the music of this opera, Mozart strengthened the psychological portrayal of the characters, making the characters more complex and real. At the same time, he used dramatic chorus to enhance the conflicts of the opera.
The Magic Flute was the last opera written and performed by Mozart a few months before his death in 1791. The libretto was proposed and written by Mozart's old friend E. Schikaneder, the manager of a small theater who was enthusiastic about German national opera. The opera is based on Wieland's myth "Lulu". Through the story of the protagonist's arduous struggle to pursue his ideals and his final victory, it eulogizes the idea that light will surely defeat darkness. The ideas reflected in this opera are closely related to Mozart's pursuit of Enlightenment and the "Franciscan" ideals of freedom, equality, and fraternity. Several of the main characters may be metaphors for characters in the social reality of that time. For example, the high priest Sarastro reminds people of Born, the head of the Franciscans and Mozart's friend who died not long ago. Mozart adopted a typical Protestant hymn-style music shaping, giving his music a solemn and sublime nature; the villainous Queen of the Night may be an allusion to Maria Theresa (who suppressed the Franciscans during her reign) ), this role needs to be played by a highly skilled coloratura soprano, whose musical performance is difficult and has no inner emotions. The hero of the play, Prince Tamino, may be a metaphor for Joseph II who sympathized with the Franciscans. The music is beautiful and moving, using lyrical arias from the opera. Pamina is a symbol of the noble spirit of the people. The music is very beautiful. The half-human, half-bird fantasy character Papageno and his wife are the incarnations of the working people. Their music has a distinct German-Austrian folk style. This opera is a representative work of Mozart's development of the German national fairy tale opera on the basis of German and Austrian operas and mythological dramas. It marked the end of the development of German and Austrian operettas in the 18th century and laid the foundation for the later emergence of German romantic opera. laid the foundation and became the pioneer of the latter.
Symphony Mozart wrote about 50 symphonies during his lifetime, 41 of which are numbered and can be divided into several groups like other instrumental works. Most of the symphonies were written in the early years under the influence of various musical styles, and therefore bear traces of imitating different styles. Among them, we can see the influence of J.C. Bach, G.C. Wagensel, M.G. Moen, especially Haydn and the Mannheim School represented by J. Stamitz.
There are 7 of Mozart’s most representative symphonies. Among them, "Symphony No. 31" ("Paris") was composed for the Paris Symphony Orchestra, one of the most outstanding symphony orchestras in Europe at the time. It has Parisian music style and rich sound. "Symphony No. 35" ("Haffner") is actually a serenade. "Symphony No. 38" ("Prague") is often called "a symphony without a minuet". It has only three movements and no more A stylistic imitation of an Italian symphony, but an authentic Viennese symphony, "Symphony No. 36" ("Linz") reflects Mozart's influence on Haydn's symphony creation.
Mozart’s last three symphonies—the E-flat major, G minor and C major symphonies—are his best symphonic works. They were all written within six weeks from June to August 1788. People usually classify them into a group, but each of the three has its own characteristics: "Symphony No. 39" in E flat major is bright and cheerful, full of poetry; "Symphony No. 40" in G minor is dramatic , has Haydn-like optimism, but is completely different from Haydn in technique. It is called Mozart's "heroic" symphony; "Symphony No. 41" in C major (often called "Jupiter") 》) Magnificent, heroic and optimistic, it foreshadows the emergence of L.van Beethoven's Eroica Symphony.
Mozart’s symphonies (especially the last three) are the highest achievement of all symphonies created before Beethoven. His outstanding contribution lies in his emphasis on contrast between movements and between themes within movements.
Concerto is one of the genres in which Mozart made the most outstanding contribution to music creation besides opera. He wrote more than 50 concertos for various solo instruments and orchestras throughout his life. Based on the Baroque concertos, these works established the structural principles of the 18th-century classical concerto: a contrasting and juxtaposed suite structure of three movements (the first movement is a sonata form, the second movement is a lyrical movement similar to an aria form, and the second movement is a lyrical movement similar to an aria form. 3. The movement has a dance or popular character); there are double exposition parts, and the solo instrument has a technical cadenza, etc. At the same time, it strengthens the status of the solo instrument and emphasizes its musical character that is different from the concerto band. Due to these achievements of Mozart, the concerto no longer expresses one-sided technique, but has the same profound meaning as the symphony. Mozart became the founder of the modern concerto form.
Among Mozart’s concertos, the piano concerto occupies a prominent position. *** wrote 27 works, among which the representative works include D minor, C minor, A major, etc. In addition, there are 7 violin concertos, among which 3 in G major, A major, and D major are more prominent. In terms of wind concertos, the Clarinet Concerto in A major is also outstanding. The others are 4 horn concertos, 1 "Flute and Harp Concerto", etc.
Sonata Suites Mozart wrote 17 piano sonatas, 6 violin sonatas and 35 piano and violin sonatas. He made a certain contribution to the development of classical sonata suites and established the three movements of the Vienna Classical School. Sonata suite form. In the piano sonatas, he completed the transition from hapsicord style to piano style. In his piano sonatas in the 1980s, the effect and range of the piano have been brought into full play, such as "Piano Sonata in A major" (1783), "Sonata in C minor" (1785), etc. The former embodies the customary characteristics of his life, and the latter shows sharp contrast juxtaposition and dramatic power, foreshadowing the birth of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Mozart's piano and violin sonatas were gradually liberated from the influence of Italian A. Corelli, G.B. Sammartini and others, and formed their own independent style. Since 1778, Mozart has placed piano and violin in equal importance, such as E flat major (1781), B flat major (1784), E flat major (1785), A major ( 1787) and several other capitals were more successful.
Chamber music Among the 23 string quartets written by Mozart, the best are the 6 dedicated to Haydn (1773). They reflect Mozart’s thoughts and style from different aspects-sincere and cordial , bright and cheerful personality and optimistic mental state. Unlike Haydn and Beethoven, Mozart's genius was not expressed in quartets, but in quintets. The most prominent among them are the "String Quintet in C major" (1787) and the "String Quintet in G minor" (1787). The former is innovative in terms of musical structure and theme processing, while the latter is a tragic work that reflects the author's considerations and thinking about social reality. In addition, the Clarinet Quintet in A major and several viola quintets are also known as his masterpieces.
Religious music Due to his position, religious music occupies a large part of Mozart's works. Among them, "Memorial Song" composed before his death is the most representative. This work infuses the author's deep feelings about the entire life, expressing the pain of exploitation, humiliation, and poverty he suffered as a citizen musician throughout his life, as well as his unswerving pursuit and yearning for bright joy. Mozart wrote most of the music, and the rest was completed faithfully according to his plan and style by his student F.
In addition to the above-mentioned genres, Mozart also wrote a large number of diversions, serenades, dances, etc. In these folk works, Mozart adopted elements of folk music. Reflecting his connection with folk music, most of them are lighthearted and lively. Among them, "String Serenade in G major" has a greater influence. It not only contains fresh, lively emotions, but also has broad and simple lyricism.
In general, Mozart’s creative achievements cover all fields of music.
They reflect the pursuit of a better society and bright and just human dignity by the oppressed German and Austrian intellectuals at the end of the 18th century to get rid of the fetters of feudal despotism. His music style is characterized by sincerity, delicacy, popular elegance, lightness and fluency. Most of it is full of optimism, reflecting the optimistic and uplifting mental state of the German and Austrian bourgeoisie in the rising period; in his later creations in Vienna, he also A tragic and dramatic style emerged, and the reflection of social contradictions became more profound.
After Mozart's death, his remains were buried in St. Marks Cemetery. Address: St. Marx Friedhof, Leberstrasse 6-8, 1110 Wien.
His tombstone was moved from St. Marx Cemetery to No. 55 in Celebrity Cemetery 32A of the Central Cemetery in 1891. A marble monument to Mozart was created in 1896. Today this The statue is located in the castle garden and is a popular place for tourists to visit.