Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a great Austrian composer and an outstanding representative of the Viennese classical music school. Born into a family of Salzburg court musicians, he showed great musical talent at an early age and excelled in improvisation and composition. He composed a minuet at the age of six and successfully traveled and performed in Europe. Known as the "child prodigy". In 1773, he served as court musician of the Archbishop of Salzburg. In 1781, he was dissatisfied with the severe control imposed by the bishop and resigned angrily. He came to Vienna and embarked on the difficult path of a free musician.

In 1760, Mozart began to try composing music when he was 4 years old.

In 1762, Mozart toured various European countries with his sister and father.

He arrived in London in April 1764, where he composed his first three symphonies.

In 1767, he made the opera "The Fake Sister"

In 1768, he made the opera "Baschin and Bastian".

In December 1770, the opera Mithridates, King of Pontus, premiered in Milan and caused a sensation.

In 1780, he produced the opera "Idomeneo, King of Crete", which was performed in Munich in January 1781.

In August 1782, the opera "Escape from the Harem" premiered.

In 1785, he dedicated six string quartets to Haydn. Start writing "The Marriage of Figaro".

In 1786, "The Marriage of Figaro" premiered in Vienna.

Symphony No. 38 in D major (K.504) premiered in Prague in 1787 and was greatly welcomed.

In 1787, he completed the opera "Don Giovanni", two string quintets and the "String Serenade in G major".

In May 1788, he started writing the last three symphonies, which were completed on August 10.

In the autumn of 1789, Mozart began to write the opera "Così fan tutte"

In 1791, Mozart began to write the opera "The Magic Flute" and completed it in July. It was only more than four months before he passed away.

In 1791, he adapted the opera "The Mercy of Tito" and then began to write "Requiem"

Died on December 5, 1791. His "Requiem" passed away before it was finished. As Mozart himself said, it was a "Requiem" written for himself. This swan song of life and a masterpiece "Requiem" was later composed by his students. Sussmeier finished.

He said: "God is always before my eyes. I recognize His almighty power, and I fear His wrath; but I also recognize His love, mercy and gentleness towards all creation."

The Papal Choir performed so well during Good Friday that the worshipers almost forgot to breathe during the devout praise. Among them was a young man who came to visit the Vatican and leaned forward expectantly. The music made him excited. He listened intently to the choir's performance of the much-loved annual Mass. This is a piece of music protected by papal decree. By law, the work cannot be performed anywhere else, and the only manuscript is closely guarded by the Vatican. Anyone who attempts to copy will be severely punished with immediate excommunication.

After watching the performance, the young Austrian boy returned to his study room and - from memory - wrote all the music for the exquisite and complex mass he had just heard. News of the replica quickly reached the Pope's ears, and the entire Vatican was buzzing with speculation about what was about to happen to the little boy. However, not only was he not excommunicated for his extraordinary genius, the Pope also awarded the young Wafang Amandus Mozart a special Vatican honor: the coveted "Cross of the Golden Spur".

The life of Joan Chrysostom Wolfgang Armandus Moza, who was born in Sasburg, Austria in 1756, seems to be inseparable from the term "genius child". By the age of three he was amusing himself on the keyboard.

He began formal training at the age of four, and within a year he was able to improvise a minuet. When he was six years old, his loving and ambitious father arranged his first tour, which was the prelude to many subsequent traveling concerts. Little Wolfgang performed for the nobles of the European courts who liked him.

A poster for a childhood performance of Mozart attracted many curious onlookers: "He will play the concerto on the violin; the symphony on the harpsichord - the keyboard is covered with a cloth - but it is like seeing As skilled as a piano key." "He could immediately identify any note that sounded here, whether it was singing, strings, harpsichord, or other instruments, bells, glass, clocks. Finally he would improvise to the required length, using any theme , played on the harpsichord and organ."

As he grew up, Mozart's reputation as a composer soon exceeded that of his keyboard playing. He composed a large number of works: symphonies, operas, chamber music, concertos, masses, songs, all of which seemed to flow effortlessly from the tip of his pen. He often conceives the details of his compositions in his mind and then records the notes with surprising speed. His barber even complained about how difficult it was to give Mozart a haircut: the composer kept catching inspiration and rushing to the keyboard, leaving the barber scurrying behind to catch up. When talking about his huge artistic energy, Mozart's answer was short: "Doing anything else is more tiring than composing."

Mozart's genius attracted the attention of all Europe. This led many jealous competitors to do whatever they could to damage his reputation. At the same time, this also won him many friends, the most famous of which was Haydn from Esterhertz. After listening to several of Mozart's string quartets, Haydn exclaimed to the composer's proud father: "As a noble and upright man, I assure you before God that your child is the greatest child I have ever known or heard of. Composer." These beautiful quartets were later dedicated to "Caro amico Haydn" by Mozart.

Mozart also had a keen eye for the genius of others. When a hot-tempered and unknown young musician named Beethoven insisted on performing for the famous Mozart, he made a lasting impression on the performer. He turned to the friend next to him and predicted: "Please watch him, one day he will shock the world." A few years later, Beethoven returned his praise, writing in 1826: "I have always considered myself among the most admired Mozart's group, and would remain so until the end of his life"

The spiritual life of the great Austrian composer is often overlooked. Despite some notorious depictions by several modern writers and filmmakers, his true face emerges in hundreds of preserved personal letters; in the reminiscences of those who knew him; and in serious music historiography. in the family's writings. Mozart had an unusual, multifaceted personality that bears little resemblance to the comical contemporary depictions of him.

In his short life, Mozart was always carefree and confident like a child. He loved games, dancing and masquerades. He has almost no concept of money. When a composer friend was unable to complete his assignment due to illness and jeopardized his salary, Mozart was pestered by a beggar on the streets of Vienna. With no money at hand to give alms, he took the man to a coffee house and quickly wrote a short poem. A trio of stepsets, given to him along with a letter and told to go to the publisher. The astonished gold digger soon got five shillings.

For most of his life, Mozart showed noble morality and firm faith in God. Frederick Kester, one of the composer's correspondence editors, said: "Mozart had a deeply religious nature... Mozart's relationship with God was that of a child who has total trust in his father."

Mozart’s parents were devout Catholics, and their son developed a true, personal relationship with Christ. Even after being attacked by corrupt church officials, Mozart's confidence never wavered. The most notorious example was the Archbishop of Sasburg, who despised Mozart and compromised his work until one day expelling the musician from the cathedral.

Most of Mozart's letters are light-hearted and witty. There are indeed some letters written to his young cousin that are vulgar. These are only a few exceptions, but they have been widely used by the world. Among the dozens of letters, several were written by the composer to his father. The letter describes in detail his sensitivity to spiritual things and his dependence on God. He said: "Father, do not worry, for God is always before my eyes, and I recognize His almighty power and fear His wrath; but I also recognize His love, mercy, and tenderness toward creation. He will never Abandon his own plans. If it is his will, let it be my will. Then all will be well, and all I want is peace and joy."

Referring to personal morality, Mozart. Wrote: "It is impossible for me to live like most young people. First of all, I have a strong sense of religion; secondly, I have too much love for my friends and too strong a sense of honor..." He assured his anxious father : "I'm too religious, so I would never do something that I couldn't do openly in front of the whole world." Once he canceled a trip with two musicians with a bad reputation, he said: " Friends without faith are unreliable.”

As a fourteen-year-old boy, Mozart said that he prayed every day and asked the Christians around him to pray for him. Even some of his works, such as "Mass in C Major" and "Repentance of David", became the result of his private vows with God.

Prayer was an important part of Mozart’s life. When his father expressed concern about his impending marriage, he replied that he had a special spiritual rapport with Constance, insisting: "I find myself never praying so heartily, confessing so devoutly. And fellowship, this is because God is by my side and he feels the same way.”

The Mozarts had a loving and stable marriage that was strong enough to withstand Mozart’s deliberate criticism in Vienna. The story of attacking and maliciously slandering Mozart's effeminacy has long been unbelievable. Constance, although not a bad money manager like Mozart, was a loyal assistant in his work. Many late nights, Mozart meditated on his score by candlelight, accompanied by Constance Buconstance in silence. While he was composing, he would mix his favorite drinks and entertain him with stories and jokes to help him stay awake.

In his later years, Mozart joined the "Free Franciscans" in Vienna. It is worth noting that the modern Freemasonry Program insists that Mozart "would not have been a Freeman and a Christian". Music historian Alfred Einstein even suggested that Mozart was attracted to the "Franciscans" mainly for social reasons. He wrote: "Perhaps he joined this group because the artist felt deeply lonely and urgently needed unreserved friendship."

Mozart's faith was very special, with the imprint of Roman Catholicism, and also He was deeply influenced by Protestantism, with traces of the Enlightenment thought and the liberal movement of the 16th century, but he was a true Christian. His true faith was based on his personal relationship with Christ.

In Mozart’s letters of faith, faith and praise for God can be seen everywhere, as well as concern for the spiritual life around him. “This will bring me great joy when I hear my dear father’s words. When my dear sister submits firmly and obediently to God's will, they put all their faith in God and are convinced that He will make everything happen for the best." 1777, Mozart. Looking forward to accepting an appointment from the first, Carl Theodore wrote: "Let what is coming come. As long as it is the will of God, it will not hurt. I pray for it every day." Next. year, he said of the success of a new symphony, "I prayed to God for His mercy to make everything go smoothly for His greater glory, and then I started writing this symphony."

When a friend was seriously ill, Mozart comforted his friend's mother and sister, saying: "Don't express such deep sorrow, because God's will is always good. God knows what is better. Stay in this world or go to another.

After Mozart's mother passed away, he wrote: "With God's special grace, I endured all this with determination and calmness." When her condition became increasingly critical, I only prayed for two things - to let my mother pass away happily, and to give me the strength and courage to bear this pain. In God's love and goodness, he heard my prayer and put the These two favors were poured out upon me greatly.

He demonstrated his unwavering obedience in his faith in life and death: "I believe, and nothing can convince or change, that neither man nor accident can give or take away life; that this authority Only in God. "

At the age of thirty-one, Mozart seemed to have had a premonition of the shortness of his life. His attitude at this age showed the belief of a mature Christian: "I never just lie in bed. And I thought that as a young person, I might not live to see another day, but no one who knows me would say that I am depressed or depressed. Because I thank my Creator every day for my blessings and hope from the bottom of my heart that others feel the same way. "

Just four years later, Mozart died at the age of thirty-five. His fragile health finally destroyed him when he was writing the last outstanding chapter-"Requiem" in embarrassment.

p>

When biographer Otto Jon wrote about Mozart’s Requiem, he said: “The Requiem is the most vivid expression of Mozart’s artistic nature and is an enduring and great achievement. "Mozart's contemporaries wrote: "Mozart revealed all his inner feelings in this sacred work. Who can not be moved by the fervent piety and holy joy that flowed from it? His Requiem is undoubtedly an outstanding work of modern art dedicated to Christian worship. The composer's expressive treatment of the ancient Latin text clearly reveals his unwavering belief in the "atoning Lamb of God." At one point, Mozart expressed to his wife Constance that he believed death was near, and He was writing "Requiem" for himself while enduring pain in bed. Surrounded by friends, Mozart informally rehearsed the tenor part of the unfinished work. When he sang the "Lacrimons" movement, Mozart burst into tears, and the last rehearsal came to an abrupt end. He died early on the first day, on December 5, 1791. His last movement was to imitate the drums in the Requiem.

What Mozart left to the world was not only an unparalleled musical wealth, but also a record of eighteenth-century confidence. He wrote in a letter: "Let us. Trust God completely and take comfort in the thought that all will be well if it is according to the will of the Almighty, who knows best what is best for our earthly happiness and eternal salvation. ”

Some thoughts of Mozart: Passion

It is often said that the difference between winners and losers does not lie in the number of difficulties encountered, but in the fact that the winners How many actions he took to overcome difficulties. Mozart was a practical and passionate man. His large number of works tell people that he spent thirty-five years to achieve his final success instead of resting contentedly on the laurels of his childhood.

Mozart was once a sensational child prodigy, but as he grew up he was always entangled in frustrating misfortune. Those talents that made him successful were met with sharp jealousy in the fierce competition, and some even Public efforts were made to prepare for his destruction. He never received the high-paying position he deserved. He spent the last ten years of his life fighting constant poverty, both for himself and for his beloved family. If he gave in to these difficulties, his distress would be enough to dry up the source of musical creation. However, his reflection was that on the contrary, when the pressure of improper financial management was overwhelming, Mozart would go forward and develop his talents one after another. When he saw other composers winning the hearts and minds of the public and criticizing his work, he would write something new and refreshing that would eventually eclipse all the efforts of his competitors that others might have allowed their imaginations to overshadow. Despite the difficult situation, Mozart still maintained a strong enthusiasm for work even in his declining years.

Finally, generations of people have benefited immensely from thousands of Mozart's works, all because he refused to be a slave to the changing environment. When he was given a task, he would quickly fulfill the request. . But even without any incentives, he would go on to write outstanding chapters, such as his last great symphony, which was written without anyone commissioning it or even expecting to be performed. The staggering number of his works proves that action is the best way to deal with depression. As long as he can still write, he is far from despair. His indomitable spirit was developed when he was a child prodigy. All this taught him to seek inner motivation, regardless of faults and gratitude.

Recommended works for beginners:

Orchestral music: Among the 41 symphonies, the most famous are "Symphony No. 40 in G minor" and Symphony No. 41 in C major

Chamber music: 23 string quartets, the most famous 6 "Hayden" quartets; 2 piano quartets. Horn and String Quintet in A minor.