Mozart (with CD)

Author: Zhou Huirong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a representative figure of the Vienna Classical School. Born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg to a court musician's family, he died in Vienna on December 5, 1791. Mozart showed musical talent from the age of three, began learning the piano with his father at four, composed at five, and learned the violin with his father at six. By eight, he composed a series of sonatas and symphonies, and by eleven, he wrote an opera. He lived only thirty-six years. Heavy workloads in composition, performances, and a poor life damaged his health, causing him to leave this world prematurely. His musical works became a precious legacy in the world's musical treasury.
In 1762, at the age of six, Mozart went on a trial tour to Munich, Vienna, and Pressburg with his father, achieving success. From June 1763 to March 1773, they traveled to Germany, France, England, the Netherlands, Italy, and other countries for a ten-year tour, also gaining success. These tours had a positive impact on Mozart's artistic development. He had the opportunity to encounter Europe's most advanced music at the time—Italian opera, French opera, and German instrumental music—which allowed him to become a composer with the widest range of styles in his era.
From 1774 onwards, his creative work began to mature. In 1777, during another tour, Mozart gained profound inspiration and motivation through his extensive interactions with all social strata, especially his egalitarian and harmonious exchanges with the citizens of Mannheim. This was not just an improvement in artistic appreciation but first and foremost a deep understanding of the irrationality of the feudal system. He increasingly realized that a person's value was determined by talent and morality, not by birth. At this point, the adult Mozart felt dissatisfied with his servile status. To fight for personal and creative freedom, he completely broke ties with his employer, the archbishop, and resigned in 1781, becoming Austria's first free composer with the courage and determination to resist the court and church and uphold personal dignity. That same year, he arrived in Vienna and composed the famous opera The Abduction from the Seraglio. Premiered in July 1782, it was a success.
In 1782, without his father's consent, Mozart married Constanze Weber, the daughter of a Mannheim musician. During this time, Mozart formed a deep friendship with Haydn, who was also in Vienna, and learned from him the techniques of composing quartets and symphonies. The ten years from when he became a free composer until his death were the most important creative period of Mozart's life. During this time, whether in opera or symphonies, his works showed a new style. These works reflected the determined and optimistic class consciousness of the rising bourgeoisie and expressed the typical thoughts and feelings of progressive intellectuals in Vienna. However, as an artist striving to break free from constraints and uphold his dignity, while enjoying the "freedom," he also had a more practical understanding of its hardships. Mozart began to express his sorrow, indignation, and even protest in his music, while still holding a naive and sincere hope for a better future. Opening his beautiful exterior, he burst forth with passionate intensity.
Music history calls Mozart a rare genius. Though he died young, he left behind an abundant body of work. His compositions covered almost every field of music, but his most significant achievement was in opera. He inherited the ideals of Gluck's opera reform and went even further. Unlike Gluck, Mozart believed that "poetry must submit to music." His operas had a strong musical impact, with melodies that were beautiful, natural, and deeply moving. His recitative was also highly melodic. Different types of music brought various characters and personalities to life vividly. He used the chorus as an important means of arranging dramatic conflicts and climaxes. The overtures were concise and personalized, creating a deeper intrinsic connection with the entire work. These important explorations established Mozart's immortal legacy in the history of German opera. Among them, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute were particularly outstanding.
Symphonies were also a significant part of Mozart's creative work. His most representative symphonies were his last three: in E-flat major, G minor, and C major. The Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major is bright, joyful, and full of poetry. The Symphony No. 40 in G minor is dramatic, with an optimistic Haydn-esque spirit, but completely different in technique, earning it the title of Mozart's "heroic" symphony. The Symphony No. 41 in C major (often called the Jupiter Symphony) is grand, majestic, and upward-looking, foreshadowing the heroic symphonies of Beethoven. Mozart's symphonies (especially the last three) represent the highest achievement in symphonic composition before Beethoven. His outstanding contribution lies in the contrast between themes in different movements.
Mozart's last two years were marked by financial difficulties. He once said, "My tongue has tasted death, but my creativity remains optimistic." On December 5, 1791, this great and elegant genius left this world of misfortune in Vienna's slums. His wife was seriously ill, and there was no money at home. At the age of thirty-five, Mozart was buried in a poor person's without any relatives to attend his funeral. Overgrown with weeds and washed by rain, today, countless admirers of him have no place to offer their tributes. He regretted not finishing his Requiem for the rest of his life, but now the world praises his genius, and his soul can finally rest in peace.
Overall, Mozart's creative achievements spanned all fields. They reflected the struggle of German and Austrian intellectuals, oppressed in the late 18th century, to break free from feudal absolutism and pursue a better society, as well as the ideals of light, justice, and human dignity. His musical style was sincere, delicate, popular, elegant, ethereal, and flowing, mostly filled with an optimistic spirit, reflecting the upward mentality of the rising German and Austrian bourgeoisie. In his later Viennese works, tragic and dramatic styles also emerged, reflecting deeper social contradictions.