A Closer Look Into the Works of Wolfgang A. Mozart - Essay Example

A Closer Look Into the Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "It is only through recognizing the violence and sensuality at the center of Mozart's work that we can make a start towards a comprehension of his structures and an insight into his magnificence. In a paradoxical way, Schumann's superficial characterization of the G minor Symphony can help us to see Mozart's daemon more steadily. In all of Mozart's supreme expressions of suffering and terror, there is something shockingly voluptuous." Charles Rosen Introduction Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered one of the musical genius who produced various masterpieces during the classical period. Being a prolific composer during his life, he has composed a wide array of musical masterpieces which are widely acknowledged as "pinnacles of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. These output became closely identified as parts of the standard concert repertory and are regarded as "masterpieces of the classical style (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1)." Mozart was born in the city of Salzburg to Leopold and Anna Maria Pertl Mozart. When he was about three years old, Mozart's father noticed his unique musical ability.Through his father, one of Europe's leading musical teachers that time, Mozart received his intensive musical training. His father taught him to play the clavier, violin and organ. This began the famous composers' musical career where his formative years were spent in successful journeys throughout Europe--beginning with an exhibition in 1762 at the Court of the Elector of Bavaria in Munich and another at Imperial Court in Vienna during the same year. Afterwhich a long concert tour spanning three and a half years followed, taking him with his father to the courts of Munich, Mannheim, Paris, London, The Hague, again to Paris, and back home via Zrich, Donaueschingen, and Munich. However, they went back to Vienna during 1767 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 2-6). It was in Vienna where Mozart encountered huge successes in opera. This paper will further examine the musical style utilized by Mozart in his famous compositions. As his works are generally classified as "classical masterpieces" a good starting point will be a general description of the characteristics of classical music. The next part will then tackle his works and musical style as well as Morton's characterization of the "Mozart's Musical Trademark." Social factors and other composers styles and influences which are incorporated in his works will also be examined. This report will conclude with its findings. Mozart Musical Style: Archetypal Example of Classical Style The musical style of Mozart, like that of the other Austrian composer Haydn, are considered as "archetypal example of the classical style." Accordingly, the classical period is characterized by the proliferation of music which generally has gradual and sudden contrast in mood, flexible rhythm, homophonic texture, and folkish melody. The type of music during this period can also be identified as having a more orderly and symmetric musical design compared to other eras. It should also be noted that the classical period marked the rise of amateur musicianas the the popularity of piano over the hapsichord. Accordingly, the musical style of Mozart closely paralleled the development of the classical music as a whole. This musical style was applied to his compositions which spans almost all musical genre including symphony, opera, the solo concerto, chamber music which includes string quartet and string quintet, and the piano sonata. While none of the aforementioned genre are new during his period, Mozart is regarded as having single-handedly developed and popularized the solo concerto. The composer is also famous among religious sects as he composed a great deal of religious music known as masses. His versatility as a composer also enabled him to venture into other musical forms like dances, divertimenti, serenades and other forms of light entertainment (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 23-24). Mozart's compositions greatly embody the general features of classical music. Like any other classical music, Mozart's compositions carries the clarity, symmetry, balance and transparency. This very simplistic features of his music sometimes obscures the excellence and complexity of his music. Examples of his musical compositions which embodies these simplistic characteristics amidst their delicacy are Piano Concerto in C minor, K. 491, the Symphony in G minor, K. 550, and Don Giovanni. From this, Mozart is currently known as the master of form which highlights his emphasis on symmetry and balance in his composition. It should be noted that the classical style is often regarded as a reaction to the complexities of the previous Baroque style (Grout and Palisca 402). The classical period became an era for the proliferation of composition of folk melodies. His music is also characterized by his utilization of other musical forms from the previous period. Grout and Palisca noted that "Mozart borrowed the melody of acomic aria that he had written, 'Un bacio di mano' which was inserted in Anfossi's 'Le gelosie fortunate' (The fortunate Jealousies). In the aria, Monieur Giro cautions Don Pompeo that he might feel trapped if he marries a pretty young girl. The repeated cadences in the symphony that the follow this quotation are also from the world of comic opera." During his last decades, a new innovation, the chromatic harmony, was introduced by Mozart. This innovation was very rare that time. The slow introduction to the "Dissonant" Quartet, K. 465, Mozart showed a wider understanding of his own compositional style as merely light and pleasant. Influences in Musical Style As stated above, the musical style of Mozart evolved with the development of classical music. Gifted with the capacity of immitating music that he perceives, Mozart was strongly influenced by the musical style he encountered during his lifetime. His compositions musical style was largely attributed to his exposure to different music during his various travels especially to the galant. The galant was popular in London and Italy where it is "simple, light music, with a mania for cadencing, an emphasis on tonic, dominant, and subdominant to the exclusion of other chords, symmetrical phrases, and clearly articulated structures (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 25)." Though classical music is a resistance to the previously dominant and complex Baroque style, Mozart is seen to incorporate the features of Baroque music his later compositions. A good example is the Symphony No. 29 in A Major K. 201 which uses a contrapuntal main theme in its first movement, and experimentation with irregular phrase lengths (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 26). Throughout his life Mozart switched his focus from writing instrumental music to writing operas, and back again. In his later operas, he developed the use of "subtle and slight changes of instrumentation, orchestration, and tone colour to express or highlight psychological or emotional states and dramatic shifts (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 26)." In this compositions, advances in opera and instrumental composing are seen to interact upon one another. There have been a mounting sophistication of his use of the orchestra in his symphonies and the concerti served which served as a resource in his operatic orchestration, and his developing subtlety in using the orchestra to psychological effect in his operas was reflected in his later non-operatic compositions. Mozart Musical Trademark In his online article which appeared in 2002, Morton identified a musical trademark which is present in every composition of Mozart. According to him, "Mozart often used a particular, 2-chord musical phrase in a creative and sophisticated way which may have been intended to stamp his works with a 'musical signature' or 'musical trademark'." Through this article, Morton showed that Mozart pieces contain a two-chord musical phrase or chord progression which is also regarded as an Italian sixth chord followed by a major resolution. This trademark is one of the marks of Mozart's musical sophistication. The frequent usage of the aforementioned phrase is one of the composer's "distinguishing marks." According to Morton, the 2-chord phrase always looks like this (pictorially), regardless of the actual notes used: Eb-----G---Db 1st chord (Italian 6th) D-----F#--------D 2nd chord (modified major triad) Conclusion As one of the most famous and influential composers of his period, Mozart was able to make a huge mark in international music. As a versatile and prolific composer, he produced various compositions which are generally embodies the balance, simplicity, and symmetry of the classical style. The simplistic features of his work somehow overshadows their delicacy and excellence. Though his compositions are the archetypal examples of classical music, his later compositions also make use of the features of Baroque music. Mozart's musical style was strongly influenced by the musical styles in his period. This paper also identified the "musical trademark" or "musical signature" stipulated by Morton which is a two chord musical phrase. Works Cited Grout, Donald Jay & Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. 2001. WW Norton and Company Morton, David. Identifying Mozart's Musical Trademark. 2002. 11 April 2006 Rosen, Charles. The Classical Style. 1998. WW Norton and Company Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 11 April 2006. MediaWiki. 11 April 2006 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart> Read More