Diversity Issues Explored in the Music of Mozart and Joni Mitchell - Essay Example

Diversity Issues Explored in the Music of Mozart and Joni Mitchell Introduction: One of the greatest composers ever to walk the face of earth, Wolfgang Amade Mozart, was not just a phenomenal musician but also a remarkable philosopher, who through his various life experiences created music that reflected on his thoughts and beliefs. He was a true child prodigy and ever since his birth in “1756,” Salzburg has grown to bear witness of this miracle called Mozart (440). Classical music is never complete without Mozart’s concerts as well as his operas, as he shows equal prominence and genius in both the fields. However, Mozart’s music is not merely expressive of his talent as a musician, but also his feelings towards society against its various constructs that limited as well as differentiated humans from each other. Joni Mitchell, on the other hand, was a twentieth century singer who was well ahead of her competitors, but only received acclaim for her works in the years to follow. Mitchell is also known to critic the society for its preposterous distinctions made based on various notions and prejudices held by the stronger sections of society. Diversity issues have been present in the society since time immemorial and musicians such as Mozart and Mitchell only wished to address to such issues through their music. Furthermore, even though it is not actually known if Mozart intended it, the fact remains that his listeners were inspired by his music so much to the point that it instilled in them a sense of belonging and nationality. In the case of Joni Mitchell, it does not come across as a surprise that although her lyrics were incredible and her talent was well noted, she still did not receive due credit due to gender bias. Therefore, it transpires that Mozart through his magnificent compositions, and Mitchell through her ‘factual explorations disguised as lyrics’ expressed their strong dislike against social constructs such as class, race, gender etc, and tried to communicate the message to the audience that despite such constructs, music can be enjoyed by everyone alike. Leopold Mozart, the blessed father of a child prodigy, was the “deputy music director” at the court of the “Prince-Archbishop” and he introduced his son to the world of music ever since he was a kid (439). Leopold was so concerned about his son’s musical education and honing his skills at an early age that he gave up his job at the court in order to devote all his time to young Mozart. Leopold arranges for Mozart to play in front of an audience at every chance possible, and this opens up way to fame for the child and his talent. It was in “1762” that Mozart began his first tour, guided by his father and accompanied by his sister, who herself had a good taste in music and had some compositions owned to her name (440). The tour extended to several different countries in the European continent, which included Germany, France, Italy and even England. Through this tour, Mozart gained a lot of experience as well as exposure, which expanded his horizon of music intellectual as well as inspired him to unravel his inner music expertise. Mozart himself asserted that real education and understanding of the world could only take place by getting up close with the world and gaining first-hand experience. Thus, it is evidently clear that the tour greatly influenced Mozart in his understanding of music as well as finding more channels to express his talents through. His talents were well recognized by people all over the continent, but they did not settle in believing it was truly a miracle until some scientists run certain texts on Mozart and confirmed that he was indeed a child prodigy with innate talent and not a dwarf who was highly skillful through experience. Although several critics view music as “sonic paradigms of an ideal society,” Mozart did not intend for his music to have such a profound impact on the society (). However, critics still believe that there are such hidden philosophies in Mozart’s music, although there are a lot of proponents and opponents to this same idea. Thus, it all comes down to the listener to decide for himself or herself whether Mozart actually meant for such hidden messages, or it is the critics’ beliefs and thoughts reflected through such statements. However, it is true that Mozart tried hard to fight against the social class differentiation made in the society by the upper class people. This is especially seen in his piano composition ‘Piano Concerto no. 20 in D Minor, K. 466,’ which explores the theme of class. When one analyses the composition, it is seen that there are basically three movements such as allegro, romanzi and allegro assai. There are two main themes to the composition and both are in stark contrast of each other. This can be interpreted to show the class differences which are reflected through the societal attitude of upper class people against the lower class people. There is a dark theme in the starting of the composition and there is a fast crescendo which builds up to a full at the end, but then takes a sharp turn towards a more harmonious melody with a brighter theme. Thus, it becomes clear that Mozart was showing class differences through his composition and, furthermore, trying to enlighten the minds of individuals to rise through the shackles they have been bound to by the society and to stop supporting social differentiation. Therefore, Mozart used the recognition that he received, to his advantage by using his fame as a means to reach the minds of the audience and convince them that the various norms and restrictions imposed by the society were meaningless and that those only hindered the development of human beings into more intellectual beings. Moving on from the classical era to a more modern one, that is, the twentieth century, it becomes clear that social constructs were still abundantly present. A lot of revolutions took place around the world at this time, however, despite such revolutions, societies still nurtured their beliefs regarding diversity issues and they promoted maintaining diversity differentiation among their members. It is at this same time that the first and second waves of feminist movements took place, and thus, that points to the fact that there were prejudices held against genders and differentiations made based on the sex of individuals. Joni Mitchell, a prominent singer who has in total released 17 albums, was not much appreciated during her time. The quick fame that female singers are bestowed upon now, was not in the least the case during the time Mitchell was in her prime. The Canadian singer was born in 1943 and her real name is Roberta Joan Anderson, but she is better known throughout the world by the name ‘Joni Mitchell.’ Mitchell released her fifth studio album in 1972 and it featured the song ‘For the Roses,’ which is instantly a song that criticizes the music industry as well as the society alike. It is true that her songs would have reached greater audience had she been a male, because as mentioned earlier, the seventies was a time when gender differences were kept close to heart and cherished. Through this song, Mitchell critiques the music industry for promoting songs that are built in a set pattern which appeals to the upper class people of the society. Furthermore, her lyrics “They toss around your latest golden egg/ Speculation - Well, whos to know/ If the next one in the nest will glitter for them so,” show her detestation against society for considering singers as merely puppets of the society who are casted off when their new album or song does not turn out to be of the same wavelength as that expected by the society (). For the Roses is a song which flows freely without any set construction, thus through her free flowing composition, she wants to inspire people to express themselves freely and not be constrained by the society. Therefore, Mitchell expresses her dislike against social constructs through the song, and further inspires her listeners not to fall prey to such ridiculous differentiations. Conclusion: Musicians use music as a means to not only showcase their talents, but also to communicate important messages to the listeners. Diversity issues have surfaced amidst societies since long ago, and although they are seemingly decreasing now, it cannot be said that they have fully been eradicated. However, artists through various art forms try to bring home the basic feeling that people all over the world are equal and should not be distinguished based on class, race, gender, ethnicity etc. Likewise, Mozart and Joni Mitchell have both tried relentlessly to convey to their audiences the crucial fact that they should not be influenced by such differentiations and they should rise against such discriminations so as to help people become human again. Therefore, they promote the truth that despite various diversity factors present and despite various discriminations made, music can still and will always be enjoyed by everyone no matter what class, gender, religion or nationality they belong to. Works Cited Chapter 14: The Composer’s Voice- Mozart. (n.d.). Th e Early Operas. Retrieved from http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195097627/pdf/sample_chapter_14.pdf Chapter 4: Mozart and Enlightenment. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://www.dartmouth.edu/~nedlebow/GoldenCH4.doc‎ Joni Mitchell- For The Roses. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://jonimitchell.com/music/song.cfm?id=233 Read More