Classical Music Composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Essay Example

Title: Classical Piano By: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date Classical Music Composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The invention of Classical piano has played a major role in the field of music as major musical entertainments have been made possible via the use of the piano. The invention of the classical piano has undergone serious several developments ranging from the initial one to the current one. The piano would in effect have no meaning and values if there were no composers to use them. It is for this reason that several composers saw the need to enter into the field of music to make use of the lovely instrument. The paper has subsequently identified one of the greatest classical composers and aims at bringing forth the major contributions as well as his work (Bachus 2006, p. 112). The paper identifies Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as the point of reference that will help us discuss and unearth the contributions of composers to the use and rapid changes that have been felt in the history and development of this instrument. Amadeus was born in the classical period when the earlier inventions were released in to the music industry. He was born in Salzburg on January 27 of the year 1756 and died in December 5th of 1791 in Vienna (Hinson 2003, p.111). Amadeus displayed a unique trait in the ability to understand the usage of piano. It was interesting that at the age of 4 years, it only took this great composer half an hour to learn a piece of music. This was immediately followed by having known how to play clavier at the following year. His main work as per this context began when he was only six years as Amadeus composed and wrote his first symphonies going into the onset of his eighth year. His first major contribution was seen at the court as Mozart used to travel with his father to Europe (Bachus 2006, p. 122). The public and academicians had a taste of Amadeus art in the year 1762. Through his expenditure of much time in tours between the age of seven and fifteen, Amadeus had learnt a lot of European musical idioms which led to establishment of his own unique mature style. He had an aim of finding another tittle outside his native home, and following his concentration of much time on tour, he went to Munich, Paris and Mannheim with his mother on a tour. The mother suddenly passed on in Paris during their tour and a disappointed Amadeus, could not get any promising job and return to his native home where he was employed as a court organist to the Archbishop and in 1781, he was dismissed from the archiepiscopal. This shifted Amadeus career as he embarked on music and was ranked one of the top ranking musician of the day (Bachus 2006, p. 134). This career was not paying Amadeus anything financially but he gained a lot of experience which would soon be of greater importance to his career development and hence Mozart just willingly and with no hesitation decided to become such a free-lance worker. He later moved to Vienna where he lived with a fellow family friend and subsequently married to his single wife Constanze Weber. It was here that Amadeus future was defined and took a promising turn. He started producing a lot of items and in different genres form. His masterworks were never disputed at that tender age and this made him to expound on his social networks as well as developing his reputation that continued to shape his brighter future (Hinson 2003, p.125). Many people became much interested on his arts and he could write many items including dances, serenades as well as divertimenti upon request for outdoor parties as well for the general entertainment and such items are synonymously classical to the age of elegance which is known as serenade in G major meaning a little night music. Much of Mozart work became evident in Vienna as a result of the composer being regular in the court of Emperor between 1741 and 1790. An examination of Mozart’s mature works indicated the utilization of the string quintets, the last ten strings quartets as well as Quintet for clarinet and string. Mozart is also found using the mass in C minor, the unfinished Requiem, the Clarinet Concerto, and the Serenade for 13 wind instrument. He is further seeing using the last six symphonies as well as the late piano concertos. In his works of symphonic scope and breadth, he used over 20 piano concertos which have remained classic concerto models. In 1786, Mozart composed one of the main operas called the marriage of Figaro basically for the court and this contributed greatly to the classical piano development as this operas has remain in use even today in all of the operas houses (Kaye 2005, p. 123). Through his unique endowment, he was able to manipulate his operatic comedies into living characters as well as breathing dramas. Mozart frequent visits to the court further enabled him to get librettos (operatic masterpiece) from Lorenzo da Ponte between 1749 and 1838. Another major art of Mozart that followed Figaro was specifically composed for the Prague and this masterpiece was called Don Giovanni. Figaro having successfully worked out for Mozart Don Giovanni would sell out since its way had been paved as a result of the interesting way his audience had welcomed his previous performances. Mozart stands to be remembered for the introduction of romantic era in Vienna due to the kind of performance and the composed genres he displayed. The penultimate scenes of Don Giovanni where he brings out a character being dragged unrepentant to hell, had a great intense among the audience and Mozart fans. This marked the ushering in of the romantic period in this nation and Mozart would then be associated with the introduction of the romantic era. As a result of the operatic item from Italy given to him by Lorenzo from the court, he had concentrated so much on the Italian opera buffa (Kaye 2005, p. 134). He later saw the need to move a notch higher and would soon leave for a place called Singspiel in Germany. Another great masterpiece (Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute)) was produced by Mozart in his final year of life and creatively managed to combine the lower and higher ideals that successfully worked out for him. This piece concentrated much about a successful prince who went against trials under priesthood as a result of love he had developed and as a result of search for truth. In Mozart’s song entitled, Der Vogelnfanger bin ich, he had managed to convey his message for those persons who would only put more effort looking for the earthly materials, female partners as well food and wine, this helped him brought out the vivid contrast when he composed about the young prince intention to look for love and truth despite the trials put to him under the priesthood. In Vienna, Mozart had made a great friendship with Franz Joseph Haydn who was also a great composer of the time which positively inspired Mozart as he listened to his predecessor’s masterpieces (Bachus 2006, p. 154). A series of six string quartets was composed by Mozart between 1782 and 1785 and dedicated this song to his friend, Haydn. A great comment was made to Mozart’s father by Haydn as they play some of the Mozart’s art works together. Haydn acknowledged Mozart as the greatest composer he knew both by name and personally at the time. Despite the greatest performance by Mozart, he never lived to enjoy in life. He is seen to have mismanaged his funds and became so poor that he could not provide for the family. He had only two children surviving out of the six (Kaye 2005, p. 143). Due to his financial status as well as being desperate, he is seen begging for support as he wrote several letters to his friend to assist him and was then very ill having suffered from kidney disorder. Mozart’s financial stability had just began to trickle due to the massive success of The Magic Flute but Mozart would no longer benefit from it as his death had become inevitable. Mozart’s influence to the music composing industry is traced from those composers who imitated his way of composing dated back in the 19th century (Hinson 2003, p.145). Mozart masterpieces and style of performance has influenced the neo-classical music composition as was seen in composers such as Sergei Prokofiev and Stravinsky late in the 20th century. The involvement of Amadeus in the music industry was seen as a stepping stone to many composers who followed him (Bachus 2006, p. 178). The classical piano innovation also developed very first as there was need to keep pace with the ever changing demands from the composers depending on what type of instruments they preferred. Mozart is therefore, seen as a great composer and has in several ways influenced the development of the classical piano which has in a nutshell led to the current situation of the neo-classical songs. The ushering in of the romantic era which has now become the center stage for every composer in the music industry remains attached to the Mozart as the greatest classical composer as commented by his great friend, Haydn. Reference Kaye, R. 2005. The classical method: Piano classical improvisation & compositional theory and harmony. US: Author House Hinson, M. 2003. Anthology of classical piano music: intermediate to early advanced works by 27 composers. Los Angeles, California: Alfred Music Publishing. Bachus, N. 2006. The classical Piano: The influence of society, style, and musical trends on the greatest piano composers. Los Angeles, California: Alfred Music Publishing Read More