The Greatest Composer of All Time: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Music has been around for decades and we've been able to transform it and inspire new ideas and techniques with the aid of select individuals. One of those individuals includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart displayed exceptional musical talent from a young age, and his contributions to the world of music will never go unnoticed. He is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

To begin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756. His dad, Leopold Mozart, was a well-known composer, teacher, and author of renowned violin writings. Mozart at this time was the most famous child prodigy as a keyboard performer. He won musician Johann C. Bach's admiration in London and was exposed to an extraordinary variety of musical styles and tastes throughout Europe as a young child. Mozart's popularity as a composer grew from the age of ten to seventeen and had a degree of maturity older musicians didn’t. From 1766 to 1769 he wrote instrumental works and music for schools in German and Latin while in Salzburg. In 1768 he created his first true operas: the German Singspiel and Bastien Und Bastienne. Despite his growing fame, Mozart's father relocated him to Italy at the age of fourteen to try and make his career as an opera composer. Mozart was well embraced in Italy: he was commissioned for an opera in Milan, Italy. While in Rome, the Pope made him a member of an honorable knightly order. In Bologna, Italy, he was granted membership by the Accademia Filarmonica under a law that usually required applicants to be twenty years old. He produced his first big opera seria(serious opera), the Mitridate, Ascanio in Alba, and Lucio Silla, along with his first string quartets. These were created during his years of traveling in Italy and going back to Salzburg between trips. After Italy, Mozart went to Paris but things did go well for him there, and even experienced losing his mother. It wasn’t until he moved to Vienna that his music career truly developed.

Furthermore, Mozart’s last ten years of life were his most recognized. He spent his remaining years in Vienna and graced the world of music with his last six symphonies and string quartets. In this short period, Mozart made some of the greatest musical developments in the history of music. Mozart’s music from this time shows techniques and methods that many other composers had difficulty practicing. His music expressed many different styles and types. He would blend traditional and contemporary aspects of music and create his own musical sound. His music lives on to this day because of its use of melodic, rhythmic, and dynamic contrast. His last three and most noted symphonies, which he wrote in six weeks during the summer of 1788 are no. 39 in E-flat Major, no. 40 in G Minor, and no. 41 in C Major also known as The Jupiter titled after his death. As far as Quartets go, in 1785, Mozart published six Quartets(K. 387, 421, 428, 458, 464, and 465) later adding the single Hoffmietser Quartet(K. 499). In 1789 he wrote his last three Quartets(K. 575, 589, and 590). These string Quartets outshined any he did before 1780. Mozart’s musical talents and contribution also helped change and inspire the Opera. At this time, Mozart favored the Italian Opera and created these famous pieces; The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte. These are only a few of over twenty he made in the span of thirty-five years. His new techniques in Opera took it to a whole new level, with more musical sophistication and emotional depth. Mozart’s last project was the Requiem. It was commissioned by an unknown source and it is said that Mozart became ill and started to believe the piece was for him. He managed to finish the first two movements but the last three were incomplete, but later finished by his pupil.

Finally, I will analyze two of Mozart’s famous pieces, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor and Rondo Alla Turca, also known as the Turkish Dance. Symphony No. 40 is quite lengthy so I will only be analyzing the first movement, Molto allegro. It has quadruple time and has a homophonic texture. The beginning of this piece starts with its exposition. A theme, which I’ll call theme 1 plays. Theme 1 repeats and a variation of it, that I’ll call theme 2 comes to play with louder dynamics and changes to major instead of minor. The theme then calms and I’ll call that theme 3. In theme 3, orchestral strings and woodwinds are featured. As the exposition comes to an end, a theme similar to the opening theme(theme 1) is played but in a new key, interpreting a new mood. The exposition then repeats all the themes again. After this, the piece goes into the development of the sonata. In the development, Mozart practices theme and variation. Theme 1 is fragmented and has a dissonant harmony, very different from what you in the beginning. Theme 1 continues to be fragmented and transformed, while the woodwinds and strings play off of each other. As the development comes to an end, it leads into the recapitulation. As the sonata goes into the recapitulation, you hear theme 1 in the minor mode again. There are slight alterations in the orchestra, such as an added bassoon part. Theme 2 is altered as well, now in a minor harmony. Theme 3 and the last theme are played the same as the exposition but in G minor. Now I will analyze the second piece, Rondo Alla Turca, the third movement. This piece is in 2/4 meter or duple time and has a homophonic texture. Rondo Alla Turca begins with theme A, which has a conjunct and wavelike melody. The first phrase is repeated again. Phrase 2 in theme A is the same, but changes to A minor in the last few measures. The 3rd phrase is the same as the first but has a more recognizable ending. After this, the piece moves into Theme B and is in A major now. The dynamics shift into forte and you hear a more disjunct melody as the notes leap. Moving into theme C, you hear similarities from Theme A, but in F minor. The 2nd phrase of Theme C is played in A major with a different melody that is conjunct and wavelike. Phrase 3 in Theme C is similar to phrase 1, but with a more conclusive ending, just like in Theme A. Theme B is then repeated, followed by Theme A, and theme B again but with an altered melody. This melody contains even bigger leaps, creating a disjunct melody. The piece leads into the ending with a variation of theme B and the dynamics shift to piano creating a soft sound. The softness creates a contrast for the big finish.

In conclusion, Mozart dedicated his life to music and inspired many new ideas and techniques for future musicians. His music capabilities were significant at a young age and only grew as he got older. In his short 35 years of life, he managed to create twenty-four operas, seventeen masses, and over fifty symphonies. Mozarts’ name and music will continue to be remembered for its extraordinary contributions.