Around The World (27)

Hello, Around the Worldmusic is still in classic mode and today the focus is on Mozart a megastar from the past, seriously his life was short and not that sweet , but he worked till he dropped dead, a drive that fitted his genius...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born 27 jan 1756, to Leopold and Anna Maria Pertl Mozart in Salzburg, in what is now Austria, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. His only sibling who survived past birth was his sister Maria Anna (Nannerl). Mozart's father Leopold Mozart (1719–1787) was deputy Kapellmeister to the court orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg and an experienced teacher. When Nannerl was seven, Leopold began giving her keyboard lessons. The three-year old Mozart looked on, evidently with fascination at fourt his father, playfully, began to teach him a few minuets and pieces at the clavier. ... Wolfgang could play it faultlessly and with the greatest delicacy, and keeping exactly in time. ... At the age of five he was already composing little pieces, which he played to his father who wrote them down." Among them were the Andante (K. 1a) and Allegro in C (K. 1b).
Leopold was a very devoted teacher to his children, he taught them languages and academic subjects as well as music. During Mozart's formative years, his family made several European journeys in which the children were exhibited as child prodigies. A long concert tour spanning three and a half years followed, taking the family to the courts of Munich, Mannheim, Paris, London, The Hague, again to Paris, and back home via Zürich, Donaueschingen, and Munich. During this trip Mozart met a great number of musicians and acquainted himself with the works of other composers. A particularly important influence was Johann Christian Bach, who met Mozart in London in 1764–65.

Following his final return with his father from his third successful trip to Italy (13 March 1773), Mozart was employed as a court musician by the ruler of Salzburg Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. Mozart was a "favorite son" in Salzburg, where he had a great number of friends and admirers,[13] and he had the opportunity to compose in many genres, including symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, serenades, and the occasional opera. Despite these artistic successes, Mozart gradually grew more discontented with Salzburg and made increasingly strenuous efforts to find a position elsewhere. The reason seems to be in part his low salary, 150 florins per year. In addition, Mozart longed to compose operas, and Salzburg provided at best rare occasions for opera productions.September 1777, Mozart began yet another job-hunting tour, this time accompanied by his mother Anna Maria. The visit included Munich, Mannheim, and Paris.In Mannheim he fell in love with Aloysia Weber, one of four daughters in a musical family. Mozart moved on to Paris and attempted to build his career there, but was unsuccessful. To make matters worse his mother became ill and died in Paris june 78, on his way back his Aloysia told him to forget it and so a disillusioned Mozart returned to Salzburg.

The question arises why Mozart, despite his talent, was unable to find a job on this trip. The answer likly lies in the fact that his father demanded a fully paid steady job, not something 21 year old Mozart heart aspired, he preferred a freelance relationship, having people come to him with commisions. Meanwhile he was still under contract by the archbisshop of which he was finally released in 1781 which caused a deep rift with his father. Being a free man again Mozart made his way to Vienna, his new career in Vienna began very well. He performed often as a pianist, he soon "had established himself as the finest keyboard player in Vienna. Mozart also prospered as a composer: during 1781–1782 he wrote the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail, which premiered 16 July 1782 and achieved a huge success. The work was soon being performed "throughout German-speaking Europe", and fully established Mozart's reputation as a composer.

In 1782 , he still hadnt lost interest in the Weber family that had moved to Vienna aswell, and he became a lodger at their home, as his first choice Aloysia was married by now, his eye fell on her younger sister Constanze , whom he married that year and had 6 children with, 2 of which survived infancy. During 1782–1783, Mozart became closely acquainted with the work of J. S. Bach and G.F. Handel as a result of the influence of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who owned many manuscripts of works by the Baroque masters. Mozart's study of these works led first to a number of works imitating Baroque style and later had a powerful influence on his own personal musical language Mozart met Joseph Haydn and the two composers became good friends, when Haydn visited Vienna, they sometimes played together in an impromptu string quartet.

During the years 1782–1785, Mozart put on a series of concerts in which he appeared as soloist in his own piano concertos. He wrote three or four concertos for each concert season, and since space in the theaters was scarce, he booked unconventional venues. The concerts were very popular, and the concertos Mozart composed for them are considered among his finest works. Mozart created a harmonious connection between an eager composer-performer and a delighted audience. With the substantial money Mozart earned with his concerts and elsewhere, he and Constanze adopted a rather plush lifestyle. They moved to an expensive apartment, Mozart also bought a fine fortepiano, and a billiards table. The Mozarts also sent their son Karl Thomas to an expensive boarding school and kept servants. These choices inhibited saving, and were the partial cause of a stressful financial situation for the Mozart family a few years later.

Around the end of 1785, Mozart reshifted his focus again. He ceased to write piano concertos on a regular basis,[40] and began his famous operatic collaboration with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. 1786 saw the Vienna premiere of The Marriage of Figaro, which was quite successful in Vienna and even more so in a Prague production later the same year. The Prague success led to a commission for a second Mozart-Da Ponte opera, Don Giovanni, which premiered 1787 to acclaim in Prague and was also produced, with some success, in Vienna in 1788. Both operas are considered among Mozart's most important works and are mainstays of the operatic repertoire today. In December 1787 Mozart finally obtained a steady post under aristocratic patronage. Emperor Joseph II appointed him as his "chamber composer", it didnt pay that much but then he was only expected to compose dances for the annual balls. Toward the end of the decade, Mozart's career declined. Around 1786 he had ceased to appear frequently in public concerts, and his income dropped. This was in general a difficult time for musicians in Vienna because Austria was at war .

By mid-1788, Mozart and his family moved from central Vienna to cheaper lodgings in the suburb, Mozart began to borrow money, most often from his friend and fellow Mason Michael Puchberg. During this time Mozart made long journeys hoping to improve his fortunes: a visit in spring of 1789 to Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin and a 1790 visit to Frankfurt, Mannheim, and other German cities. The trips produced only isolated success and did not solve Mozart's financial problems. Mozart's last year was, until his final illness struck, one of great productivity and (in the view of Maynard Solomon) personal recovery.[47] During this time Mozart wrote a great deal of music, including some of his most admired works: the opera The Magic Flute, the final piano concerto (K. 595 in B flat), and the unfinished Requiem

Mozart's financial situation, which in 1790 was the source of extreme anxiety to him, also began to improve. It appears that admiring wealthy patrons in Hungary and in Amsterdam pledged annuities to Mozart, in return for the occasional composition. Mozart also probably made considerable money from the sale of dance music that he wrote for his job as Imperial chamber composer. He ceased to borrow large sums from Puchberg and made a start on paying off his debts. Lastly, Mozart experienced great satisfaction in the public success of some his works, notably The Magic Flute (performed many times even during the short period between its premiere and Mozart's death). Mozart fell ill while in Prague, for the 6 September premiere of his opera La clemenza di Tito, written in 1791 on commission for the coronation festivities of the Emperor. He was able to continue his professional functions for some time, for instance conducting the premiere of The Magic Flute on September 30. The illness intensified on 20 November, at which point Mozart became bedridden, suffering from swelling, pain, and vomiting.

Mozart died at 1 in the morning on December 5 1791, 35 years old. He was buried in a common grave, in accordance with contemporary Viennese custom, at the St Marx cemetery outside the city on 7 December. The cause of Mozart's death cannot be determined with certainty. His death record listed "hitziges Frieselfieber" ("severe miliary fever", referring to a rash that looks like millet seeds), a description that does not suffice to identify the cause as it would be diagnosed in modern medicine. Dozens of theories have been proposed, however, the most widely accepted version is that he died of acute rheumatic fever; he had had three or even four known attacks of it since his childhood, and this particular disease has a tendency to recur, leaving increasingly serious consequences each time, such as rampant infection and heart valve damage. Mozart's spare funeral did not reflect his standing with the public as a composer, memorial services and concerts in Vienna and Prague were well attended.

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Millenium Classics - Mozart Magic (99 ^ 92mb)

01 - W.A.Mozart - Serenata No.13 in G major, K.525 'Eine kleine Nachtmusic'-I Allegro (5:44)
02 - W.A.Mozart - Serenata No.13 in G major, K.525 'Eine kleine Nachtmusic'-II Romanze (Andante) (5:53)
03 - W.A.Mozart - Piano Concerto No.21 04 - W.A.Mozart - Symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550-Molto allegro (7:45)
04 - W.A.Mozart - Symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550-Molto allegro (7:48)
05 - W.A.Mozart - Horn Concerto No.4 in E flat major, K.495-III Rondo (Allegro vivace) (3:33)
06 - W.A.Mozart - Concerto for Flute and Harp-Andantino (8:14)

Millenium Classics - Mozart Magic II (99 ^ 91mb)

07 - W.A.Mozart - Piano Concerto No.23 in A, K.488-I Allegro (10:47)
08 - W.A.Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622-II Adagio (7:35)
09 - F.J.Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in E flat major-I Allegro (6:27)
10 - F.Schubert - Piano Quintet, D.667 'The Trout'-Theme and Variatons (8:05)
11 - F.Schubert - Impromptu in As, Op.90 No.4 D.889 (7:26)

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