Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Morita Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 ~ 179 1), an Austrian composer, is a representative of the Vienna classical school.
1756 65438+/kloc-0 was born at No.9 Grain Street in Salzburg, Austria on October 27th,179165438+died in Vienna on February 5th at the age of 35.
[Edit this paragraph] Introduction to artistic career
Mozart was born into a family of court musicians. Born in a snowstorm, he showed great musical talent at the age of 3, studied piano with his father at the age of 4 and began to compose music at the age of 5.
It is said that he can compose music before he can write.
Mozart, who likes Joseph Langer's portrait of Mozart best (1762 ~1773)1762, 6-year-old Mozart, led by his father, made an experimental tour to Munich, Vienna and Pressburg, and achieved success.
Mozart's wife ConstanzeMozart 1840, the leftmost one,1June 763 ~1March 773, they went to Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries for a period of 10 years, all of which were awarded. These touring performances have had a positive impact on Mozart's artistic development. He had access to the most advanced music art in Europe-Italian opera, French opera and German instrumental music. He also met composers such as Bach, Martini and Samartini. And learn composition techniques from them, making him the most widely composed composer at that time. Wife Constanze Mozart _ by _ Hansen _ 1802
During this period, Mozart published six sonatas for Harper Secord and violin (or flute) in London, and composed three symphonies and operas, False Goodwill (1768), Bastian and Bastina (1768) and Mitridat, King of the Capital (/kloc). Some works reflect his influence by J.C. Bach. The works of this period have shown the universality of Mozart's creative genre and his interest in opera creation.
Maturity ended (1774 ~1781)1773 Mozart returned to Salzburg to make up for the interrupted music and cultural study under the guidance of his father, and at the same time created a large number of works by using the knowledge and materials obtained during his travels. Including the operas The Fake Gardener (1775) and The Shepherd King (1775).
Mozart is now an adult, and he is not satisfied with his humble slave status. In order to strive for personal and creative freedom, after fierce struggle, he finally got the consent of the archbishop in September 1777, and then traveled with his mother for two years. In order to find another job and leave Salzburg forever, he taught and performed in Munich and Mannheim, which further deepened his understanding and experience of the unequal system. When he was in Mannheim, he got the help and sympathy of some citizen musicians, got in touch with the important Mannheim Conservatory of Music in Europe at that time, and heard the first-class orchestra Mozart 1762. 1In May 778, he returned to Paris. As his mother died and he couldn't find a job, he had to return to Salzburg in June 1779.
During this period, Mozart composed two flute concertos, 1 oboe concerto, seven piano and violin sonatas and three piano sonatas in Mannheim, which reflected the influence of Mannheim School of Music. In Paris, he also composed Paris symphony, symphony concerto, orchestral overture, flute and harp concerto, flute and string quartet, four piano variations and four piano sonatas. When I passed Mannheim for the second time, I wrote three symphonies of religious music, symphony concerto for violin and viola, serenade, suite, concerto for two pianos and three organ concertos. 1780 Completed the creation of the opera Idomeno.
During this period, Mozart's works reflected the influence of the hurricane movement trend of thought at that time in content, and new elements appeared in form, such as the sonata-like 1 movement presentation part, and the second (or more) theme appeared in the reproduction part, which often changed the order of theme appearance, and sometimes the treatment of theme material and presentation part was different. In 65438, these techniques enhanced the drama of his musical works and further formed the classical sonata form. Mozart's signature on Vienna musician "Avenue of Stars"
During his stay in Vienna (1781~1791), Mozart couldn't stand the humiliation of the archbishop any longer, so he resolutely resigned as archbishop and went to Vienna to make a living. He is the first composer in Austrian history who has the courage and determination to get rid of the court and church and safeguard personal dignity. However, although he was a free composer in name, he was still unable to resist the oppression of feudal society. The hardships of life had a profound impact on his thought and creation, and became the most important 10 year in Vienna. 178 1 year, after breaking with the archbishop, he wrote the famous opera "Temptation of the Harem". The play premiered in July 1782 and was a great success. 1782, he married constance Weber, the daughter of Mannheim musician, without his father's consent. Mozart forged a deep friendship with Haydn in Vienna at that time. He learned from Haydn's experience in composing quartets and symphonies, and composed six string quartets for Haydn. 1784 joined the * * * Aid Society (also known as the Brotherhood, founded by Napoleon in Egypt to promote freedom, equality and brotherly love) and was a member of the eighth branch of Vienna. He enthusiastically participated in the activities of this secret religious group with bourgeois enlightenment color, and was deeply impressed by his thought of freedom, equality and fraternity, and wrote many works inspired by this thought. Mozart, two surviving boys, never got married.
1785, the once closed Vienna National Theatre was restored, and Mozart had the opportunity to engage in opera creation. He wrote a farce "Theatre Manager" (performed on 1786). 1786, The Wedding of Figaro was completed and staged, which had a great influence and even became a household name in Prague. 1787 "Don Juan" completed the performance. In Vienna, Mozart discovered Bach's works. He deeply studied and studied Bach's polyphonic techniques. This played an important role in his later creation.
1789 In April, Mozart, whose family was poor, performed in Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig under the leadership of his student Duke Carl Lee Sinowski. Although it was a sensation, it failed to get him out of economic difficulties. 1790 65438+ 10, his opera "Woman's Heart" was staged. In February, when the emperor died, Mozart asked Leopold II, the heir of the emperor, to take over the position of court musician L. Hoffman, which was granted, but it didn't come true. 179 1 year, he wrote the opera "Tito's Good", which was unsuccessful. In September of the same year, he composed the last opera "Magic Flute" and a large-scale religious music work "Requiem" when he was seriously ill. He died before he finished it. At the age of 35, he was buried in an unknown place in the Vienna poor cemetery after his death. It's really' timely assistance, timely assistance'.
[Edit this paragraph] Biography
In July, a newspaper in London 1765 published a preview of the concert: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a prodigy who could make Europe and even mankind proud. The 8-year-old boy amazed musicians and people of insight. His harpsichord performance, sight-reading ability and improvisation and composition with various musical instruments are amazing. The father of this gifted child, at the earnest request of gentlemen and ladies, decided to extend the detention time. To this end, you have the opportunity to enjoy the performances of this young composer and his sister. ...
1October 27th, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born into a family of court musicians in Salzburg, Austria. His father, Leopold Polder Mozart, was originally from Germany. He had seven children, but five of them died young. Only the youngest son Wolfgang and his sister Anna survived and grew up tenaciously.
Leo Polder is a respected violinist and composer. Mozart's extraordinary musical talent has long attracted his joy and attention. Once, he came home with a friend and saw his 4-year-old son writing on staff paper. Father asked him what he was doing. The son replied solemnly, "I am composing music." The child's behavior made two adults smile at each other. Facing the crooked notes on the paper, they thought it was just a child's prank. However, when the careful father carefully looked at his son's work, he suddenly cried to the guest with tears in his eyes: "Dear, come and see! How correct and meaningful this is! " Genius began his creative career!
In the long history of European music, it is not uncommon for people to show musical talent from an early age. But it is really hard to find a precocious wizard like Mozart, a musician who can be recognized as a "prodigy" at such a young age. At the age of three, he could play many pieces he had heard on the piano. At the age of 5, he can accurately identify the names of monosyllables, disyllables and chords played on any musical instrument, and even easily tell the pitch of cups, bells and other utensils when they collide ... Such an excellent concept of absolute pitch is beyond the reach of most professional musicians all their lives.
In order to make Mozart grow up quickly, Leo Polder tried his best to train him carefully. My son's study and training are extremely strict. In addition to complicated music theory and playing skills, there are Latin, French, Italian, English, literature and calendars.
From 1762, under the leadership of their father, 6-year-old Mozart and 10-year-old sister Anna began to roam the whole European continent. They have been to Munich, Frankfurt, Bonn, Vienna, Paris, London, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Naples, Rome, Amsterdam and many other places, and they have caused great sensation everywhere! In Vienna, Austria, they were invited by the emperor to perform in the palace.
Behind the flowers, applause and cheers are hard work, harsh conditions and terrible tests. For money and honor, Leo Polder asked little Mozart to perform in public at any time, no matter how tired the journey was. In order to publicize his son's genius, he forced his children to meet and listen to all kinds of whimsical and difficult proposals. For example, watch music with difficult skills that you have never touched before; Improvise the composition according to the bass that the audience imagined temporarily, and immediately play it according to the specified tonality. Cover the keyboard with handkerchiefs without affecting the piano. Play your own works from beginning to end at the concert, and so on. Moreover, such performances almost always last for four or five hours.
1772, 16-year-old Mozart finally ended his wandering life for 10 and returned to his hometown of Salzburg as the chief musician in the archbishop's court band.
Although Mozart was a prodigy and enjoyed great honor, in the eyes of the Archbishop, he was just an ordinary slave and a terrible slave. Because he has honor. Mozart, like his predecessor Haydn, had to wait for his master's orders in the hall every day, and he might be reprimanded and abused by the archbishop at any time, even severely punished. However, Mozart is not Haydn after all, he has stronger self-esteem and independent and bold spirit. In order to get rid of the insult and control of the archbishop, he went out to perform again in 1777, hoping to find a place to stay and leave Salzburg forever.
To our great surprise, this glittering darling, who once caused a sensation all over Europe, has hit a wall everywhere at the moment! A child prodigy has grown up and is no longer a child prodigy. The former prodigy disappeared, although his talent increased in direct proportion to his age, but the real society was merciless and indifferent to him. He had to return to Salzburg, so the archbishop must be more severe with him. Mozart's bitterness and predicament are not difficult for anyone with common sense of life to imagine.
In June, Mozart finally broke with the archbishop in the last straw. He resolutely resigned and left, becoming the first musician in European history to publicly get rid of the shackles of the court. Under the social conditions at that time, this move was undoubtedly extremely bold and heroic. Because it means hardship, hunger and even death.
Leo Polder urged his son to apologize to the Archbishop and get back together, but Mozart resolutely refused. In his reply to his father, he wrote: I can't stand it any longer. Thought ennobles people. I am not a duke, but I may be much more upright than many hereditary dukes. I am prepared to sacrifice my happiness, health and even my life. My personality, to me and to you, should be the most precious!
Out of the cage, Mozart settled in Vienna, the city of music, and began his career as a freelance artist. At that time, he was only 25 years old, but only 10 years away from the end of his life.
Mozart's ease and quickness in writing made his contemporaries and future generations regard him as a genius who learned from his teachers without learning anything. Throughout his life, except for the strict instruction of his father when he was a child, he really didn't receive formal teacher guidance. Genius is undeniable, but people often ignore that genius is also inseparable from hard work and diligence. 1One day in June, 787, Mozart walked with the conductor of the opera Don Juan, Kucharz, and he said, "It is wrong to think that my art is something for nothing. I tell you exactly, my dear friend, no one will spend so much time and thought on composing music as I do; I have not studied the works of a famous artist many times. "
There is a typical artist's nature everywhere in Mozart. He is a man who loves life and is full of poetry and emotion. He believes that the poor are the most loyal. "Only the poor are the best and truest friends in the world, and the rich are just friendship." . He is naive, simple and always in high spirits. He is easily moved, tearful and feminine. He is childlike and full of curiosity like a child. He never seems to grow up.
Mozart loved the people he loved. Whenever he talks about his parents and wife, his face can't help flashing with happiness, and his tone is particularly beautiful. At the sacred wedding, he and his wife shed tears of excitement. Everyone was deeply infected and cried with them. Because he has no fixed income and his wife constance is not good at managing family and finance, his married life is very poor. In order to maintain the basic needs of daily life, Mozart worked hard-teaching, performing and creating endlessly. Still, life is awkward. One winter night, friends visited his house and were surprised to see the couple dancing happily in the room from the window. It was not until they entered the house that they knew that they had to dance to keep warm because they had no money to buy coal, so that they could survive the cold winter.
Mozart's life went from bad to worse in his later years, and his health became worse and worse. He has to often ask his friends for help. When his last excellent opera The Magic Flute premiered for the first time (1791September 30th), he was already suffering from chronic diseases.
One day, a stranger who looked cold and dressed in black came to worship and asked the master to write a requiem for him. After the stranger left, Mozart tearfully told his wife that this work should be written for himself. "He began to write his last work Requiem with fanatical despair ... Mozart was in a state of overwork, and he couldn't get rid of the idea that mass for death was for himself. He doesn't think he can finish it alive. He urged himself to write this masterpiece full of death scenes and began a fierce competition with time. An eternal regret is that the winner of this game is death. In the process of writing the requiem, Mozart could no longer hold his pen ... The masterpiece handed down from ancient times was finally completed by his favorite student, theseus Meyer.
The great success of the magic flute brought an indescribable final relief to Mozart who was on the verge of collapse. 17911On February 4th, he was lying in a deserted hospital bed, muttering to himself the performance of The Magic Flute: The first act is now over ... now the aria after night begins ... In the morning 10, he quietly closed his eyes. At this time, the luxurious Vuitton Opera House was brightly lit, the comfortable box was packed, and people from all walks of life in Vienna gathered together to enjoy the master's new work "The Magic Flute" with relish.
On the day of the funeral, the wind roared and the snow fell heavily. The bad weather forced several relatives and friends to return halfway, leaving only an old grave digger walking alone in a hearse. This is a graveyard for criminals, vagrants and poor people. There are two coffins of others in the buried grave. Constance is seriously ill in bed and can't attend. When she visited the grave a few days later, she couldn't find the exact cemetery. In this way, the previous generation of wizards disappeared without a trace in the history of human civilization, leaving behind 1682 Frohring's outstanding debt.
Compared with Haydn's longevity and late bloomer, Mozart is just the opposite-short-lived and precocious. However, in his life before the age of 36, he created an amazing number of music treasures for people. These include: 22 operas; The most famous are The Wedding of Figaro, Don Juan and The Magic Flute. Symphony 4 1, the most famous of which is Symphony 39, Symphony 40, Symphony 4 1; There are 27 piano concertos, among which the 20th, 2nd1,23rd, 24th, 26th and 27th piano concertos are the most famous. There are 6 violin concertos, among which the fourth and fifth violin concertos are the most famous; In addition, he also created a large number of instrumental and vocal works of various genres.
Mozart's music is elegant and beautiful, as delicate as pearls, as warm as sunshine and full of youthful vitality. Because of his approachable musical language and clear and rigorous work structure, "there is no trace of axe and chisel in the most complicated creation of music thought." This misleading simplicity is the art that really hides art. "
Joseph Makelis, an American musicologist, put it well: "There was a moment in the history of music when all opposites were consistent and all tensions were eliminated. Mozart was that glorious moment. "
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Mozart changed his address many times after he moved to Vienna. One of the most famous buildings is the Figaro Building. In this typical Vienna old-fashioned
In this building, Mozart and his wife and children spent the happiest time of their lives (1784- 1787). Here, he wrote The Wedding of Figaro, where he taught young Beethoven, and where he was awarded the title of composer of royal chamber music.
Address: Mozart-Gedenkstte, Figaro-Haus, Domgasse 5, 10 10Wien.
After Mozart's death, his bones were buried in St. Max's cemetery. Address: 6-8 Leberstrasse, Vienna, St. Marx Friedhoff,110.
189 1 year, his tombstone was moved from St. Marx's Cemetery to Tomb No.55 of the Central Cemetery Celebrity Cemetery 32A. A marble statue of Mozart was created in 1896, and now it is located in the castle garden, which is a place that tourists like to visit.
[Edit this paragraph] Introduction to the work
Mozart created a large number of musical works in his short life, and the genre involved various fields, leaving many immortal masterpieces.
opera
Mozart's main creative field is opera. In his 36-year life, he has been engaged in opera creation for 25 years and has written more than 20 operas. Among them, The Wedding of Figaro, Don Juan and The Magic Flute are the most representative.
The Marriage of Figaro is based on Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais's play, which was banned in Austria at that time. The opera script was adapted by Italian poet L da Ponte and premiered on 1786. Although the adaptation of the script weakened the original's attack on feudal society and increased lyrical description, it still maintained the critical spirit of the original, exposed and satirized the hypocrisy and luxury life of the feudal aristocrats represented by the count, praised the integrity, wit and courage of the "third class" people represented by Figaro and Susanna, and showed the optimistic spirit of winning the anti-feudal struggle. The main contribution of Mozart's opera lies in that it did not follow the comic exaggeration and juggling style of the popular Italian interesting opera at that time, but paid attention to depicting the characters' personalities, making psychological characterization, enhancing the lyricism of the opera, and exerting the skills and expressive force of duet in the play.
The script of Don Juan was also adapted from Da Ponte. First broadcast on 1787. It is based on a famous Spanish folklore. At that time, various versions of legends were widely circulated in European countries, and there were already art forms such as drama, opera and ballet. Mozart and da Ponte chose G Bertas's opera script "The Story of the Stone" (composed by Italian composer G gazzaniga), which had great changes in plot and characterization. Through the contradictory character of Don Juan, an aristocrat, and the despicable end of his cheating and hurting women, the decadent life of the feudal aristocracy was exposed, and at the same time, the master's contempt for feudal ethics and the pursuit of happiness were affirmed. This is an opera with ethical significance, which reflects the interest and concern of German and Austrian intellectuals on ethical issues since the late 1980s. It is an important work of Mozart to develop opera-style drama on the basis of Italian interesting opera. When dealing with the music of this opera, Mozart strengthened the psychological description of the characters, making the characters more complex and real, and at the same time used drama duets to enhance the contradictions and conflicts of the opera.
The Magic Flute is the last opera that Mozart wrote and performed a few months before his death in 179 1. Its script was put forward and written by Mozart's old friend E. Hikaned, a small theater manager who was enthusiastic about German national opera. This opera is based on Vilander's myth Lulu. Through the story that the hero struggled for his ideal and finally won, he praised the idea that light will surely overcome darkness. The ideas reflected in this opera are closely related to Mozart's pursuit of enlightenment and his ideals of freedom, equality and love in an "economic society". Several main characters may be metaphors of characters in social reality at that time. For example, Salaste Rowe, the high priest, reminds people of Bonn, the head of the * * * Aid Society and Mozart's good friend who died not long ago. Mozart used a typical Protestant chorus style to make his music solemn and lofty. After dark, the villain may be Maria Tracy (who suppressed the * * * Economic Association during her reign). This role needs a superb coloratura soprano to play, and the music performance is difficult and there is no inner feeling. The hero of the play, Prince Tamino, may be Joseph II who sympathizes with the * * * Economic Association. His music is beautiful and moving, and he uses lyric arias in formal operas. Pamina is a symbol of the lofty spirit of the people. This opera is Mozart's masterpiece of developing German national fairy tale opera on the basis of German-Austrian singing drama and divine drama. It marks the end of the development of German-Austrian operetta in the18th century, which laid the foundation for later German romantic operas and became the pioneer of the latter.
symphony
Mozart wrote about 50 symphonies, of which 4 1 is numbered and can be divided into several groups like other instrumental works. Symphonies are mostly written in the early years under the influence of different musical styles, so there are traces of imitating different styles. We can see the influence of Bach, Genser, Mohn, especially Haydn and Mannheim School represented by Stamitz.
Mozart's most representative symphonies are seven Among them, Symphony No.31 (Paris) was written for the Paris Symphony Orchestra, one of the most outstanding symphony orchestras in Europe at that time. It has the musical style of Paris and rich sound effects. Symphony No.35 (hafner) is actually a serenade, and Symphony No.38 (Prague) is usually called "Symphony without minuets". It only has three movements, and it is no longer a pair.
Mozart's last three symphonies in E flat major, G minor and C major are his best symphonies. It was written in six weeks from June to August. 1788. People usually classify them as a group, but they each have their own characteristics: Symphony No.39 in E flat major is cheerful, bright and full of poetry; Symphony No.40 in G minor is full of drama and Haydn's optimism, but it is completely different from Haydn in technique and is called Mozart's "Hero" symphony. Symphony No.41 in C major (usually called Jupiter) is magnificent and optimistic, which indicates the emergence of L.van Beethoven's heroic symphony.
Mozart's symphonies (especially the last three) are the highest achievements of all Beethoven's previous symphonies. His outstanding contribution lies in attaching importance to the contrast between movement and theme in movement.
concerto
Besides opera, Mozart is one of the most outstanding schools of music creation. He composed more than 50 concertos of various solo instruments and bands in his life. On the basis of baroque concerto, these works established the structural principles of 1 8th century classical concerto: the divertimento structure of three movements (sonata form of1movement, lyric movement similar to aria form in the second movement, dance or popularity in the third movement); Double presentation part, solo instrument, technical cadenza, etc. At the same time, it strengthens the position of solo instrument and emphasizes its musical character different from concerto band. Because of Mozart's achievements, concerto is no longer a one-sided expression of skills, but has the same profound significance as symphony. Mozart became the founder of the modern concerto form.
Among Mozart's concertos, piano concerto occupies a prominent position. * * * has written 27 films, among which the representative works are D minor, C minor and A major. In addition, there are seven violin concertos, among which three in G major, A major and D major are outstanding. In wind concerto, clarinet concerto in A major is also outstanding. There are also four horn concertos and/kloc-0 concertos for flute and harp.
Sonata suite
Mozart composed 17 piano sonatas, 6 violin sonatas and 35 piano violin sonatas, which contributed to the development of the classical sonata suite and established the sonata suite form of the Vienna classical school with three movements. In the piano sonata, he completed the transition from Harper Secord style to piano style. In his piano sonatas in 1980s, the piano effect and range were fully exerted, such as Piano Sonata in A Major (1783) and Piano Sonata in C Minor (1785). The former embodies the characteristics of his life customs, while the latter shows sharp contrast and dramatic power, which indicates the birth of Beethoven's piano sonata. Mozart's piano and violin sonatas were gradually liberated from the influence of Italian A corelli g·b· Samartini and others, and formed their own independent style. From 1778, Mozart put the piano and violin in the same important position, such as E-flat major (178 1), B-flat major (1784), E-flat major (1785) and A-flat major.
chamber music
Among the 23 string quartets composed by Mozart, the best ones are six dedicated to Haydn (1773), which reflect Mozart's thoughts and styles from different aspects-sincerity, kindness, cheerfulness and optimism. Unlike Haydn and Beethoven, Mozart's genius is not manifested in the quartet, but in the quintet. The most prominent are the string quintet in C major (1787) and the string quintet in G minor (1787). The former is innovative in music structure and theme treatment, while the latter is a tragic work, which reflects the author's anxiety and thinking about social reality. In addition, clarinet quintet in A major and several viola quintets are also praised as his masterpieces.
Religious music
Because of his position, religious music occupies a large part in Mozart's works. Among them, the commemorative songs he wrote before his death are the most representative. This work injects the author's deep feelings for the whole life, showing his suffering from exploitation, humiliation and poverty all his life, and his unremitting pursuit and yearning for light and joy as a citizen musician. Mozart wrote most of the music, and the rest was faithfully completed by his student F.X. Sushmael according to his plan and style, and played by Count Walther in the name of composer in February 1793+.
Mozart's Requiem uses traditional requiem forms and Latin lyrics, which is very sincere and moving. Before Mozart was extremely poor, there was no pain in his music, only pure happiness. This dying work is still the same, only the feeling that the light of heaven shines on him.