Mozart wrote an extraordinary amount of music in his 35 years of life. Although we can only provide a few brief peeks, his music is like a mountain that bears endless wonders within. We will examine it in its main categories, but will start first with a brief discussion of his favorite instrument.
The Fortepiano
In the birth and development of the fortepiano (or pianoforte; Italian for strong-soft or soft-strong) during the eighteenth century, we see a striking instance of musical expression gradually finding the right tool. Bach, Handel, and the lesser composers who came after them all preferred the harpsichord to the piano.
Even Mozart was brought up as a harpsichord player. Until the year 1777, when he happened to come across some of the latest pianos by the maker Stein, he did not realize what new possibilities of expression they opened for the musician.
The main difference between the harpsichord and the fortepianos was that the strings of the pianoforte were struck by small hammers, while those of the harpsichord were plucked by quills. The degree of tone therefore depended upon the amount of force used by the finger in striking the key. Early fortepiano hammers rebounded off the strings, leaving them free to go on vibrating much as those of the modern piano. As a result, the sound was much fuller and richer.
But this produced several difficulties. In the first place, if the string is free to go on vibrating, it will continue after the finger has been taken off the key. So, besides a hammer to make the note, there had to be a ‘damper’ to stop it.
But that was not all. Another requirement was a mechanism to check the rebound of the hammer lest it should touch the key a second time with the force of one blow. Other difficulties which had to be met were all slowly accounted for, resulting in an instrument which became Mozart’s personal favorite.
Watch a short documentary on ‘Mozart’s Fortepiano’ (5 min)
These things are mentioned merely to give a faint suggestion of the numerous questions which had to be solved before the fortepiano could be of practical service to artists. It is not surprising then if some men thought the early pianos a clumsy substitute for the simpler and older instruments. But by the time of Haydn and Mozart, the new fortepiano had come into its own. It became the basis for an entirely new type of music.
The fortepiano has a slightly lighter, twangier sound than the modern piano. Although Mozart’s music sounds wonderful on both, he would only have known the sound of the fortepiano, which is featured here.
Listen to the Allegretto form Piano Sonata No. 17, K. 570 played on a fortepiano (3 min)
This is the third movement of the sonata, played by the Russian fortepiano expert, Viviana Sofronitsky.
In Mozart’s hands the piano sonata—he wrote seventeen—became richer and deeper in its musical content, more elastic in its form, and more sure of its direction and movement than it was with Haydn. They are some of his most inspired works, no doubt because he loved the instrument so much and found it the perfect voice for his art.
Watch the 2nd Movement Adagio from Piano Sonata No. 12, K. 332 (4 min)
Trios, Quartets, and Quintets
Mozart composed dozens of marvelous works for smaller ensembles. These include 36 sonatas for violin and piano (although only the later ones are normally heard today); 6 piano trios (piano, violin, and cello); and 2 piano quartets (piano, violin, viola, and cello).
They also include many works for other combinations of instruments, such as 23 string quartets (2 violins, viola, cello); 6 string quintets (2 violins, 2 violas, cello); 4 flute quartets (flute, violin, viola, cello); an oboe quartet, horn quintet, and a clarinet quintet.
Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet is deservedly one of his most famous and frequently performed chamber music works. It was composed in 1789 expressly for the clarinetist Anton Stadler, an acquaintance who exploited Mozart’s generosity in every possible way. However, if we must condemn Stadler for the many unpleasant moments his unscrupulous dealings brought Mozart, we must be grateful to him for being the instigator for Mozart’s best works for the clarinet.
Watch Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581 (3 min)
Listen until 2:38, which is just the beginning of the Allegro. You are welcome to listen to more, including the Larghetto which begins at 9:00. Performed here by Armida Quartet with clarinetist Sabine Meyer.
Serenades
Mozart composed a prolific library of music in a lighter vein—Cassations, Divertimenti, and Serenades. Generally, these works were written upon order for some festivity or party at the palace of a nobleman, and their form lent itself particularly to Mozart’s graceful writing. Some of his most engaging and light-hearted thoughts are found in these works.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music) is a Serenade, and it was composed in 1787—a wonderfully productive year that saw the birth of Don Giovanni and other masterpieces. Most Mozart serenades were in five movements, and it is believed that this work (which is in four) originally had an additional Minuet now lost.
The four movements are: I. Allegro—with the flavor of a march, though the touch is deft, and the principal theme is given a flashy decoration of graceful trills; II. A lyrical and somewhat sentimental Romanza; III. Minuet, and IV. Rondo—the last two movements being the very essence of eighteenth-century grace and elegance.
Watch the Allegro from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Serenade K. 525 (3 min)
Listen at least through 3:25, although the rest of the Allegro and the other movements are wonderful too.
Timing: 1. Allegro – 0:11 | 2. Romanze: Andante – 8:34 | 3. Menuetto: Allegretto – 14:12 | 4. Rondo: Allegro – 16:25
One of Mozart’s other famous serenades was written only for woodwinds. It is nicknamed the “Gran Partita.” Although all five movements are wonderful, the Adagio is heavenly beautiful. Listen as the colors of each instrument enter slowly into the music, weave together, then drop out for others to take their place. It is a masterpiece of sound.
Listen to the Adagio from Serenade No. 10 “Gran Partita”, K. 361 (6 min)
Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra Wind Ensemble.
Piano Concertos
Mozart may well be called the father of the modern concerto. What had already been written in this form was, for the most part, an adaptation of the baroque concerto grosso, with no genuine understanding of the true role of the solo instrument. Mozart, however, did such a perfect job of fusing and adapting certain elements that the classical concerto for piano and orchestra may be regarded as his achievement.
It was Mozart who emphasized the individuality of the virtuoso; he gave symphonic outlines to the form; he clarified the sonata form of the first movement; he revealed the artistic potential of the cadenza.
The Mozart concerto usually follows a recognizable pattern. It has three movements:
- The first, a fast movement—expansive and of symphonic breadth—is usually in sonata-form.
- The second movement is of a cantabile character, revealing Mozart’s incomparable lyric genius and his seemingly inexhaustible supply of beautiful melodies. In his slow movements Mozart often treats the solo instrument as though it were a human voice, making it sing an aria, so to speak, with the orchestra subordinated to the role of accompanist.
- The last movement, generally a rondo, is invariably sprightly, graceful, and fleet-footed.
Mozart composed approximately twenty-seven concertos for piano and orchestra (Nos. 7 & 10 are actually for multiple pianos and orchestra). They are all filled with endless creative invention.
Although we could spend many lessons on Mozart’s piano concertos—which are often considered his greatest set of works—we only have time to focus on one: No. 22 in A Major. The great Mozart scholar Alfred Einstein explains:
“Mozart never wrote a first movement so simple in its structure. It is the perfect picture of sonata form that sets up the wonderful give and take between orchestra (tutti) and piano (solo). It is extremely clear in its thematic invention.
“The key of A major is for Mozart the key of many colors. It has the transparency of a stained-glass window. But there are also darker shadings and concealed intensities which the listener interested only in pleasant entertainment misses altogether. Already in this movement there is a threatening touch of F-sharp minor, and the whole Andante is in that key, which Mozart otherwise avoided.
“The Andante second movement is short, but it contains the soul of the work. In this movement there appears a veiled form of passion; the resignation and the hopelessness are the same. And when Mozart overcomes this impression with the entrance of the rondo theme, he is a true magician.
“The third movement Presto seems to introduce a breath of fresh air and a ray of sunlight into a dark and musty room. The gaiety of this uninterrupted stream of melody and rhythm is irresistible. But this is no ordinary gaiety. The clarinet introduces one of those ‘unrelated’ themes (in D major) in which the world seems perfectly balanced, and the scheme of things is fully justified.”
Listen to the Piano Concerto No. 22 in A Major, K. 482 (6 min)
Listen to 2 to 3 minutes at the beginning of each of the three movements. Performed with great delight by the Austrian Pianist Rudolf Buchbinder.
Timing: 1. Allegro – 0:00 | 2. Andante – 13:00 | 3. Rondo. Presto – 21:40
Operas
Mozart was unquestionably one of the greatest composers of comic opera (or ‘opera-buffa’). No one before him realized the full potentialities of opera writing, or was able to endow it with so many different shades of feeling and atmosphere.
Mozart’s genius rests not only in filling his operas with wondrous music, but also because they were a truthful mirror of human conduct. His operas are filled with real characters, each of them carefully delineated musically; they have dramatic continuity and climax; they are able to portray psychological motives of considerable complexity with deftness and surety. And they do all this without violating in any sense the principles of good musical form.
Mozart did not hesitate to use all the means which he inherited from his predecessors—the aria, the overture, the recitative, and so forth. But in using all these he was wise enough never to allow the dramatic elements to outweigh his musical necessities. Mozart was able to achieve a miraculous harmony of profound dramatic truth and characterization with perfect musical form.
His three most famous operas are The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute. This last one was written in German (as opposed to Italian) and feels a bit more like musical theater at times than an opera. It was written for a local theater that catered to a lower class audience, so it was filled with physical humor and silly scenes. Nevertheless, it is also filled with some of Mozart’s most memorable music.
Although the details of the opera can be a bit confusing, the basic story is that a young princess is kidnapped by a powerful magician and must be rescued by a young prince. He is given some special gifts to help him along the way, one of which is a magic flute (hence the title of the opera). He also finds a sidekick in a funny birdcatcher named Papageno who is looking for a wife. This is his unfortgetable introduction:
Watch “I am the birdcatcher” from The Magic Flute (3 min)
Performed by Roderick Williams. You can read the German/English translation to the lyrics below.
Symphonies
Mozart wrote symphonies from his childhood. But the first in which he spoke distinctly with his own voice was Symphony No. 25, K. 183. It was also the first where he gave a strong indication of his advance in the treatment of the instruments.
His symphonies after 25 continue through No. 41, ‘Jupiter’. If they are heard in order, they clearly reveal his growing mastery over the sounds of the orchestra. It is as if his artistic voice becomes clearer and more impressive with each new work.
This is why his last six symphonies are his most popular symphonies. They are extraordinary masterpieces of the height of the Viennese Classical tradition, each revealing new perfections and variations of the sonata form. They include:
- Symphony No. 35 in D, ‘Haffner’ (named after a wealthy Salzburg family)
- Symphony No. 36 in C, ‘Linz’ (named after the Austrian town)
- Symphony No. 38 in D, ‘Prague’ (named after the Czech town)
- Symphony No. 39 in E flat
- Symphony No. 40 in G minor
- Symphony No. 41 in C, ‘Jupiter’ (named after the first movement)
(Wondering where No. 37 went? Apparently, the symphony which was once thought to be Mozart’s was later realized to be by another composer.)
We only have time to look at one symphony, so we will choose the first movement from No. 41. If, however, you would like to learn more about four of the other great symphonies, you can do so in the additional material “Mozart’s Great Symphonies.”
Watch Movement 1: Allegro Vivace from Symphony No. 41, K. 551 (8 min)
Performed by the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Karl Bohm, one of the most famous Mozart conductors. His style is careful and elegant, always maintaining the proper form and tempo.
Other Music
Like Bach, we have only been able to provide the barest outline of Mozart’s music. There are 626 pieces of music listed in the famous “Kochel” catalog (hence the “K” numbering system), spanning everything from symphonies to choral music to songs to dances to chamber music to opera. There is a good reason Mozart is often considered one of the three greatest composers of all time. He stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven, who will be the subject of our next lesson.