Biography of Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus
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Biography, life story of Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus is an Austrian composer, pianist and organist.
Childhood
Born January 27, 1756 in Salzburg (Austria) and at baptism received the names Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus. Mother - Maria Anna, nee Pertl; father - Leopold Mozart (1719-1787), composer and theorist, since 1743 - violinist in the court orchestra of the Salzburg Archbishop. Of the seven Mozart children, two survived: Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna. Both brother and sister had brilliant musical abilities: Leopold began to give his daughter harpsichord lessons when she was eight years old, and the Notebook with light pieces composed by her father in 1759 for Nannerl (as the girl was called by her relatives) came in handy later when teaching little Wolfgang. At the age of three, Mozart picked up thirds and sixths on the harpsichord, at the age of five he began to compose simple minuets.
First steps in music
In January 1762, Leopold took his miracle children to Munich, where they played in the presence of the Bavarian elector, and in September - to Linz and Passau, from there along the Danube - to Vienna, where they were received at court (in the Schönbrunn Palace) and were twice awarded reception at the Empress Maria Theresa. This journey marked the beginning of a series of concert tours that continued for ten years.
From Vienna, Leopold and his children moved along the Danube to Pressburg (now Bratislava, Slovakia), where they stayed from December 11 to 24, and then returned to Vienna by Christmas Eve. In June 1763, Leopold, Nannerl and Wolfgang began the longest of their concert trips: they returned home to Salzburg only by the end of November 1766. Leopold kept a travel diary: Munich, Ludwigsburg, Augsburg and Schwetzingen (the summer residence of the Elector of the Palatinate). On August 18, Wolfgang gave a concert in Frankfurt: by this time he had mastered the violin and played it freely, although not with such phenomenal brilliance as on keyboards; in Frankfurt, he performed his violin concerto (among those present in the hall was the 14-year-old Goethe). This was followed by Brussels and Paris, where the family spent the entire winter of 1763/1764. The Mozarts were received at the court of Louis XV during the Christmas holidays in Versailles and throughout the winter enjoyed great attention in aristocratic circles. At the same time, Wolfgang's four violin sonatas were first published in Paris.
CONTINUED BELOW
In April 1764 the family went to London and lived there for over a year. A few days after their arrival, the Mozarts were solemnly received by King George III. As in Paris, the children gave public concerts during which Wolfgang demonstrated his amazing abilities. Composer Johann Christian Bach, a favorite of London society, immediately appreciated the enormous talent of the child. Often, putting Wolfgang on his knees, he played sonatas with him on the harpsichord: they played in turn, each for several bars, and did this with such accuracy that it seemed as if one musician was playing. In London, Mozart composed his first symphonies. They followed the patterns of the gallant, lively and energetic music of Johann Christian, who became the boy's teacher, and demonstrated an innate sense of form and instrumental color. In July 1765 the family left London for Holland; in September in The Hague, Wolfgang and Nannerl suffered severe pneumonia, from which the boy recovered only by February.
Then they continued their tour: from Belgium to Paris, then to Lyon, Geneva, Bern, Zurich, Donaueschingen, Augsburg and finally to Munich, where the elector again listened to the miracle child play and was amazed at the success he had made. As soon as they returned to Salzburg (November 30, 1766), Leopold began to make plans for the next trip. It began in September 1767. The whole family arrived in Vienna, where at that time a smallpox epidemic was raging. The disease overtook both children in Olmutz (now Olomouc, Czech Republic), where they had to stay until December. In January 1768 they reached Vienna and were again received at court; Wolfgang at that time wrote his first opera, The Imaginary Simple Woman (La finta semplice), but its production did not take place due to the intrigues of some Viennese musicians. At the same time, his first great mass for choir and orchestra appeared, which was performed at the opening of the church at the orphanage in front of a large and friendly audience. By order, a trumpet concerto was written, which, unfortunately, has not been preserved. On the way home to Salzburg, Wolfgang performed his new symphony (K. 45a) at the Benedictine monastery in Lambach. (Note on the numbering of Mozart's works: In 1862 Ludwig von Köchel published a catalog of Mozart's works in chronological order. From that time on, the titles of the composer's works usually include the Köchel number - just as the compositions of other authors usually contain the designation of the opus. For example, the full title of the piano Concerto No. 20 will be: Concerto No. 20 in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra (K. 466. The Koechel Index has been revised six times. In 1964, the Breitkopf & Hertel publishing house (Wiesbaden, Germany) published a deeply revised and supplemented Koechel Index. It includes there are many works for which the authorship of Mozart was proved and which were not mentioned in earlier editions.The dates of the compositions are also corrected in accordance with the data of scientific research.In the edition of 1964, changes were made to the chronology, and, consequently, new numbers appeared in the catalog, however Mozart's works continue to exist under the old Koechel catalog numbers).
Creative way. 1770s
The purpose of the next trip planned by Leopold was Italy - the country of opera and, of course, the country of music in general. After 11 months of study and preparation for the trip in Salzburg, Leopold and Wolfgang began the first of three trips across the Alps. They were absent for more than a year (from December 1769 to March 1771). The first Italian journey turned into a chain of continuous triumphs - for the pope and the duke, for the king (Ferdinand IV of Naples) and for the cardinal and, most importantly, for the musicians. Mozart met with N. Picchini and G. B. Sammartini in Milan, with N. Yommelli, J. F., who headed the Neapolitan opera school. and Maio and G. Paisiello in Naples. In Milan, Wolfgang received a commission for a new opera seria to be performed during the carnival. In Rome, he heard G. Allegri's famous Miserere, which he later wrote down from memory. Pope Clement XIV received Mozart on July 8, 1770 and awarded him the Order of the Golden Spur. While studying counterpoint in Bologna with the famous teacher Padre Martini, Mozart began work on a new opera, Mithridates, King of Pontus (Mitridate, re di Ponto). At Martini's urging, he underwent an examination at the famous Bologna Philharmonic Academy and was accepted as a member of the academy. The opera was successfully shown at Christmas in Milan.
Wolfgang spent the spring and early summer of 1771 in Salzburg, but in August father and son went to Milan to prepare the premiere of the new opera Ascanio in Alba, which was successfully held on October 17. Leopold hoped to convince the Archduke Ferdinand, for whose wedding a festivity was organized in Milan, to take Wolfgang into his service; but by a strange coincidence, Empress Maria Theresa sent a letter from Vienna, where she expressed her displeasure with the Mozarts in strong terms (in particular, she called them "useless family"). Leopold and Wolfgang were forced to return to Salzburg, unable to find a suitable job for Wolfgang in Italy.
On the very day of their return, December 16, 1771, Prince-Archbishop Sigismund, who was kind to the Mozarts, died. Count Hieronymus Colloredo became his successor, and for his inaugural celebrations in April 1772, Mozart composed a "dramatic serenade" "Scipio's Dream" (Il sogno di Scipione). Colloredo accepted the young composer into the service with an annual salary of 150 guilders and gave permission to travel to Milan (Mozart undertook to write a new opera for this city); however, the new archbishop, unlike his predecessor, did not tolerate the Mozarts' long absences and was not inclined to admire their art.
The third Italian journey lasted from October 1772 to March 1773. Mozart's new opera Lucius Sulla (Lucio Silla) was performed the day after Christmas 1772, and the composer did not receive further opera orders. Leopold tried in vain to enlist the patronage of the Grand Duke of Florence, Leopold. Having made several more attempts to arrange his son in Italy, Leopold realized his defeat, and the Mozarts left this country, never to return there again.
For the third time, Leopold and Wolfgang tried to settle in the Austrian capital; they remained in Vienna from mid-July to the end of September 1773. Wolfgang had the opportunity to get acquainted with the new symphonic works of the Viennese school, especially the dramatic symphonies in minor keys by J. Wahnhal and; the fruits of this acquaintance are evident in his symphony in G minor (K. 183).
Forced to stay in Salzburg, Mozart devoted himself entirely to composition: at this time, symphonies, divertissements, works of church genres, as well as the first string quartet appeared - this music soon provided the author with a reputation as one of the most talented composers in Austria. The symphonies composed in late 1773 and early 1774 (for example, K. 183, 200, 201) are notable for their high dramatic integrity.
A short break from the Salzburg provincialism he hated was given to Mozart by an order from Munich for a new opera for the carnival of 1775: the premiere of The Imaginary Gardener (La finta giardiniera) was successfully held in January. But the musician almost did not leave Salzburg. A happy family life to some extent compensated for the boredom of Salzburg everyday life, but Wolfgang, who compared his current situation with the lively atmosphere of foreign capitals, gradually lost patience.
In the summer of 1777, Mozart was dismissed from the service of the archbishop and decided to seek his fortune abroad. In September, Wolfgang and his mother traveled through Germany to Paris. In Munich, the elector refused his services; on the way, they stopped at Mannheim, where Mozart was greeted friendly by local orchestra members and singers. Although he did not get a place at the court of Karl Theodor, he lingered in Mannheim: the reason was his love for the singer Aloysia Weber. In addition, Mozart hoped to make a concert tour with Aloisia, who had a magnificent coloratura soprano, he even went with her secretly to the court of the Princess of Nassau-Weilburg (in January 1778). Leopold initially believed that Wolfgang would go to Paris with a company of Mannheim musicians, letting his mother go back to Salzburg, but, having heard that Wolfgang was in love with no memory, he strictly ordered him to immediately go to Paris with his mother.
The stay in Paris, which lasted from March to September 1778, turned out to be extremely unsuccessful: on July 3, Wolfgang's mother died, and the Parisian court circles lost interest in the young composer. Although Mozart successfully performed two new symphonies in Paris and Christian Bach arrived in Paris, Leopold ordered his son to return to Salzburg. Wolfgang delayed the return as long as he could, and especially lingered in Mannheim. Here he realized that Aloysia was completely indifferent to him. It was a terrible blow, and only the terrible threats and entreaties of his father forced him to leave Germany.
Mozart's new symphonies (e.g. G major, K. 318; B flat major, K. 319; C major, K. 334) and instrumental serenades (e.g., D major, K. 320) are marked by crystal clear form and orchestration, richness and the subtlety of emotional nuances and that special cordiality that put Mozart above all Austrian composers, with the exception of perhaps.
In January 1779, Mozart again assumed the duties of organist at the archbishop's court with an annual salary of 500 guilders. Church music, which he was obliged to compose for Sunday services, is much higher in depth and variety than what he had previously written in this genre. The "Coronation Mass" and Missa solemnis in C major (K. 337) stand out in particular.
Mozart continued to feel hatred for Salzburg and the archbishop, and therefore gladly accepted the offer to write an opera for Munich. "Idomeneo, King of Crete" (Idomeneo, re di Creta) was staged at the court of Elector Karl Theodor (his winter residence was in Munich) in January 1781. Idomeneo was an excellent result of the experience acquired by the composer in the previous period, mainly in Paris and in Mannheim. The choral writing is especially original and dramatic.
At that time, the Salzburg archbishop was in Vienna and ordered Mozart to immediately go to the capital. Here, the personal conflict between Mozart and Colloredo gradually assumed alarming proportions, and after the resounding public success of Wolfgang in a concert given in favor of the widows and orphans of Viennese musicians on April 3, 1781, his days in the service of the archbishop were numbered. In May, he submitted his resignation, and on June 8 he was put out the door.
Against the will of his father, Mozart married Constanza Weber, the sister of his first lover, and the mother of the bride managed to get very favorable conditions from Wolfgang for a marriage contract (to the anger and despair of Leopold, who showered his son with letters, begging him to change his mind). Wolfgang and Constanta were married in the Vienna Cathedral of St. Stephen on August 4, 1782. Although Constanta was as helpless in money matters as her husband, their marriage, apparently, turned out to be a happy one.
In July 1782, Mozart's opera The Abduction from the Seraglio (Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail) was staged at the Vienna Burgtheater; it was a significant success, and Mozart became the idol of Vienna, not only in court and aristocratic circles, but also among concertgoers from the third estate. Within a few years, Mozart reached the pinnacle of fame; life in Vienna prompted him to a variety of activities, composing and performing. He was in great demand, tickets for his concerts (the so-called academies), distributed by subscription, sold out completely. For this occasion, Mozart composed a series of brilliant piano concertos. In 1784 Mozart gave 22 concerts in six weeks.
In the summer of 1783 Wolfgang and his fiancee paid a visit to Leopold and Nannerl in Salzburg. On this occasion, Mozart wrote his last and best Mass in C minor (K. 427), which has not come down to us in full (if the composer finished the composition at all). The mass was performed on October 26 at the Salzburg Peterskirche, with Constanza singing one of the soprano solo parts (Constanza, apparently, was a good professional singer, although her voice was in many ways inferior to that of her sister Aloysia.) Returning to Vienna in October, the couple stopped in Linz , where the Linz Symphony (K. 425) appeared. In February of the following year, Leopold paid a visit to his son and daughter-in-law in their large Viennese apartment near the cathedral (this beautiful house has survived to our time), and although Leopold could not get rid of his dislike for Constance, he admitted that his son's work as a composer and performers are doing very well.
By this time, the beginning of many years of sincere friendship between Mozart and. At a quartet evening at Mozart's in the presence of Leopold, turning to his father, he said: "Your son is the greatest composer I have ever known or heard of". and Mozart had a significant influence on each other; as for Mozart, the first fruits of this influence are evident in the cycle of six quartets which Mozart dedicated to a friend in a famous letter in September 1785.
In 1784 Mozart became a Freemason, which left a deep imprint on his philosophy of life; Masonic ideas can be traced in a number of Mozart's later works, especially in The Magic Flute. In those years, many scientists, poets, writers, and musicians well-known in Vienna were members of Masonic lodges (among them was one), Freemasonry was also cultivated in court circles. As a result of various operatic and theatrical intrigues, L. da Ponte, the court librettist, heir to the famous Metastasio, decided to work with Mozart as opposed to the clique of the court composer and rival of da Ponte, the librettist of the abbot Casti. Mozart and da Ponte began with Beaumarchais's anti-aristocratic play The Marriage of Figaro, by which time the ban had not yet been lifted from the German translation of the play. With the help of various tricks, they managed to obtain the necessary censorship permission, and on May 1, 1786, The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) was first shown at the Burgtheater. Although later this Mozart opera was a huge success, at the first production it was soon superseded by the new opera by V. Martin y Soler (1754-1806) Rare Thing (Una cosa rara). Meanwhile, in Prague, The Marriage of Figaro gained exceptional popularity (melodies from the opera sounded on the streets, danced to arias from it in ballrooms and in coffee houses). Mozart was invited to conduct several performances. In January 1787, he and Constanta spent about a month in Prague, and this was the happiest time in the life of the great composer. The director of the opera company, Bondini, ordered him a new opera. It can be assumed that Mozart himself chose the plot - the old legend about Don Giovanni; the libretto was to be prepared by none other than da Ponte. The opera Don Giovanni was first performed in Prague on October 29, 1787.
In May 1787, the composer's father died. This year generally became a milestone in the life of Mozart, with regard to its external flow and the composer's state of mind. His reflections were increasingly colored by deep pessimism; forever gone are the brilliance of success and the joy of youth. The peak of the composer's journey was the triumph of Don Giovanni in Prague. After returning to Vienna at the end of 1787, Mozart began to pursue failures, and at the end of his life - poverty. The production of Don Juan in Vienna in May 1788 ended in failure; at the reception after the performance, the opera was defended by one.
Mozart received the position of court composer and bandmaster of Emperor Joseph II, but with a relatively small salary for this position (800 guilders per year). The emperor understood little in music, both in music and in Mozart; about the works of Mozart, he said that they "not to the taste of the Viennese". Mozart had to borrow money from Michael Puchberg, his fellow Masonic.
In view of the hopelessness of the situation in Vienna (documents confirming how soon the frivolous Viennese forgot their former idol make a strong impression), Mozart decided to make a concert trip to Berlin (April-June 1789), where he hoped to find a place for himself at the court of the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II . The result was only new debts, and an order for six string quartets for His Majesty, who was a decent amateur cellist, and six clavier sonatas for Princess Wilhelmina. In 1789, the health of Constanta, then Wolfgang himself, deteriorated, and the financial situation of the family became simply threatening. In February 1790, Joseph II died, and Mozart was not sure that he could keep his post as court composer under the new emperor.
The celebrations for the coronation of Emperor Leopold were held in Frankfurt in the autumn of 1790, and Mozart went there at his own expense, hoping to attract the attention of the public. This performance (the “Coronation” clavier concerto, K. 537 was performed) took place on October 15, but did not bring any money. Returning to Vienna, Mozart met with; London impresario Zalomon came to London to invite him, and Mozart received a similar invitation to the English capital for the next winter season. He wept bitterly as he saw Zalomon off. "We'll never see each other again", he repeated. The previous winter, he invited only two friends, including Puchberg, to rehearsals of the opera Cos fan tutte.
In 1791, E. Schikaneder, a writer, actor and impresario, an old acquaintance of Mozart, ordered him a new opera in German for his Freihaustheater in the Viennese suburb of Wieden (the present An der Wien Theater), and in the spring Mozart began to work on "Magic Flute" (Die Zauberflte). At the same time, he received an order from Prague for the coronation opera - La clemenza di Tito, for which Mozart's student F.K. Süssmeier helped write some colloquial recitatives (secco). Together with a student and Constanza, Mozart went to Prague in August to prepare a performance, which was held without much success on September 6 (later this opera was very popular). Mozart then hastily left for Vienna to complete The Magic Flute. The opera was performed on September 30, and at the same time he completed his last instrumental work, a concerto for clarinet and orchestra in A major (K. 622).
Mozart was already ill when, under mysterious circumstances, a stranger came to him and ordered a requiem. It was the manager of Count Walsegg-Stuppach. The count commissioned a composition in memory of his dead wife, intending to perform it under his own name. Mozart, confident that he was composing a requiem for himself, feverishly worked on the score until his strength left him. November 15, 1791 he completed the "Little Masonic Cantata". Constanza was at that time being treated in Baden and hastily returned home when she realized how serious her husband's illness was. On November 20, Mozart fell ill and a few days later felt so weak that he took communion.
On the night of December 4-5, he fell into a delirious state and, in a semi-conscious state, imagined himself playing the timpani in Dies irae from his own unfinished requiem. It was almost one in the morning when he turned his back to the wall and stopped breathing. Constanța, broken by grief and without any means, had to agree to the cheapest funeral service in the chapel of the Cathedral of St. Stephen. She was too weak to accompany the body of her husband on a long journey to the cemetery of St. Mark, where he was buried in the third category in the presence of several of his devoted friends. The location of the grave was soon hopelessly forgotten. Süssmeier completed the requiem and orchestrated large unfinished text fragments left by the author.
The official version of the composer's cause of death is rheumatic fever. For a long time there was talk that his death was violent - allegedly, envious of Mozart's talent, he poisoned him. In 1997, a case was heard at the Palais de Justice in Milan; as a result, the accused was fully acquitted.
If during the life of Mozart his creative power was realized only by a relatively small number of listeners, then already in the first decade after the death of the composer, the recognition of his genius spread throughout Europe. This was facilitated by the success that The Magic Flute had with a wide audience. The German publisher André acquired the rights to most of Mozart's unpublished works, including his wonderful piano concertos and all of his later symphonies (none of which were printed during the composer's lifetime).
Mozart video by Wolfgang Amadeus
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