My undergraduate dissertation, “Form and „galant schemata‟ in Mozart‟s symphonic minuets,” comprised an investigation into the conventionality of Mozart‟s uses of punctuation form in this body of work, focused specifically on how his uses of what Robert Gjerdingen has termed “galant schemata” function in formal manipulations. I had three main research objectives. First, I wanted to uncover how Mozart‟s use of punctuation form compares with conventional practice at the time, focusing particularly on the techniques he uses in manipulating the “rules” governing it. Second, I wanted to explore how an examination of Mozart‟s uses of Gjerdingen‟s “galant schemata” can enrich and help to inform such a discussion. Here, I was focused upon the typicality of Mozart‟s uses of the schemata, and particularly how they function in formal manipulations. Finally, I wanted to trace how such manipulations develop throughout Mozart‟s output, for example how, if at all, the frequency and complexity of manipulations changes over time. To this end, I grouped the symphonies into three main periods: “early symphonies” (1766-1771); “Salzburg-era symphonies” (1771- 1774); and “late symphonies” (1779-1788).1 This essay is a condensed version of that study, conveying the most salient findings and some of the most interesting examples that arose from it. After outlining the context for the project and discussing the two main concepts upon, which it is based and the close link between them in some more detail, I will provide a general overview of my findings from across this entire body of work before pursuing a more
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Cliff Eisen, et al., "Mozart," Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online (Oxford University Press), accessed December 15, 2012, http://www.oxfor...
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...riod and it is remarkable how closely this
manipulation relates to that of K. 76 despite the vast chronological gap between them (approximately 15 years). Indeed, the Fonte itself is arguably less structurally complex than many examples from his early symphonies. The minuet falls within Koch‟s fifth formal category and, as such, contains a formal modulation to the key of the fifth in the second reprise, ending with a Kadenz in the key of the fifth (K/V, bar 18). Mozart closely follows this with the thematic return and Koch describes how, conventionally, this either begins immediately “or the melody is first led back again to the main key.”23 Mozart chooses the latter option, and it is here that the formal manipulation arises as, instead of forming the required V-phrase, he uses a tonic Fonte, ending on a I-chord prior to the thematic return (bars 19-22, Example 2).
...eview Dance Board. (2010, February 13). Mark Morris on Mozart. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from The Harvard Art Review: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~harvardartreview/wordpress/2010/02/24/mark-morris-on-mozart-2/
William Henry Hadow and Charles Rosen are two historians who talk primarily about musical context. Hadow sets his discussion in the framework of classical composers' movement away from Baroque forms. He says that when Beethoven and his contemporaries chose ternary form over Baroque binary, typified in the dance suite, they chose a structure that was then used successfully into the twentieth century. This was only poss...
Conclusively, while being one of his earliest works, Mozart’s Minuet in F Major (K.2) is far from primitive. His use of repetition and subtle melodic and rhythmic variations keep the melody interesting enough to retain the listener’s attention. Not only this, but the harmonic surprises of the modulation and deceptive cadence keep the listener guessing in the best way possible. While at the surface this work may seem like nothing more than an AABA 32-bar dance, there is much more than that hidden throughout the work. If this is what Mozart was capable of at the mere age of six, it is unsurprising that his legacy remains to this day.
Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven. Two composers who marked the beginning and the end of the Classical Period respectively. By analysing the last piano sonata of Haydn (Piano Sonata No. 62 in E-flat major (Hob. XVI:52)) and the first and last piano sonatas of Beethoven (Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 2, No.1, Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor Op. 111), this essay will study the development of Beethoven’s composition style and how this conformed or didn’t conform to the Classical style. The concepts of pitch and expressive techniques will be focused on, with a broader breakdown on how these two concepts affect many of the other concepts of music. To make things simpler, this essay will analyse only the first movements of each of the sonatas mentioned.
One of the most interesting challenges in operatic composition , is composing for all the specific characters. A composer has to distinguish between characters through his music. Jan can’t sound like Fran , and Dan can’t sound like Stan. Each character must have his or her own traits. Mozart’s opera , Don Giovanni , provides us with many different characters to compare and contrast. One scene in particular lends itself to the comparison of Don Giovanni , Leporello , and The Commendator. Scene fifteen of Act two, places all three characters in close interaction with each other , making it easy to compare and find out how Mozart and his Librettist Lorenzo da Ponte brought them all to life.
"The Mozart Project- Biography." The Mozart Project. mozartproject.org, 25, Apr 1998. Web. 22 Jun 2010. .
TitleAuthor/ EditorPublisherDate James Galways’ Music in TimeWilliam MannMichael Beazley Publishers1982 The Concise Oxford History of MusicGerald AbrahamOxford University Press1979 Music in Western CivilizationPaul Henry LangW. W. Norton and Company1941 The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Classical MusicRobert AinsleyCarlton Books Limited1995 The Cambridge Music GuideStanley SadieCambridge University Press1985 School text: Western European Orchestral MusicMary AllenHamilton Girls’ High School1999 History of MusicRoy BennettCambridge University Press1982 Classical Music for DummiesDavid PogueIDG Books Worldwide,Inc1997
Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 was his last and longest symphony he composed. While listening to this breathtaking piece of music, one specific aspect of this piece stood out to me; this being the instrumentation. In this symphony, many different instruments were used. While listening, I recognized many of them. A flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings make up this famous piece that is known world-wide by millions of people.
It is clear that Beethoven’s stands as being significant in development of the string quartet to a massive extent in creativity and innovation. His early quartets show great influence of those from the Classical period and with his own, has influenced his contemporaries and later composers. The quartets published later in his life show even greater imagination and use of expression. It is also through similar uses of texture, harmony, rhythm and counterpoint that composers of the Romantic period and the 20th century wrote their own string quartets. Beethoven’s however prove a huge advancement in how string quartets are written and the intensity of emotions that they portray.
My book report is from the biography of Mozart written by Robert W. Gutman. It was illustrated by the Jacket art courtesy of Music Lovers Society and was published by Harcourt Brace and Company. It was printed in New York City and the year of publication was 1999.
Countless dozens of Ph.D theses must be written about Mozart's The Magic Flute and yet it is so lively with elements of fantasy and free-flying imagination that it is often the first opera to which children are taken. It has a plot of such complexity that it takes several viewings for all but the most studious opera buffs to sort out the characters and follow the ins and outs of the multilevel story. At the same time it has so much easily accessible charm and so many glorious Mozart tunes that even the novice will be captivated.
The year is 1788 as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began to work on his last three symphonies during a time of strife for musicians as the Austro-Turkish War continues to war on in Austria. Tired from moving his family from central Vienna to the suburbs of Alsergrund all while in debt to his ears as he continued to borrow money from friends including a fellow mason, Michael Puchberg, Mozart finished his final symphony on August 10, 1788. This piece, nicknamed the “Jupiter Symphony,” coined by impresario Johann Peter Saloman, was Mozart’s longest symphony with a total of four movements, a typical symphonic form during the Classical era. The Jupiter Symphony totals to about forty five minutes of music ending with a quintuple fugato that brings back the five melodies introduced in the final movement making the closer one of the most complex examples of counterpoint that has ever been created. My goal shall be to give the reader a sense of Mozarts life at the time of this composition, a detailed analysis of all four of these movements, as well as a look at why this piece was seen as a work of innovation.
Stango, C. (n.d.). A Study of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, His Requiem, and Its Influence on Conducting. Retrieved from https://www.misericordia.edu/honorus/CStangoPaper.cfm
Arnold, Denis, ed. The New Oxford Companion to Music. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1983.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is often referred to as the greatest musical genius of all time in Western musical tradition. His creative method was extraordinary: his writings show that he almost always wrote a complete composition mentally before finally writing it on paper. Mozart created 600 works in his short life of 35 years. His works included 16 operas, 41 symphonies, 27 piano concerti, and 5 violin concerti, 25 string quartets, and 19 masses.