Music Appreciation May 2010 Mozart and Beethoven Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are two of the greatest composers ever to write music. Both men lived in the early 18th and 19th century, but their music and influences are still felt today. The men faced similar experiences, yet they both lead very different lives. All together the pieces that these men composed amounts to over 300 published, and unpublished works of art. The people of their time period often had mixed feelings about these men, some “complained that Mozart’s music presented them with too many ideas and that his melodies moved from one to the next faster than audiences could follow, yet the ideas themselves seem effortless and natural, clear and unforced.” (Bonds 210-211) Beethoven’s criticisms ranged from ‘genius’ to grim dislike. Mozart and Beethoven were influenced by things going on around them such as: love, nature, and the Enlightenment. Mozart’s father Leopold Mozart was a somewhat know composer and violinist who recognized Wolfgang’s talent for the piano early in his life. The father quit his job to make sure that his son could meet the best musical education possible, however he was not only thinking of the well-being of his son, he was also focusing on the financial benefits that could come from his young prodigy son. Wolfgang also had a very musically talented sister, Maria Anna; their father took them both on concert tours all over Europe, starting when Wolfgang was six years old. Maria Anna eventually decided to quit touring, possibly because she lived under her brothers shadow, and realized that, because she was a woman, her musical opportunities were limited. While Wolfgang was touring Europe, his mother became very ill... ... middle of paper ... ...udwig van Beethoven. 2004 Lorelette Knowles, n.d. Web. 26 May 2010. http://www.osscs.org/notes/beethoven_op124.html. Works Cited Bonds, Mark. Listen to This. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. 208, 210-211. Print "Beethoven." N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2010. http://www.beethoven.org.pl/en/encyklopedia/beethoven/tworczosc BEETHOVEN AND HIS BONN FRIEND. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2010. http://raptusassociation.org/freundewegeler_e.html. "A Mozart Biography." W.A.Mozart. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2010. http://www.mozart.biz/. “Ludwig van Beethoven." COMPOSERS. 2001 Sony Music Entertainment, n.d. Web. 26 May 2010.http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/composer/beethoven.html. "Orchestra Settle." Ludwig van Beethoven. 2004 Lorelette Knowles, n.d. Web. 26 May 2010. http://www.osscs.org/notes/beethoven_op124.html.
The result of Mozart's discovered genius was not only the praise of hundreds across Europe during his childhood tour, but also the ever-watchful eye of Leopold Mozart, his ambitious and needy father. Because of Leopold's need to protect and constantly supervise his prized instrument, Mozart, Leopold grew dependent on his son and never ceased to remind Mozart of it. Eventually, like most child prodigies, the greater the parent's anxiety and the greater the pressure he puts on the child, the more internally resentful and conflicted the child becomes, stunting his transition into a grown man. In Leopold's letter to his wife and Mozart on September 25, 1777 from Salzburg, Leopold reminds Mozart to "ask for letters of recommendation and especially for a letter from the Bishop of Chiemsee." Leopold knows exactly how to reap profits and network through Mozart and doesn't fail to capitalize on that fact, even when Leopold is in Salzburg while Mozart is miles away on tour in Europe. After the tragic death of Maria Anna, Leopold Mozart's letter to his son on August 3, 1778 in Salzburg puts a large weight on Mozart, and even goes as far as to blame his son for Maria Anna's death. Realizing Mozart is no longer under strict scrutiny of a family member in close proximity, Leopold goes on to say, "rest assured, my dearest son, that if you stay away, I shall die much sooner." The situation Leopold presents his son is a complex one. Mozart is a young man seeking independence and fame now that his family is not following his every footstep, but his father has grown more dependent on Mozart than ever. Mozart is more internally conflicted between his ambitions and family obligations as ever, as he writes to his friend Abbe Bullinger on August 7, 1778: "You say that I should now think only of my father and that I should disclose all my thoughts to him with entire frankness and put my trust in him.
Leonard Bernstein once said, “Mozart is all music; there is nothing you can ask from music that he cannot supply…bathed in a glitter that could have come only from the eighteenth century...It is a perfect product of the age of reason – witty, objective, graceful, delicious. And yet over it all hovers the greater spirit that is Mozart’s – the spirit of compassion, of universal love, even of suffering – a spirit that knows no age, that belongs to all ages” (Kenyon 19-20). Mozart’s effervescent spirit is apparent in letters that he wrote to his family and friends. These letters show that Mozart lived a life full of family feuds, heartbreaks, romance, triumphs, and failures in the short span of thirty-five years. Mozart’s letters prove that he took the music of the eighteenth century and reinvented it using perspective gained in the course of events in his lifetime.
So when the six-year-old Wolfgang had proved his extraordinary talents at the keyboard, Leopold was keen to exhibit those talents along with those of his gifted pianist daughter, Nannerl. Thus Leopold undertook a four month tour of Vienna and the surrounding area, visiting every noble house and palace he could find, taking the entire family with him. Mozart's first known public appearance was at Salzburg University in September of 1761, when he took part in a theatrical performance with music by Eberlin. Like other parents of his time, Leopold Mozart saw nothi...
Mozart was born to a deputy Kapellmeister to the court orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg. Leopold, Mozart’s father, was also a minor composer and teacher. Mozart’s musical abilities were first noticed when he showed great interest in the music lessons of his older sister. By the age of five, the Mozart family was touring European courts. The young Mozart showed great ability in the playing and composition of small pieces, many of which were transcribed by his father, and survive today. Eventually, Leopold gave up his own composing to concentrate on the talents of his young son. Leopold was also the early teacher of all of Mozart’s studies. After extensive touring from 1762 to 1773, Mozart was given employ at the Salzburg court at the age of 17. There, he had the op...
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91), Austrian composer, a centrally important composer of the classical era, and one of the most inspired composers in Western musical tradition.
Wolfgang started learning music at a very early age from his dad Leopold, who was a violin player. At the age of six he began composing and by eight he had written symphonies. His father toured Mozart and his sister around for the entertainment of nobles across Europe. From 1963 to 1973 Mozart went on tour with his father and family. He performed both publicly and privately for nobles of the time and often was asked to write music for weddings and other special occasions. While his father was often inflexible and hard to deal with, the tours that he went on were mostly improvised. “In 1777 Wolfgang went on a tour with his mother to Munich, Mannheim, and Paris. It was in Paris that his mother died suddenly in July, 1778. With no prospects of a job, Mozart dejectedly returned to Salzburg in 1779 and became court organist to the Archbishop.”(Sherrane, 1.2)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven are very famous past composers that have created many pieces that have influenced not just people of their time, but people in modern times as well.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. He had a mother and father who were musicians, Maria and Leopold Pertl Mozart, as well as an older sister, Maria Anna. Leopold wanted his children to be influenced by music and began teaching his daughter piano at age seven. While they practiced, three-year-old Wolfgang watched and was able gradually to recognize and play music.
“What's even worse than a flute? - Two flutes!” Those very words came out of arguably the greatest composer to ever live. Capturing the jovial personality of the great man, the quote shows his outlook on life. Even though he only lived for 35 years, he influenced the music realm than any other musician. His early, middle, and late life all made up the person we think of today when someone says the name, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Mozart and Beethoven were two of the most famous musicians of all time. Mozart and Beethoven both accomplished a great deal during their lives. Although there may be many similarities between the two, there are definitely some things that make them different.
These composers and their music have a lot in common. For a time, both lived in Vienna, composed in all of the major genres, and expressed an indefinable element of charm or even whimsy in their works. Yet, in other respects, they could not have been more different. One was a venerated gentleman, the other an impudent young man. One held a long, prosperous position with a respected music-loving aristocratic family, the other suffered through tremendous financial ups and downs, partly incurred by his own mismanagement. One was a self-made musician who lived to the ripe age of 77, the other a child prodigy who died at 35. Together they wrote the greatest music of the Classical age and, thus, are considered two of the greatest composers the world has ever known.
At this time Wolfgang was only 3 years old. While watching her play he begin to mimic her playing. His father noticed that he had a great understanding of tempo, chords, and tonality. So he began to teach Mozart. At the age of five Mozart was almost as good as his father(Biology). You might say that his father and sister are why he grew to be such a great musician. Or it might just be because of his amazing natural talent at music. In 1762 Wolfgang and his sister went on their first trip to court. Wolfgang was 6 and Nannerl was 11. They traveled to Paris, London, The Hague, and Zurich. They performed as child prodigies. At one point in the trip Wolfgang and his family became ill and they had to cancel some performances. They were on this trip for about three and a half years(Biology). Along the way they met many important composers on of them being Johann Christian Bach. In 1769 Wolfgang And his father went another trip this time without his sister. On this trip Mozart even wrote a piece or two. That was the last trip with that he took with his
He wrote over 600 compositions that included things like piano, operatic and choral music. He would have written more if he hadn’t died so early. Mozart’s parents were Leopold and Anna Maria Pertl Mozart. Wolfgang was born into a very musical family in Salzburg, Austria. Leopold was a famous composer as well.
Comparing and contrasting two greatly proliferated composers is always a difficult task, regardless of the fact that they were contemporaries. In this paper, I will be comparing Franz Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven because of their interesting dynamic on an interpersonal level, as well as what can be gained by studying the differences between their music and trademarks. Also, because of the many aspects of Beethoven and Haydn’s lives that were occasionally manifested inside of their music.