MOZART, WOLFGANG AMADEUS

in full Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptized as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart born Jan. 27, 1756, Salzburg, Archbishopric of Salzburg died Dec. 5, 1791, Vienna Austrian composer who, together with Joseph Haydn, represents the climax of the late 18th-century Viennese Classical style and who, by virtue of the extraordinary quality of his achievements in opera, chamber music, symphonies, and piano concerti, is regarded as one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time. Mozart began to compose when he was five and soon became proficient on the harpsichord and violin. He concentrated later on the pianoforte and was taken with his sister on tours of Europe by his father. He continued to compose while on his travels. From 1775 he was at Salzburg in the service of the archbishop until his break with him in 1781. The first of his mature operas, Idomeneo, was written for Munich in 1781. He settled in Vienna and, after years of waiting, was engaged by the emperor Joseph II as chamber composer in 1787. Meanwhile, he continued to earn his living as an independent musician and composer, producing many of his most famous concerti and symphonies. Despite successes, such as the operas The Marriage of Figaro in 1786 and Don Giovanni in 1787, he fell repeatedly into debt. His last great opera, Die Zauberflte (The Magic Flute), was first performed in 1791. In that year Mozart's health failed, and he died in the autumn. Mozart's three great operas place him with Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi in the triumvirate of opera composers who have no other equals. In Mozart's operas, music of virtually flawless workmanship is reconciled with all of the dramatic claims made by a libretto, resulting in the perfect delineation of characters and the faultless handling of complex emotion in unified musical pieces. Mozart's achievements in instrumental music are of equal importance to those in opera. He excelled at the writing of piano concerti, symphonies, piano sonatas, and string quartets. Especially notable are his last two symphonies, the Symphony No. 40 in G Minor and the Symphony No. 41 in C Major (both 1788), which carried that musical form beyond anything hitherto achieved in monumentality and power. Mozart made even greater contributions to the piano concerto, and the last 10 such works that he wrote for the instrument are among his masterpieces. He also wrote notable concerti for the violin, clarinet, and other instruments. Some of his later piano sonatas and string quartets are also very well known. His church music was climaxed by the Requiem in D minor, which he left unfinished at his death. born Jan. 27, 1756, Salzburg, Archbishopric of Salzburg died Dec. 5, 1791, Vienna in full Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart Austrian composer, widely recognized as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. With Haydn and Beethoven he brought to its height the achievement of the Viennese Classical school. Unlike any other composer in musical history, he wrote in all the musical genres of his day and excelled in every one. His taste, his command of form, and his range of expression entitle him to be considered the most universal of all composers. Additional reading The Mozart literature is vast. Sources and documents of his lifetime begin with his numerous letters that are available in a critical edition of the family correspondence, Mozart, Briefe und Aufzeichnungen: Gesamtausgabe, 7 vol., ed. by Wilhelm A. Bauer and Otto Erich Deutsch (196275); and in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Briefe, ed. by Albrecht Goes (1979). For the English translation of the correspondence, see Emily Anderson (ed.), The Letters of Mozart and His Family, 3rd ed. (1985, rev. 1989).A comprehensive bibliography of secondary sources appeared as the Mozart-Jahrbuch 1975 and in 1976 was published as Mozart-Bibliographie (bis 1970), Rudolph Angermller and Otto Schneider (comps.). These compilers have continued the bibliography in Mozart-Bibliographie, 19711975 (1978), Mozart-Bibliographie, 19761980 (1982), and Mozart-Bibliographie, 19811985 (1987). More selective bibliographies are included in many of the biographical works cited here.Basic secondary sources begin with a biography-obituary that appeared in the periodical Nekrolog auf das Jahr 1791, ed. by Friedrich Schlichtegroll (1793), vol. 2, pp. 82112, and supplement, 2, pp. 159ff. Other early biographies are Franz Xaver Niemetschek, Life of Mozart (1956, reprinted 1979; originally published in German, 1798); and Georg Nikolaus Von Nissen, Biographie W.A. Mozarts (1828, reprinted 1984). The first scholarly biography is Otto Jahn, Life of Mozart, 3 vol. (1882, reissued 1970; originally published in German, 185659). This work was later thoroughly revised and greatly enlarged for the 5th edition by Hermann Abert (ed.), W.A. Mozart, 2 vol. (191921, reissued 1983), but this edition has not been translated into English. Documentary sources are compiled and annotated in Otto Erich Deutsch, Mozart: A Documentary Biography, 2nd ed. (1966; originally published in German, 1961); it is supplemented by Joseph Heinz Eibl (comp.), Mozart: Die Dokumente seines Lebens: Addenda und Corrigenda (1978). Maximilian Zenger and Otto Erich Deutsch, Mozart and His World in Contemporary Pictures (1961), is a pictorial account with parallel English and German text.Other studies of the composer's life include Alfred Einstein, Mozart, His Character, His Work, trans. from German (1945, reissued 1971), a sympathetic and perceptive, if a little dated, work; Arthur Hutchings, Mozart, the Man, the Musician (1976), a generously illustrated exploration of the life and the career; Wolfgang Hildesheimer, Mozart (1982; originally published in German, 1977), a speculative psychological exploration; Michael Levey, The Life and Death of Mozart, rev. ed. (1988), an attempt to discover new links between life and music; Ivor Keys, Mozart: His Music in His Life (1980), a general introduction; Stanley Sadie, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, vol.12 (1980), pp. 680752, a biography with an exhaustive list of Mozart's works, available also as a monograph; and H.C. Robbins Landon, 1791, Mozart's Last Year (1988), a new interpretation of documentary sources.Discussions of Mozart's music include Charles Rosen, The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, rev. ed. (1976), a study of both the technicalities and aesthetics of the music. H.C. Robbins Landon and Donald Mitchell (eds.), The Mozart Companion (1956, reprinted 1981); and Paul Henry Lang (ed.), The Creative World of Mozart (1963), are collections of essays by specialists. Operas are surveyed in William Mann, The Operas of Mozart (1977), treating all of the composer's dramatic works; and Charles Osborne, The Complete Operas of Mozart: A Critical Guide (1978, reprinted 1986), an introductory guide. New standpoints on the operas are seen in Frits Noske, The Signifier and the Signified: Studies in the Operas of Mozart and Verdi (1977); Wye Jamison Allanbrook, Rhythmic Gesture in Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro & Don Giovanni (1983); Brigid Brophy, Mozart the Dramatist: The Value of His Operas to Him, to His Age, and to Us, rev. ed. (1988), a psychoanalytical study; and Andrew Steptoe, The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: The Cultural and Musical Background to Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cos fan tutte (1988). The Cambridge Opera Handbooks series offers valuable surveys of individual operas: Julian Rushton, W.A. Mozart: Don Giovanni (1981); Tim Carter, W.A. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (1987); and Thomas Bauman, W.A. Mozart: Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail (1987).For instrumental music, see Arthur Hutchings, A Companion to Mozart's Piano Concertos, 2nd ed. (1950, reprinted 1980), an enthusiastic, personal survey; and the works from the useful BBC Music Guides series: A. Hyatt King, Mozart Chamber Music (1968, reprinted 1986), and Mozart Wind and String Concertos (1978, reprinted 1986); Stanley Sadie, Mozart Symphonies (1986); and Erik Smith, Mozart Serenades, Divertimenti, and Dances (1982). Alan Tyson, Mozart: Studies of the Autograph Scores (1987), offers fascinating glimpses into Mozart's creative workshop; while A. Hyatt King, Mozart in Retrospect: Studies in Criticism and Bibliography (1955, reprinted with revisions, 1976), looks at his changing image and reputation over the years. Stanley Sadie Major Works: Catalog Mozart's works are listed in the catalog of Ludwig Ritter Von Kchel, Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichniss smtlicher Tonwerke Wolfgang Amade Mozarts (1862). It was twice significantly revised and enlarged, namely, for the 3rd ed., edited by Alfred Einstein (1937), with suppl. (1947), and the 6th ed., edited by Franz Giegling, Alexander Weinmann, and Gerd Sievers (1964, reprinted 1983).The following list excludes works that are lost, of doubtful authenticity, or substantially incomplete. Vocal works Sacred works 7 long masses (1 incomplete); 7 short masses; Requiem, K 626, 1791 (incomplete); 4 litanies; 2 vespers; 22 motets and miscellaneous works (including Exsultate, jubilate, K 165, 1773); 17 church sonatas. Oratorios and cantatas 2 oratorios; 1 act of a sacred drama; Passion cantata; 4 Masonic cantatas. Dramatic works 15 operas (including Idomeneo, r di Creta, K 366, 1781; Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail, K 384, 1782; Le nozze di Figaro, K 492, 1786; Don Giovanni, K 527, 1787; Cos fan tutte, K 588, 1790; Die Zauberflte, K 620, 1791; La clemenza di Tito, K 621, 1791); 2 serenatas; 1 ballet; 1 Latin intermezzo; incidental music. Miscellaneous vocal 17 pieces for 2 to 4 voices with orchestra, ensemble, or piano; 48 songs and arias with orchestra (some for insertion into operas); 31 songs with piano; 15 vocal and 20 unspecified canons. Instrumental works Symphonies 56 symphonies, with some adapted from overtures and serenades (the traditional numbering up to 41 omits many and includes three not by Mozart), including No. 38 in D Major (Prague), K 504, 1786; No. 39 in E-flat Major, K 543, 1788; No. 40 in G Minor, K 550, 1788; No. 41 in C Major (Jupiter), K 551, 1788. Other orchestral and ensemble music 21 serenades (including Serenata notturna, K 239, 1776; Serenade in D Major , K 250, 1776; Serenade in D Major [Posthorn], K 320, 1779; Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K 525, 1787), cassations, and divertimentos; 17 serenades and divertimentos for wind instruments; 13 marches, 105 minuets, 56 German dances, 47 contredanses. Concertos For piano, 21, 7 arrangements of music by other composers, and 2 rondos (the traditional numbering includes 2 multiple concertos and 4 arrangements); 1 for 2 pianos; 1 for 3 pianos; 5 for violin; 1 Concertone, K 190, 1774, for two violins; 1 Sinfonia concertante, K 364, 1779, for violin and viola; 2 for flute; 1 for oboe; 1 for clarinet; 1 for bassoon; 3 and 1 incomplete for horn. Chamber music 6 string quintets; 26 string quartets and Adagio and Fugue, K 546, 1788; 2 string trios; 2 string duos; 1 duo for bassoon and cello; 4 flute quartets; 1 oboe quartet; 1 clarinet quintet; 1 horn quintet; 1 quintet for piano and winds; 2 piano quartets; 7 piano trios (1 with clarinet); adagio and rondo for glass harmonica, wind, and strings; 32 sonatas and 2 sets of variations for piano and violin. Keyboard music 19 piano sonatas; 5 sonatas for piano duet; 1 two-piano sonata; 16 sets of variations for piano; 1 set of variations for piano duet; 27 pieces for piano; fugue for 2 pianos; 3 pieces for mechanical organ; adagio for glass harmonica.