When was Amadeus Mozart born? Vienna Classical School: Amadeus Mozart

- a brilliant Austrian opera composer, conductor, virtuoso violinist, organist, who had a phenomenal ear for music and the ability to improvise. Recognized as one of the greatest composers.

Born on January 27, 1756 in the city of Salzburg (present-day territory of Austria) into a musical family. Mozart's father, Leopold, worked as a music teacher in the court orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg. He also taught little Mozart the basics of playing the violin and organ. Already at the age of three, Mozart was selecting thirds on the harpsichord, and at the age of five he was composing simple minuets.

In 1762, the young composer and his family moved to Vienna and then to Munich, where he gave concerts with his sister. Then the whole family travels to the cities of Germany, Holland, Switzerland, stopping in Paris and London, where they are met with delight and surprise from listeners, amazed by the beauty and poetry of the music.

In 1763 (at the age of 7) Wolfgang's first sonatas for harpsichord and violin were published in Paris. In 1770, Mozart went to Italy, where he met the then popular Italian composer Joseph Mysliveček. In the same year, Mozart's first opera, Mithridates, King of Pontus, was staged in Milan, which was received with great success by the public. A year later, with the same success, the second opera, “Lucius Sulla,” was published. Even at the age of seventeen, he had 4 operas, 13 symphonies, 24 sonatas, as well as a huge number of small compositions.

On one of his travels, the young composer, for the first time in his life, truly falls in love with 16-year-old Aloysia Weber and spends a lot of time with her. But soon Mozart’s father finds out about these meetings and orders his son to immediately return home, since the social status of the Weber family is lower than the Mozarts.

Mozart's wife Constanze

Returning to Salzburg in 1779, Mozart received the position of court organist. But already in 1781 he finally moved to Vienna, where at the age of 26 he married Constance Weber.

Here in Vienna he becomes widely known. However, he did not succeed with opera, and only in 1786 was “The Marriage of Figaro” staged. But after some performances it was removed and was not performed for a long time. But in Prague the opera receives great success, thanks to which the composer receives new orders from Prague.

And already in 1787 the opera “Don Juan” was published. In the same year, Mozart received the position of “Imperial and Royal Chamber Musician.” The composer's salary consists of 800 florins, but this cannot fully support Mozart, and he accumulates debts. Trying to somehow improve his financial situation, Mozart recruits students, but this is not enough to pay off his debts. For a long time, the composer enjoyed the patronage of Emperor Joseph, but in 1790 he died, and Leopold II ascended the throne, who turned out to be indifferent to Mozart’s music. The composer's financial situation becomes so hopeless that he is forced to leave Vienna in order to avoid persecution by creditors.

In 1790 - 1791, Mozart's last operas were published: “This is what everyone does,” “La Clemenza di Titus,” and “The Magic Flute.”

On November 20, feeling very weak, Mozart took ill, and on December 5, the thirty-six-year-old musical genius was gone.

The cause of his death is controversial; most researchers believe that he died of rheumatic fever. However, there are legends about the poisoning of Mozart by the composer Salieri. The burial place of the great composer was a grave for the poor in the suburbs of Vienna, in St. Mark's Cemetery. His presumed remains were then transferred to the Vienna Central Cemetery Zentralfriedhof.

Famous works:

Operas:

• “The Duty of the First Commandment”, 1767 – theatrical oratorio
• “Apollo and Hyacinth”, 1767 – student musical drama
• "Bastien and Bastienne", 1768
• "The Feigned Simpleton", 1768
• “Mithridates, King of Pontus”, 1770 – in the tradition of Italian opera
• “Ascanius in Alba”, 1771 – opera-serenade
• “Lucius Sulla”, 1772 – opera seria
• "The Imaginary Gardener", 1774
• "The Marriage of Figaro", 1786

Other works

• 17 masses, including:
• "Great Mass", 1782
• "Requiem", 1791
• 41 symphonies, including:
• "Parisian", 1778
• 27 concertos for piano and orchestra.

Lev Gunin

THE LIFE OF MOZART AND ITS SECRETS

PART ONE

(CONTINUATION)

BIOGRAPHY

Birth: January 27, 1756. Place of birth: Salzburg (Austria). At baptism he received the names Johann Chrysostomos Wolfgang Theophilus (Gottlieb) Mozart ( Joannes Chrisostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart). Mother - Maria Anna Pertl. Father - Leopold Mozart (1719-1787), an outstanding composer, teacher and theorist. Even before Wolfgang's birth, in 1743, Leopold received a position as a violinist in the court orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg. Maria Anna and Leopold had seven children. Perhaps they all had pronounced musical abilities. The monstrous infant mortality rate of that time claimed five. Only two survived: Maria Anna (Nannerl) and her younger brother Wolfgang. Both are endowed with extraordinary musical talent. Like Johann Sebastian Bach with his distinguished sons, Leopold Mozart began teaching music to his son and daughter from a very early age. Like Bach, in 1759 he himself composed a notebook of harpsichord pieces with children's repertoire. Leopold's teaching talent and the brilliant abilities of his children worked wonders. Five-year-old Wolfgang is already composing simple minuets.

Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang's father, mother,
and the Mozart family (right)

However, Mozart the father was not only a strong teacher, but also an enterprising man. His son and daughter became his tools of the trade. The father decided to make a fortune from them. January, 1762. The first “run-in” of two child prodigies (miracle children): a trip to Munich, a large, brilliant cultural center, where the three of them played in the presence of the Bavarian Elector. At that time, Germany was fragmented into many small states - kingdoms or principalities - each ruled by a separate monarch. The decision to start the first foreign tour with her reflects the entrepreneurial flair of Leopold Mozart. The German public was not as spoiled and capricious as the Austrian one, and did not turn away from its own German performers. In Austria, it should be noted, the Italian school dominated. Italy was for centuries part of the Austrian (Holy Roman) Empire, as were Hungary, Bohemia (Czech Republic), Slovakia, and other countries. Therefore, the passion for Italian music in no way ran counter to Austrian patriotism. Moreover, the preference for Italian masters over German ones did not reflect the suppression of German national musical art, but the desire of the nobility to distance themselves from the people, to put an impenetrable partition between themselves and the rabble playing music on the streets of Vienna. Only after Germany, having collected reviews and recommendations, Leopold Mozart and his children made a tour of his native Austria: in September 1762 he visited Linz and Passau, from where he arrived in Vienna along the Danube.

Salzburg Palace

Salzburg Church

Mozart's sister, Nannerl

The favorable reception in Germany and recommendations did their job: the Mozarts were treated kindly at court, they were admitted to the Schönbrunn Palace, and twice they were received by Empress Maria Theresa herself. They get to Pressburg (as the Austrian conquerors renamed Slovak Bratislava) again along the Danube, where they stay until Christmas, and by Christmas Eve they are back in Vienna.

In a palace

From June 1763 to November 1766, the Mozarts toured for three long years, visiting almost all of Europe: Munich, Schwetzingen (summer residence of the Elector of the Palatinate), Ludwigsburg, Augsburg, Frankfurt, Brussels, Bern, Zurich, Geneva, Lyon, Paris, London. This is not the complete itinerary of their travels. In Frankfurt, Wolfgang performed his own violin concerto, and among the audience was 14-year-old Goethe. Reception at the court of Louis XV. Performances in the luxurious Versailles during the Christmas holidays, and - after them - the tenderness and enthusiastic squeal of the French aristocracy. The works of seven-year-old Mozart (four violin sonatas) were published for the first time in Paris. Then London (April 1764): for more than a year. Just a few days since we arrived, and have already been received by King George III.

Concert

Only princes of royal blood were awarded the honor of communicating with the monarchs of the leading countries of Europe, and even then not just any princes, but those belonging (like almost all European autocrats, including Russian ones) to the Habsburg family (another element of the world order established by the Austrian imperial house). In front of a large crowd of people, the children demonstrated their phenomenal musical abilities, in much the same way as circus children walking on a tightrope. Johann Christian Bach, one of the sons of the great J. S. Bach, who lived in London, saw in Wolfgang a great genius, and not a living toy. Valued by London society no less than Handel, Johann Christian was a truly outstanding composer.

Mozart in London (he is 11 years old), portrait made by
J Vander Smissen

In his well-known work, the Soviet musicologist B. Levik describes how, having sat Wolfgang on his knees, the famous composer played with him four hands, or in turn, performing harpsichord sonatas. The child and the experienced husband grasped each other’s style so subtly that even when they played, each in turn, for 4-8 bars, it seemed that it was the same musician playing. It is no coincidence that it was in London that the young composer wrote his first symphonies. They appeared under the influence of the personality and music, and also the lessons of Johann Christian Bach.

After London, in The Hague (September 1765), Wolfgang and Nannerl barely survived, suffering from severe pneumonia. The boy began to recover only in February 1766. Despite this, the tour continues. The names of cities flashed like roadside posts. And, as if specifically according to the laws of classical drama, Munich again puts an end to it, where the Bavarian Elector again listens to the child prodigy, amazed at the successes he has made in such a short time. We didn’t stay too long in Salzburg. In September 1767, the whole family had already arrived in Vienna. The terrible smallpox epidemic that raged there managed to touch children in the Czech Republic with its bony hand, where it released them only by December. And, already in January 1768, without wasting any time, they again appeared in Vienna, receiving a reception at court. It was then that the fateful intrigues of the Viennese musicians sounded like Beethoven’s leitmotif of fate, because of which the production of the first opera written by the child prodigy, " La finta semplice"("The Imaginary Simpleton"), was torn down.

Mozart in 1789. Drawing by Doris Stock

It is significant that it was during that period, at the end of the 1760s, that young Mozart outlined the main directions of his composing interests: he tried himself in the genres of opera, mass (his large mass for choir and orchestra was performed at the opening of a church), concerto (for trumpet) , symphony (K. 45a; performed in Lambach, in the Benedictine monastery), sonata, quartet. This period of Mozart’s work has already been included in the classification of Ludwig von Köchel (the letter K before the serial number of the work), who periodized and divided into opuses the entire work of the great composer; this classification, supplemented and rethought (the largest revision - 1964), has survived to this day.

The musical heart of the Austrian Empire was undoubtedly Italy: where refined taste, school, canons and exactingness surpassed everything that could then be found in Europe. It is no coincidence that Mozart the father left the tour of Italy “for an appetizer”, having previously strengthened his position in other countries. And yet he was not yet sure that he could conquer Italy; Therefore, intensive training and preparation for the trip lasted 11 (!) months (Salzburg). In total, Wolfgang moved with his father through the Alps 3 times, spending a total of more than a year in Italy (1769 - 1771). Despite all the fears and skepticism, the tour of Italy turned out to be a brilliant triumph. It was possible to conquer everyone: the highest elite circles, the supreme authorities, the aristocracy in a general sense, the general public, and even demanding musicians. The Mozarts were accepted and favored by Pope Clement XIV (on July 8, 1770, he awarded Wolfgang the Order of the Golden Spur) and Cardinal, Duke of Milan and Neapolitan Ferdinand IV of Naples, and other rulers. Local musicians gave them an equally warm welcome. In Milan N. Piccini and Giuseppe Sammartini meet with Wolfgang, in Naples the head of the local opera school N. Iomelli, composers Giuseppe Paisiello and Mayo. In Rome, Mozart listened to the famous " Miserere"Allegri, whose notes were forbidden to be copied and taken out under pain of punishment. Wolfgang, leaving the church, wrote down the entire work from memory. No one had such a phenomenal musical ("spatial"!) memory.

House in Salzburg where Mozart was born

The crowning success was orders for essays. In Milan, Mozart the son was commissioned to perform an opera seria for the carnival season. In Bologna, he studied counterpoint under the guidance of the legendary teacher, Padre Martini, and began to fulfill the order: opera "Mitridate, re di Ponto" ("Mithridates, King of Pontus"). Martini insisted that Mozart undergo the test of the famous Bologna Philharmonic Academy. After the exam, the academy accepted him as a member. At Christmas the new opera was a success in Milan. A new order followed - " Ascanio in Alba"In August 1771, father and son appeared in Milan to prepare it. The opera, which premiered on October 17, was a great success.

1770. Mozart in Verona, Italy (Salieri was born near Verona)

A bright future awaited young Mozart in Italy. This country, its mentality, its atmosphere best suited the character of Mozart's genius, his sunny cheerfulness, hedonism, open and friendly character. It comes as no surprise that his father understood this best. Leopold Mozart is trying by all means to obtain a place for his son in Italy, trying to secure him there. Before the upcoming wedding of Archduke Ferdinand - and the festivities on this occasion in Milan - Leopold persistently asks the Archduke to take Wolfgang into his service. According to existing legend, Ferdinand grants this request.

And here something completely fantastic begins; at least - inexplicable.

When it became clear that - after the royal letter - Wolfgang would not get a job, place, or livelihood, father and son reluctantly returned to Salzburg, to their sweet but disgusted cell. Another strange, macabre coincidence immediately followed, “welcoming” them to their hometown with a gloomy cannonade. On December 16, 1771, precisely on the day of their return, their ardent admirer and kind patron, Prince-Archbishop Sigismund, dies. His successor, Count Jerome Colloredo, was hardly the monster portrayed in thousands of biographical sketches. Firstly, Colloredo accepts the young composer into his service, ensuring his existence with an annual salary of 150 guilders, which is quite enough for Salzburg at that time. Secondly, he orders him a "dramatic serenade" Il sogno di Scipione"("The Dream of Scipio"), on the occasion of his inaugural celebrations (April 1772); thirdly, gives permission for Wolfgang to travel to Milan to prepare a new opera" Lucio Silla"(from late autumn 1772 to spring 1773).

The Empress’s destructive letter to his career and the death of Archbishop Sigismund could not but cause mental trauma, and the opera was not as successful as the previous ones, not evoking the usual response from the public; however, even this cannot explain the complete absence of new orders and the strangely hostile attitude. No, this is a clear conspiracy organized against the Mozarts at a very high level. Wolfgang's father probed the situation by appealing for the patronage of the Grand Duke of Florence Leopold, a patron of the arts and guardian of art. The Duke's reaction turned out to be cool, which meant only one thing: someone was interfering with the career of the young genius in Italy. After several more attempts to gain support from higher circles, Leopold was forced to leave this country forever. B. Levik calls Mozart's third stay in Italy the last relatively bright period of his life.

In the capital of the empire, Vienna, everything that happened in Italy was repeated. The silent wariness of those in power and other influential persons, sometimes turning into open hostility, intrigue in musical circles, and harsh pressure. In Salzburg, Mozart finds himself in a situation that can, without much of a stretch, be called house arrest. Deprived of all hope, cut off from a further career, he seeks salvation and consolation in creativity, writing furiously. Quartets, symphonies (K. 183, 200, 201), sacred compositions, divertissements: genre “omnivorousness” is the earliest symptoms of graphomania. As we see, those who persecuted him are to blame for the development of this creative “illness” in Mozart. The relaxation of the Salzburg "house arrest" came in connection with the composition and production of a new Munich opera (for the carnival of 1775), " La finta giardiniera" ("The Imaginary Gardener"), one of the most important milestones in his work.

The provincial life of Salzburg and the intolerability of a dependent position overflowed Mozart's patience. He breaks with the new archbishop (the final break occurred during the Munich production of the opera Idomnea in 1781), becoming the first musician in history to reject a dependent position. He speaks of the archbishop in the harshest terms, calling the latter a scoundrel and other abusive words, which is completely unusual for that time when class barriers and social hierarchy seemed indestructible. It is noteworthy that the break with the archbishop marked the beginning of attempts to “break with Austria” in general, i.e. leave for good. This intention of fleeing abroad, into emigration, was also supported by Leopold. However, the arms of the Austrian monarchy were very long, long enough to prevent Wolfgang from gaining a foothold in any other capital. The degree of determination of the Austrian imperial dynasty to expand its “guardianship” over Mozart to foreign countries was underestimated even by such a very perspicacious and sober person as his father.

In September 1777, Wolfgang went with his mother to Paris, with the firm intention of staying there. The way there lay through the German states, where it turned out that Mozart was in disgrace, almost persona non grata. The Elector of Munich almost pointedly refused him. Along the way, mother and son stopped in Mannheim, an important opera center in Germany. And here, at the court of Karl Theodor, Mozart actually received a demonstrative refusal. Contrary to the attitude of higher circles, local instrumentalists and vocalists greeted Mozart warmly and friendly. But that was not what made him linger. He fell madly in love with the singer Aloysia Weber. Her magnificent voice (gorgeous coloratura soprano) and bright stage appearance played an important role. However, hopes for a big concert tour with her were not destined to come true. At first she sympathizes with Wolfgang, and in January 1778 the two of them go (incognito) to the court of the Princess of Nassau-Weilburg. Obviously, the cheerful nature of the young genius refuses to accept the scenario of conspiracy and accountability (in the “Mozart case”) of all these petty princes, princes and princesses to the Austrian crown. Presumably, the refusal of the Princess of Nassau-Weilburg had a sobering effect on the pragmatic Aloysia, and she lost interest in Mozart. Hoping to revive him, Wolfgang lets his mother go to Salzburg, while he stays behind. However, the father, who learned that his child had not gone to Paris accompanied by Mannheim musicians (as reported), but was wandering aimlessly around Mannheim in paroxysms of unrequited love, with all his paternal authority forced his son to immediately go to Paris with his mother.

In 1778, he was offered the position of court organist at Versailles, under the direct patronage of the sister of the Austrian Emperor Joseph, Marie Antoinette. However, in France, the British King George III, inexplicably, is gaining more and more influence, as is Empress Maria Theresa, Mozart's antagonist. The French court had just officially abandoned its support for the rebellion of the American colonies against the British king.

Mozart, while in France, mainly visits circles that supported the American Revolution. For ten days he collaborated with Johann Christian Bach, who had arrived from London, at the residence of the aristocratic de Noailles family, related to the Marquis de Lafayette, who went to America to fight against British troops. However, all these circumstances in themselves cannot explain the presence of a completely impenetrable wall in the path of professional development of such an outstanding musician as Mozart in a city like Paris.

It is interesting that Mozart has a presentiment of the future Parisian tragedy, as can be seen from his letters. The blank wall with which he was surrounded in Italy and Germany, impenetrable and merciless, was also revealed in Paris. Wherever Mozart went, they were already warned of his appearance and instructed accordingly. Immediately upon arrival, back in March 1778, it became clear that court circles were hostile. Neither the resounding success of Mozart's two new symphonies, nor the arrival of Christian Bach from London, who did everything in his power for Mozart and used all his connections, nor the participation of other famous and influential personalities reversed the enmity. And this only says one thing: the architecture of this insurmountable wall originated on the highest political Olympus. However, the stay in Paris, in addition to the “earthly”, physical persecution, was colored by a certain sinister, satanic orgy of esoteric forces that flocked here to confront the bright genius. A chain of seemingly unrelated gloomy events sets up its dark milestones. On July 3, the composer's mother dies, which coincides with the general apotheosis of the rampant dark forces. Evil, death, mystery, everything unknowable and incomprehensible hypnotize us, and, as if in a trance, Mozart is in no hurry to leave Paris, from where his father’s severe orders tear him out.

Depressed, murdered, Mozart comes to Mannheim, still hoping for the reciprocal love of Aloysia Weber, as the last joy of life. The full realization that she would never become his mistress dealt him the final cruel blow, plunging him into a state of endless depression. His father's terrible pleas, curses and even threats may have saved him from certain death, tearing him out of Mannheim and bringing him home to Salzburg. Such dramatic experiences for another would be enough to mentally de-energize and interrupt musical inspiration. However, for Mozart, creativity becomes one of the last connections with life. His talent deepens so much, developing into an unsurpassed genius, that not a single composer of his era can no longer be compared with him. Any genre touched by Mozart’s magic pen blossoms with all its colors, beginning to live a higher spiritual, esoteric life. Pushkin said wonderfully about him in his little tragedy “Mozart and Salieri”: “What depth! What courage and what harmony!” It is precisely the courage of thought that most distinguishes Mozart's writing. In comparing emotional states, psychologism, philosophy of music, and in vivid figurative means, he surpassed anyone else. Not to mention the fact that he was the greatest melodist. These years bring a number of the most profound church works, such as " Missa solemnis" in C major and "Coronation Mass" (K. 337), operas (" Idomeneo, re di Creta" ("Idomeneo, King of Crete"), and other works. In April 1781, the conflict between Mozart and Archbishop Colloredo escalated into a scandalous personal squabble, after which a resignation was submitted, and on June 8, Mozart was humiliatingly kicked out the door.

Following these turbulent events, Mozart’s marriage took place, and to none other than his sister Aloysia Weber. He marries her against the will of his father, who in dozens of angry letters begs him to break up with Constance. The wedding ceremony took place on August 4, 1782 in the Vienna Cathedral of St. Stefan. Spouses are equally disgusted with the management of financial affairs, which cannot but affect the tragic ending of life; However, in his personal life, Mozart appears to be happy with Constance, and this stimulates his creativity.

Constanze Weber, Mozart's wife

When Mozart found himself close to his pursuers, in their own home (Vienna), the rules of the game changed. Certain attitudes did not allow them to spoil things in their personal chambers, and until a certain point, if they did not leave Mozart alone, they outwardly tolerated him, without interfering (for the time being) in the course of his professional career. In addition, Maria Theresa was replaced on the throne by her son Joseph II, an extraordinary personality, and Vienna came to life, hoping for a bright future. In July 1782, a new opera in German "Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail" (“The Abduction from the Seraglio”), staged at the Burgtheater, created a sensation. Mozart becomes a people's favorite and idol. His melodies are heard everywhere: in houses, in coffee shops and on the streets. Even court aristocratic circles treat with feigned favor. Performing, teaching and composing music bring good income.

It is interesting to note that tickets for his concerts (called academies), distributed by subscription, were not only completely sold out, but were often supplemented with extra seats. In 1784, Mozart gave 22 concerts in just six months. All this can be considered in the conditions of Vienna, where there was no shortage of performances, premieres, concerts, composers and musicians, a phenomenon of a phenomenal order. The extraordinary success of his instrumental music stimulated the composition of a whole series of piano concertos. Mozart's wife, Constanza, although, apparently, was not such a magnificent singer as Aloysia, nevertheless, she could well perform on the professional stage. For example, in October 1783, she performed one of the solo parts in her husband’s best (perhaps) mass - g minor (K. 427), written on the occasion of his visit (to Salzburg) to Father Leopold and sister Nannerl. On the way to Vienna, the couple stop in Linz, where Mozart writes the brilliant Linz Symphony (K. 425).

Unknown portrait of Mozart found in Russia

Since 1784, a sincere and close friendship began between the two greatest composers of Austria: Mozart and Joseph Haydn. Later, the young Beethoven meets with both. At the presentation of the quartets of the young genius, Haydn addressed Mozart’s father, Leopold, with these words: “Your son is the greatest composer of all whom I know personally or whom I have heard of.” Mozart dedicated a cycle of six quartets, in which the influence of Haydn is felt, to him. However, the influence was not one-sided. We need to talk about mutual influence. Haydn, in his later works, repeated the findings and writing features of his younger contemporary. Just like Christian Bach, Haydn was one of Mozart's guardian angels, a bright and kind patron. However, it was probably he who drew young Wolfgang into Freemasonry, immediately in the year of their rapprochement. Many Viennese celebrities were members of the Freemasons - poets, artists, writers, scientists, public figures, doctors, musicians. Freemasonry paved a wide path for itself in aristocratic court circles. However, for Mozart, joining the Freemasons became another fatalistic, tragic circumstance, perhaps bringing his untimely death closer.

Mozart took Masonic symbols and mottos at face value, not because he was so naive, but because, having an integral personality, wanted accept. (By that time, Freemasonry was actively being crushed by the Illuminati and the forces behind them). In the Masonic environment, they try to stop such well-wishers by any means in order to prevent the separation of the external surrounding form of existence from the secret goals and plans of the leaders. All the more dangerous for the most influential Masonic lodges is the propaganda of these external attributes (“freedom, equality, fraternity”) through outstanding works of art. Ordering a doomed man a requiem for his own death: this is very much in the style of Masonic reprisals.

Whether it’s a coincidence or not, it was after Mozart’s entry into the Freemasons that the previous persecution resumed. His brilliant opera" Le nozze di Figaro"("The Marriage of Figaro") - along with "Don Giovanni" and "The Magic Flute" - the pinnacle of his operatic creativity - despite its obvious success, was withdrawn soon after the premiere (May 1, 1786), replaced in the "Burgtheater" by a new opera by V. Martina y Solera" Una cosa rara"("A Rare Thing"). But in Prague, the success of this opera turned out to be simply stunning, which coincided with the political aspirations and forebodings of Prague residents. Seeking independence from the Austrian Empire, the Czechs felt in Mozart's opera, written on the plot of Beaumarchais's censored comedy, a breath of fresh air. It became almost a national Czech opera. People danced to its melodies in halls and coffee houses, they sounded on the street, in the market - everywhere. The composer himself conducted several performances. In January 1787, he spent more than a month in Prague with Constance, later admitting , that, after Italy, this was the happiest time in his life... But one can easily imagine what displeasure the revival of separatist sentiments in the Czech Republic caused at the Austrian court, and what royal anger in connection with this the culprit must have incurred: Mozart’s opera .

It was Bondini, director of the Prague theater troupe, who commissioned a new opera, Don Giovanni. There are suggestions that Mozart himself chose the plot. Under the name " Don Giovanni“she began her triumphal march through the opera houses of the world (premiere in Prague on October 29, 1787). However, no success in Prague could correct the “Viennese bummer”, the tone of which was set by the filming of “The Marriage of Figaro” and the deliberate (artificial) failure "Don Giovanni" in the same Vienna (at a reception after the performance, only Haydn stood up to defend the opera.) One after another, other works of Mozart are blocked or fail, and his most wealthy students move on to other teachers (according to our data - Barbara PLOYER, Josepha AUERNHAMMER, and others). The years 1786 and 1787 became fatal, turning points in the composer’s fate. He is completely crushed and doomed, torn apart by intrigue, persecution and simply gloomy circumstances. As in Paris, not only Mozart’s cruel enemies, insidious and ruthless, gathered to deal with him, but also “otherworldly” dark forces that flocked to the bloody feast of the execution of the bright genius, for the sake of establishing evil and injustice on earth. In May 1787, the composer's father died, after whose death depression and despondency became Mozart's constant companions. Sarcasm, irony and gloomy pessimism are established in his thoughts until the very end of his short life.

Obtaining the position of court composer and bandmaster of Emperor Joseph II no longer solved anything, especially since the size of the salary emphasized the subtle poison of humiliation (only 800 guilders annually). Driven into a corner, Mozart borrows money from Michael Puchberg, a member of the same Masonic lodge that he belongs to. Unable to return a large sum of money to Prince Likhnovsky, he faces a lawsuit, which he later loses. A trip to Berlin, in order to improve financial affairs, brought only new debts. Like other reigning persons, the Prussian king Frederick William II did not give Mozart a place at court. Since 1789, the health of Constance, and then Wolfgang himself, had deteriorated; the house and other property were mortgaged, ready to go under the hammer. A year later, after the death of Joseph II, Mozart is not even sure that the position of court composer, with its small but still constant income, will remain with him. He goes to Frankfurt - where the coronation of Emperor Leopold took place - at his own expense, hoping to be visible and not miss the moment. However, the performance of his “Coronation” keyboard concerto (K. 537) did not bring in any money even to cover the expenses of the trip. The new opera did not improve the situation either" Cosi fan tutte"("Everyone does this").

In Vienna, saying goodbye, Mozart told Haydn, who was leaving for London, and his London impresario Zalmon, that they would never see each other again. Seeing both of them off, Mozart cried like a child and kept repeating: “We won’t see each other again, no.” Before his death he had only to write his best works: "Die Zauberflöte"("The Magic Flute"), Requiem, and several symphonic scores.

The opera was commissioned from him for his Frei House Theater by his longtime friend E. Schikaneder, musician, writer, impresario and actor. (At the same time, the Prague Opera commissioned him " La clemenza di Tito" ("The Mercy of Titus"), on the creation and production of which he worked together with his wife Constance and student Franz Xaver Süßmayer; for its preparation, the three of them went to Prague. The premiere of "The Magic Flute" took place in Vienna on September 30, 1791 His last instrumental work was a concerto for clarinet and orchestra in a minor (K. 622).

The countdown of the days of Mozart's life now began with work on the Requiem, which - as it turned out - Mozart actually wrote on his death. An unknown guest, dressed all in gray, came to the sick composer and anonymously ordered the Requiem. This episode had a strong impression on the patient's imagination. Mozart was sure that he was composing the Requiem for himself. He, exhausted, worked on the score, feverishly trying to finish it with his own hands. Constance, who was being treated in Baden, hurriedly returned home as soon as she realized how seriously ill her husband was. From November 20, 1791, Mozart no longer got out of bed and wrote music while lying down. On the night of December 4–5, he became delirious; he imagined that he was playing the timpani in Dies irae his unfinished Requiem. At about five minutes past midnight, he tried to stand up, onomatopoeizing the timpani part with his lips, but fell back, head against the wall, and froze, lifeless.

Mozart was buried like a beggar of the beggars in the chapel of the Cathedral of St. Stefan. On the last journey to the cemetery of St. Mark Mozart's body went alone, and was buried without honors, without witnesses, in a common grave for the poor. Later, the very location of this grave was completely forgotten. No cross, no monument, not even a modest tombstone was ever erected. A tombstone, not material, but spiritual, was erected for his great teacher Süssmayr, who completed the Requiem, setting to music and orchestrating those by no means small fragments of the text that Mozart himself missed (some of the arrangements were performed protégé Mozart, Joseph Eybler. In the same way, other composers completed the greatest compositions of Schubert, Mussorgsky, Scriabin, and other geniuses endowed with a similar fate. None of Mozart's brilliant piano concertos, nor any of his mature symphonies, were published during his lifetime.

Monstrous injustice, persecution, intrigue and envy: the lot of the most winged, brightest people on the sinful earth, and in the fate of the great Mozart, as in a mirror, the fate of thousands and millions of other talented and pure creators of the spirit was reflected.

It seems that the legend of Mozart’s poisoning was generated among the Austrian political-aristocratic elite as a desire to divert the blame for the non-recognition and death of the great composer from being in a permanent crisis and falling under the hammer of even more reactionary forces of the political regime, shifting it onto the shoulders of a private individual (Salieri ). And the real motive behind Mozart’s death (political despotism (from ferocious censorship to the imposition of “permitted” aesthetics) is artificially replaced by settling personal scores. Even if Salieri had actually poisoned Mozart, he would have done it on the orders of Emperor Leopold or someone then another. However, without physically killing his rival and friend, Salieri - with his bureaucracy and subtle intrigues - greatly poisoned his life. Salieri was a court toy and a tool of the court against Mozart. We will talk about the degree of his guilt before the world musical genius later.

Autograph "The Marriage of Figaro"

=============================================

Lev Gunin

THE LIFE OF MOZART AND ITS SECRETS

PART ONE

(ENDING)

3. INFLUENCES

The music of Leopold Mozart, the father of the great composer, is often heard on the waves of Montreal music radio stations. It is available in libraries and music libraries. To the ear of an inexperienced listener it is not difficult to confuse it with the music of his illustrious son. A professional musician immediately understands that this is not Wolfgang Amadeus, although it is difficult to say right away what is “missing” in the music of Mozart the Father. Probably, bright melody, aspiration, brilliance and courage of thought, equal to “Mozart’s”. The works of Leopold Mozart are “too” academic and “correct,” although they also have a fresh, versatile feeling. The strong influence of Haydn is striking. One thing is clear: the mature Mozart the son is the same Leopold Mozart the father, only deepened, expanded, ennobled and purposeful.

The influence of Petzold and Telemann, Buxtehude, Schütz and Bürgmüller can be traced through strong-willed and life-affirming motives, often following the sounds of the tonic triad. Mozart's favorite variants of cadences are sometimes “supplemented” with typically Telemannian intonations.

The drama of the minor symphonies (for example, two g-minor ones) evokes the peculiarities of the symphonism of J. Vanhal. In Salzburg, Mozart was influenced by Michael Haydn, Joseph's brother, who largely shared the latter's style. However, Mozart never manifests a “usus tyrannus "("shackles of custom"; Serov's expression); he violates any canon if something gets in the way of his self-expression. As the famous Montreal musician Yuli Turovsky likes to say, geniuses do everything "wrong." Note that pomp, triumphal intonations and heaviness not only of Handel, but also of the early representative of the Vienna School - Gluck - repels Mozart. During his stay in Paris, he reports almost nothing about Gluck's operas, although the whole of Paris, and the works of the Viennese, were buzzing about the enmity between the Piccinists and the Gluckinists classics invariably caused a terrible stir.There is no doubt that Mozart was influenced not by the Austrian, but rather by the Italian and German school of opera, and that he was familiar with the masterpieces of Monteverdi, Bellini, Donizetti, Scarlatti, Piccini, etc. However, the main models for study and imitation were the Italian operas of Paisiello (a Neapolitan composer, among others, who met young Wolfgang during his stay in Naples (1770); later - court conductor in St. Petersburg under Catherine the Great: 1776 - 1784 ), Domenico Cimarosa (court composer in St. Petersburg - from 1787 to 1791), and Antonio Salieri (senior friend and rival, consultant and mentor of Mozart). Interestingly, Martin y Soler, a musician of Spanish origin who composed Italian operas, another dangerous rival of Mozart, was also a court composer in St. Petersburg. Giovanni Batista Casti, Salieri's main librettist and a rival of Mozart's main librettist, Da Ponte, also lived and worked for some time in Russia, in St. Petersburg. In Mannheim, Mozart was greatly impressed by J. Goldenbauer's opera "Gunther von Schwarzburg". Gluck's influence still existed, especially the latter's operatic-choral style.

The saturation of Mozart's works with German folklore was due in no small part to Emanuel Schikaneder, whom Wolfgang met in the late 1770s. "Buffoons", traveling troupes of folk theaters visited Salzburg, and one of these theaters was led by Schikaneder - impresario, actor, director, musician, writer and playwright. Schikaneder, with all the strength of his lungs, proclaimed freedom from despotism, nationality, love of national culture, free-thinking and overcoming the shackles of orthodox thinking. It was he who was Mozart's partner in creating the pinnacle of Mozart's operatic creativity: The Magic Flute. Schikaneder not only commissioned this opera, but also created a brilliant libretto, highly valued by Goethe. The aesthetics of Mozart and Schikaneder anticipated Weber and Wagner, and were the most advanced for that time. Schikaneder became another bright guardian angel of Mozart in the host of his “squires”.

The elegant, light style of Christian Bach is cited as one of his strongest influences. His “smart”, intricate music, sincerity and sincerity, Italian clarity and plasticity of not only melodies cantabile, but also harmonies, harmonious beauty and crystal purity of form: all this was continued and developed in Mozart’s compositions. Mozart began to seriously study the work of his father Johann Christian - the great J. S. Bach - relatively late (as well as Handel). The pinnacle of spiritual music by Wolfgang Amadeus, his Requiem, reflects the undoubted influence of J. S. Bach. We must not forget that Mozart had excellent teachers, the best of that era: his own father, Padre Martini, Christian Bach, Joseph Haydn, and others. It was thanks to them that Wolfgang masterfully mastered counterpoint, harmony, arrangement, and other elements of compositional technique. We'll talk about Salieri's influence in the corresponding chapter.

In chamber and symphonic music one can feel the greater influence of older Viennese composers such as Wagenseil and Monn. No less important was the influence of Italian masters - Frescobaldi, Allegri, Albioni, Bellini, A. Corelli, L. Boccherini, A. Vivaldi, G. Batista Vitali, Marcello Benedetto, Domenico and Alesandro Scarlatti, Giovani Agrell, Domenico Zipoli, Attilio Ariosti, Giuseppe Tartini, G. Pergolesi, Dominico Gabrielli, and others. Italian music, this boundless ocean of hundreds (or thousands?) of unique, often very bright talents, had an undoubted influence on Mozart. The closeness to its typical features, Italian predecessors, contemporaries and even followers (a paradox, but it is true) is especially felt in the keyboard music of the genius. Muzio Clementi, Dominico Scarlatti, Cimarosa, and other outstanding keyboard composers had much in common with Mozart's keyboard style. The penetration of Slavic-type intonations into Mozart's intonation sphere is also detected by a sensitive ear.

What Mozart has in common with Italian music is his love of life, spontaneity, sincere warmth, sparkling or very lyrical presentation of the main themes, their brightness, simplicity and vocal melodiousness, and a complex attitude to harmonies. Perhaps Mozart was also influenced by the French harpsichordists: Rameau, Lully and Couperin. The influence of the English composer Purcell is undeniable in some of the interludes. Certain passages in Mozart’s chamber works “remind” Leclerc.

Mozart is a pan-European phenomenon, living, comprehensive, immediate and endless. Therefore, any European culture can consider it its own.

(end of the first part )

===============================================

It is well known that under the guidance of his strict and purposeful father, violinist and composer Leopold Mozart, Mozart the son began studying music at the age of three, and giving concerts and composing at five or six. And he didn’t stop literally until his death.

What is most impressive is the complete list of the composer's works. Not everyone will be able to complete it to the end without a break. It is equally difficult to classify Mozart's work, because we are dealing with a creative universe, which only a professional who has the skills of scientific systematization - multi-level grouping, sorting, compiling descriptions covering a whole list of properties - can survey, having carefully sorted various musical worlds into registers. Fortunately, the first compiler of the catalog of Mozart's works, the Austrian aristocrat Ludwig von Köchel, possessed all these skills. After all, he was professionally engaged in botany, and the history of scientific systematization of plants by that time totaled about two thousand years. Despite this, Köchel, who lived until he was 87, never finished his work.

The famous German art critic Alfred Einstein (cousin of the great physicist), who replaced him, also could not put an end to the catalog of Mozart’s works, which he very seriously corrected and supplemented. Einstein left this world in 1952 at the age of 72, having lived twice as long as his favorite composer.

And phenomenal discoveries in Mozart’s endless creativity continue to this day. Some kind of metaphysics! One cannot help but think: such a commonly used concept as immortality, it seems, is not just a figure of speech. Not just a metaphor. In any case, it’s not hyperbole at all. And you shouldn’t trust dates and numbers so unconditionally - the great ones have their own relationships with time.

And yet, according to the calculations of the catalog of Köchel and Einstein, which included all the known (!) works of Mozart, in less than 30 years of work the composer wrote a total of 626 works, that is, each of them in less than two weeks! Considering that most of the instrumental music was his own and brilliantly performed, it becomes clear why Mozart was and is considered a genius. And metaphysics has absolutely nothing to do with it. It's just arithmetic!

FATHER

Of the seven children born to the composer and court musician Leopold Mozart (1719–1787) and his wife Anna Maria (née Pertl), five died. Two survived - a girl named, like her mother, Maria Anna (1751–1829), later nicknamed Nannerl, and her younger brother, who received the name Johann at baptism Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus.

Leopold served on the estate of the Salzburg archbishop, but spent all his free time studying music with the children. Perhaps with some fury...

That is why, as numerous researchers testify, the daughter’s extraordinary musical abilities and the son’s truly phenomenal ones emerged in early childhood. This part of Mozart's biography is the most common place, which, frankly, is ashamed to repeat. In fact, if you study music with children, sooner or later they will learn to play, compose, and improvise. But if you don’t practice, they almost certainly won’t learn.

K.G. Hummer. View of Salzburg from Mönchsberg mountain. OK. 1811. Mozarteum, Salzburg

Interior of a room in the house where the Mozarts lived in 1747–1773.

L. Mozart. Experience of thorough violin playing. 1756. Augsburg

As you know, there are other methods of education. Niccolo Paganini's father was a merchant. But he also taught his son music. They claim that he beat his boy for the slightest manifestation of laziness. And he would have beaten him to death - after all, he was not some Austrian, but an Italian, a real Genoese, with the appropriate temperament. Willy-nilly, little Niccolo had to become an unsurpassed virtuoso.

He would try not to become!

And more about Leopold. He, “striving to create the best conditions for the professional and general development of his children, as well as to extract material benefit from their talents,” constantly dragged them along with him around the royal courts of Europe. But if Leopold derived material benefits from endless tours accompanied by his “miracle children,” it was for the sole purpose of ensuring their education and future.

Carmontelle. Leopold Mozart with Wolfgang and Nannerl in November 1763.
Condé Museum, Chantilly

Unknown artist. Home concert (Mozart with father and sister).
1770. Mozart Museum, Augsburg

One way or another, the father’s authority in the family was indisputable. His skill and joint music lessons greatly contributed to the creation of an atmosphere of direct communication and mutual trust, as is often the case in musical families, and indeed in families where children and adults have some kind of common cause. In addition, the Mozarts truly traveled on an unprecedented scale. Which also unusually brings together and unites the family circle to the state of a kind of ageless brotherhood. After all, it’s one thing to have, say, a father, or a brother, or a sister, and quite another to have comrades with whom you share both all the hardships and all the pleasant impressions of the journey; together you experience all misunderstandings and failures, as well as gains and success. And Leopold spared neither effort nor time in his desire to achieve success, to give his “miracle children” the taste of real creative victory.

Map of Europe showing Mozart's travel itineraries.
1763 – late 1770s

Like Johann Sebastian Bach, whom he had perhaps never heard of, Leopold composed educational plays and exercises for his daughter and son. Some of them have survived and occupy a worthy place in the pedagogical repertoire, and are being republished today.

G. Lossov. Little Mozart,
playing the organ in the Franciscan Church in Vienna in 1762
OK. 1864. City Museum, Linz

M. van Meytens.
Festive dinner in honor of the marriage of Joseph II and Isabella of Parma.
Fragment. 1760. Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

So, in 1761, at the age of six, young Mozart (his sister was ten by that time) appeared before the Elector of Bavaria and the Austrian Empress. Inspired by success, in 1763 Leopold undertook a three-year journey through European countries. The aristocratic houses of Paris and London became acquainted with the art of “miracle children”.

On this trip, the future composer meets the “London” Bach. Johann Christian, son of the great Johann Sebastian, is rumored to have given the young Mozart several composition lessons. Let us note that London Bach did not promote the work of his outstanding father; Mozart became acquainted with his legacy much later. The subject of training was the so-called gallant style of instrumental music, so popular in the European capitals of that time.

Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl
performing in Vienna before Emperor Joseph I and Empress Maria Theresa.
1762

O.M. Barthelemy. English tea ceremony
at the Salon of Four Mirrors in Paris in 1764.
Castle of Versailles and Trianon, Versailles, Paris

1766 The travel diary, which Leopold scrupulously keeps, includes Munich, Ludwigsburg, Augsburg, Schwetzingen, Zurich, The Hague, Frankfurt. By this time, 10-year-old Mozart was already composing with all his might, mastering the violin, and playing the harpsichord with phenomenal brilliance. On August 18, 1766 in Frankfurt he performs his violin concerto. This day is marked by the legendary meeting of the young musician with the equally young 14-year-old Goethe. Neither one nor the other forgot about the meeting and carefully preserved it in their memory.

T. Gainsborough. Johann Christian Bach. 1776. Musical Lyceum, Bologna

By this time, dozens of works had already been written: pieces for harpsichord, sonatas for violin and harpsichord, flute and harpsichord, trio sonatas, variations, motets, choruses, arias and five so-called Mozart symphonies.

Why “so-called”?

Yes, because these were not yet symphonies in the classical spirit known to us, but rather divertissements for a relatively large cast of performers. The use of this term itself ( symphony- a Latin word that translates as “consonance”) at that time did not impose any requirements on the author regarding the organization of musical material. The gallant style presupposed optimism, variety, moderate affectation, even inventiveness, but, if possible, without philosophizing and polyphonic twists.

It’s easy to imagine Leopold walking with his children along the park paths of the summer residence of some high-ranking nobleman in anticipation of an audience and trying on the repertoire of the evening performance to the features of the ensemble of the estate, perhaps the nature of the landscape picture. What did they discuss? What were they talking about? Let's get creative.

Leopold. What a rich park. And how big! What do you say, children?

Children. Oh yeah!

Leopold. You noticed that they left some pretty decent timpani in the orchestra niche. What is it for?

Wolfgang Amadeus. Probably to wake up the guests who have scattered around the park and are dozing in the shade. Isn't that right, father?

Maria Anna. Like that one - look, father, over there - he looks so important, an elderly gentleman...

Leopold. Just don't point your finger. This is not accepted in society... But I probably agree with you, son. The audience will disperse, and some may not hear your symphony at all.

Wolfgang Amadeus. Then allow me, father, I will hit the timpani. And everyone will think that a war or a fire has started, and they will gather at the stage, and then we will begin...

Maria Anna. Well, really, this is somehow quite childish...

Leopold. Yes, this is not entirely decent. But, perhaps, we can add a few bars of the introduction, slightly strengthen the first part with the timpani part...

Wolfgang Amadeus. And that's right! Let the royal musicians work, and I, as an adult, will lead them, sitting at the harpsichord, as if I had nothing to do with it...

Leopold. Well, fine! Now no one will miss your performance. Nannerl, where are our notes?

And indeed, in each of the first two dozen Mozart symphonies - divertissements, we are certainly awaited by an impressive introduction with an expanded timpani part. If the orchestra also had good trumpet players, then the brass ones were written for it so convincingly that there was not the slightest possibility of skipping the introduction, not noticing it or not attaching importance to it. As soon as the orchestra entered, all heads simultaneously turned in the same direction. And Leopold undoubtedly liked it very much.

A short respite in provincial Salzburg, the premiere of the first theatrical work of the 10-year-old composer - the intermezzo "Apollo and Hyacinth" at the University of Salzburg, and... The Mozarts are getting ready to hit the road again.

In 1767 in Vienna, Mozart wrote his first opera, “The Imaginary Simpleton,” but already in 1768 he felt the bitter taste of intrigue. Especially bitter at twelve years old. The production is disrupted, the operatic triumph is postponed, and Leopold decides that the place chosen for the triumph was not entirely suitable.

In 1770–1772 The Mozarts travel to Italy three times. 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus is elected a member of the Bologna Philharmonic Academy, outdoing Arcangelo Corelli himself (he became an academician at the age of 17)!

Mozart. Mithridates, king of Pontus. Autograph page of the score. 1770

In Bologna, young Mozart took opera lessons from the famous Padre Martini, composed the opera seria “Mithridates, King of Pontus” for Milan, and later the serenata “Ascanio in Alba” and the opera “Lucius Sulla”. Now even the over-demanding Leopold believes that his son’s education is complete and everything is finally ready for the decisive Viennese triumph.

Alas, Leopold irritated many from the artistic and high society circle: he was too “rushed” with his “miracle children”, he extolled his son’s talent to the skies! He was often spoken of as an intrusive, somewhat tactless and, we repeat, mercantile person. But, having received 100 guineas (!) for a short performance in London, Leopold was truly frightened by this utter sum.

We can perhaps assume that Leopold was, after all, an outstanding father. And therefore, by his very existence he personified a living reproach to all the fathers around him, who were not so caring, from the court trumpeter to the elector. So they considered him a bore out of jealousy of his fatherly talents and constant self-sacrifice. Alas, this happens...

So what kind of triumph did Leopold crave?

Did he dream that will his son become a genius?..

Not really! And I didn’t allow such thoughts. "Genius! What is a genius? - Leopold reflected, - A genius, first of all, is an outstanding... loser, pursued by greedy, envious mediocrity; persecuted both by the authorities and by those who are called upon by this authority to lead and guide him. For how to lead them? Where to send him - God's chosen one? And the nobleman suddenly suddenly feels like an idiot! And they, the nobles, - oh, how they don’t like it! And who will like it?..”

If there was anything Leopold dreamed of, if there was anything he counted on, it was a solid position for his son at the imperial court. But these dreams were not destined to come true. Wolfgang Amadeus turned out to be a genius.

So Leopold's mission ended in complete failure.

The father, as evidenced by documents, stopped accompanying his son on tour, fell into depression, returned to the court of the Salzburg archbishop, and Wolfgang Amadeus was left to his own devices for some time.

GENRE ROLL CALLS,
OR BUILDING ART HISTORICAL BRIDGES

How did the newly minted 17-year-old genius himself react to the “unsuccessful” trip to Vienna? To begin with, I decided to cheer up my father. All of Mozart's violin concertos were written (almost simultaneously) in his honor.

But even before that, in Vienna, there were six quartets!

Joseph Haydn, creator of the string quartet, originally defined the genre as “a conversation between four good old friends, wise with experience and understanding of life.” Since then, the quartet has been the most intellectual and confessional genre. And it just so happened that Haydn’s first successor in working with the string quartet genre was Wolfgang Amadeus. Haydn was the undisputed leader in the productivity of chamber music. He owns 83 string quartets. But the genre turned out to be truly inexhaustible. 24 strictly classical quartets by Mozart, plus 6 of his quintets for two violins, two violas and a cello, quartets with oboe and flute - in total about forty works for chamber ensemble, and each of them is a unique and successful attempt to develop the genre. In these works, Mozart confidently follows Haydn along the path of “symphonization” of the sound and content of ensemble music. But at the same time, he does not abandon genre episodes and the visual element.

L.G. Blanchet. Mozart at fourteen years old. OK. 1770. Private collection

It is difficult to overestimate the depth of expressiveness that the composer achieves within the confines of major keys. The deepest sadness in Mozart's works is so light that he invariably appears to us as a man endowed with an inexplicable but infectious optimism. This was the case in his youth - in his early chamber work. But even at the end of his insanely short life, the music is filled with a premonition of harmony and happiness, as if completely regardless of his monstrously unfavorable fate, poor health, and all material difficulties. This paradox can only have one explanation - talent, felt as a priceless gift, a divine touch, a sign of chosenness, which must also be justified.

Another touch is also very important. Maestro Haydn's touch on the fate of Mozart. Perhaps only a genius could experience such delight when meeting a genius. And Haydn was delighted: he was ready to trumpet the talent of his young brother, like an archangel heralding the second coming.

It was Haydn who presented Mozart, as well as Beethoven later, with miraculously surviving copies of J.S.’s manuscripts. Bach. By the way, Mozart considered Bach and Haydn the greatest masters of their craft, and Haydn, in turn, considered Bach and Mozart. An obvious reason to show mutual respect and recognition, for which some time later the two Viennese classics, as we now call them, again turned to the most trusted genre - the genre of the string quartet. In 1782–1783 Mozart writes three quartets - K 387 in G major, K 421/417b in D minor, K 428/421b in E-flat major and calls them “Haydn’s”. Haydn's Six Quartets, op.50 (1787), were definitely written under their influence.

K. Schneeweiss. Cathedral of St. Rupert in Salzburg.
1790. Carolino Augusteum Museum, Salzburg

Let us return to the significant year 1773. So, Mozart composes six quartets and... returns to his native Salzburg. Hateful provincial Salzburg! Where he - a world celebrity - is cramped and uninteresting, but where he will nevertheless find shelter and service for a long time, despite all the abuse that (through gritted teeth, of course) was brought down on the head of the Salzburg archbishop by both Mozart - the elder and the younger.

M. Greater. Count Jerome Colloredo, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg.
1775. Carolino Augusteum Museum, Salzburg

Here, in Salzburg, two symphonies were born - G minor (No. 25) and A major (No. 29), which marked the composer’s rejection of the gallant style and a lighter (“divertissement”) interpretation of the symphony genre.

Based on my impressions of the music of “25th,” Mozart is surprisingly objective, if not wise. His early symphonic music is not a hymn to victory over fate, but a philosophy of life - difficult, unpredictable, promising many trials, but not without some joys.

1. Inexorable rock.

2. Patience, marked by suffering, sadness in the face of inevitable injustice.

3. Courageous resistance.

4. Patient overcoming, will. This is not a takeoff yet, but a sure, although not rapid, ascent.

If in the first part these four characters are clearly exhibited, then in the finale they appear in a generalized, expanded sound. The philosophy of life is well established and has been confirmed in the life and intellectual experience of... the 17-year-old composer.

It’s amazing how art critics love to build various kinds of “arches” and build bridges. We have already quietly built one, thanks to a brief overview of the genre roll call in the early and late quartet work of the composer.

But we are talking about creating at least a whole suite! After all, Mozart’s early and late orchestral work also represents a kind of arch, where, on the one hand, the dramatic 25th and paradoxical 29th, and on the other, truly, Haydn-like classical 39th, 40th and 41st -i (Jupiter) is Mozart's majestic symphonic triptych, begun and completed in 1788.

One of Mozart's most popular symphonies, the Fortieth, is an example of a classic symphony for all time. The sample is laconic and abstract, like a formula, but at the same time deeply meaningful, which is what a symphony should be.

First part Molto allegro(very fluidly) illustrates the principle of the sonata allegro with extraordinary clarity and skill.

Exposition opens with a broad theme (the main part), which sounds excited and romantic. The connecting theme charges the music with active energy. The side party breathes peace. The first part develops along this circle of affects. In the development, the “excitement” of the main party acquires intonations in which notes of despair appear. He is opposed by a group of motives in the character of masculine strength that contrast with the main party. Dramatic contrasts are carried out through the use of all means known to the composer: tonal development skillfully gives way to deep polyphonic development, and after this comes the turn of melodic variation - up to the division of music into “molecules” from which all three different themes are woven.

Reprise- synthesis of motives for searching, overcoming and comprehending, mutually enriched counterpoints each other.

One of the greats subtly noted that classics are, in essence, the art of repetition. One could add - yes, repetitions, but without obsession, without didactics, repetitions necessary and inevitable on the path from fact to Truth. Second part ( Andante), as expected, is filled with so-called “enlightened lyricism” with a certain amount of Mozartian humor, expressed either by graceful swaying or by the coquetry of the grace notes swaying the melody, each time as if deliberately falling on the weak beat. This favorite Mozartian technique found an equally witty application in Sergei Prokofiev's first (Classical) symphony, written 130 years later.

Third movement - Minuet ( Allegretto) in three-part form - moderately fast, with predominant dramatic intonations, balanced by the soft lyrics of the middle section - trio. It is noteworthy that the term “trio” was preserved in the classics by analogy with the contrasting episode from the Baroque three-part dances. Jean Baptiste Lully also started a tradition of recording this episode for three woodwind instruments - two oboes and a bassoon.

Energetic finale - rondo sonata- maintained by the composer in a truly Mozartian spirit: on the surface there is carelessness, replaced by deep reflections, and in technique - richness of form and polyphonic richness of development.

Such is this music, the birth of which occurred at the turn of two eras: Frederick the Great - the embodiment of absolutism and the Great French Revolution - the harbinger of bloody changes. But, on the other hand, it was a time illuminated by the brilliance of the scientific research of Luigi Galvani, the work of Friedrich Schiller and the philosophical insights of Immanuel Kant.

SALIERI

Let’s take a short break from “bridge building” and pay attention to this person. Let's start with the fact that Salieri was a wonderful man. But in terms of historical memory, he was unlucky.

Unknown artist. Antonio Salieri.
OK. 1800. Society of Friends of Music, Vienna

What do you remember when you pronounce these two names: Mozart and Salieri? Of course, “genius and villainy are two incompatible things.”

Let's now imagine them. So, young, active and spontaneous Mozart and Salieri - middle-aged, gloomy and suspicious, in a word, a cautious courtier and, without a doubt, an intriguer.

Scenes from M. Foreman's film "Amadeus"

Such is the power of the printed word! Thanks to the genius of Pushkin, Salieri turned out to be an intriguer, a villain and a poisoner. In modern times, this reputation was finally confirmed by another genius - director Milos Forman in his film “Amadeus”.

And only at the end of the last millennium, in the May days of 1997 in Milan, an unusual trial took place in the main hall of the Palace of Justice. A crime two centuries ago was being examined. The case of Salieri's poisoning of the great Mozart was heard. Antonio Salieri was acquitted. In two hundred years!

Milan Opera building

Now we remember that Salieri was only six years older than Mozart. This is the first thing. Secondly, it would be good to remember that Salieri was a brilliant teacher. Among his grateful students are Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Czerny, Meyerbeer. Exactly grateful! Young Beethoven, for example, having visited Vienna, decided to visit his old teacher, but did not find him at home and left a note: “I came to see you, but, alas, I didn’t find you. Beethoven". And then, apparently, he thought and wrote below: "Your student", so that Salieri does not confuse him with some other Beethoven - the milkman or the grocer, for example.

The square in front of the Milan Cathedral.
Panorama of the late 18th century. Library of the Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris

Salieri witnessed and inspired the symphonic debut of 16-year-old Franz Schubert. He could tell his pupil a lot about his first symphony experience. But Salieri preferred to support the young man’s developing talent and zeal in his chosen and desired field with patient approval.

However, Mozart actually claimed Salieri's place. Not Wolfgang Amadeus, no. Leopold passionately desired this place for his son! And even though Salieri understood perfectly well who Mozart was, he did not want and could not step aside, giving up his position. Moreover, we will have to agree that he, even if he was a passionate admirer of Mozart’s talent, had reasons for this. And the first of them is that there is no place for a genius at court!

But why? Yes, because a genius has some kind of relationship with time and space, and... with the Truth, if you want. And these relationships are completely impossible to fit into the framework of palace etiquette.

Want an example? Please!

At the beginning of 1782 in Vienna, in the presence of Emperor Joseph II and the future Russian Emperor Paul I with his wife Maria Feodorovna, a competition took place between the famous virtuoso Muzio Clementi and Mozart. Playing the harpsichord either together or separately, the composers long demonstrated their skill and ability to improvise.

Clementi was delighted with Mozart: “Until now, I have never met anyone who played so soulfully and beautifully. I was especially struck by one adagio and several improvised variations, the themes for which were chosen by the emperor and which we had to vary, alternating and accompanying each other.”

Let us add, perhaps, that Muzio Clementi played a very noticeable role in the popularization of Mozart’s music. Particularly in England.

I.N. Della Croce. Mozart family:
Nannerl, Wolfgang, Leopold. About 1780–1781.
Mozarteum, Salzburg

And Mozart: “Clementi plays well; As for his right-hand playing, his strength lies in terzetto passages - but in general, he has not a penny's worth of feeling or taste. In a word, a real mechanism... Clementi is a charlatan, like all Italians. He writes presto and even prestissimo on the sonata and alla breve, and plays her in allegro, in four-quarter time. I know this because I heard him play.”

Well, who, you might ask, pulled his tongue?!

And how do you think Antonio Salieri, one of the most influential musicians of the Austrian court, and also an Italian and champion of the Italian style in music, should have reacted to such statements by Mozart?

Only this: “Terrible character! Just like my father!”

ANOTHER BRIDGE... OF PIANO KEYS

Time puts everything in its place. From the perspective of today, Clementi, in relation to his time, is an innovator of piano art, Mozart is a traditionalist.

In a documentary dedicated to Svyatoslav Richter, where Haydn is discussed, Richter, as if continuing his old thoughts, thoughtfully says: “I love him even more...”

Richter's interlocutor. How?..

Richter. Than Mozart. He's so bright...

And further: “... piano Mozart for me is some kind of complete mystery and mysticism. There seem to be few notes, but it’s difficult to play! In one interesting little book there was an aphorism that says everything: “Oh, how difficult it is to comprehend the lightness of Mozart!”

Piano Mozart is mainly 18 sonatas and two fantasies.

Six sonatas were written in Salzburg and Munich in 1774–1775, seven in Mannheim and Paris in 1777–1778. These are the so-called “early” ones. The remaining sonatas and both fantasies belong to the late period and were written in Vienna in 1784–1789.

Since the time of Haydn, the sonata has been a kind of “testing ground” on which the formation and establishment of the style of musical classicism, its very core - the sonata allegro - took place. Both early and late sonatas of Haydn are indeed unusually bright. Even where the patriarch, willingly or unwillingly, falls into irony, sarcasm, and parody of “nationality.” This music can be experienced as a wonderful background, refreshing, inspiring and enlightening.

It’s not the same with Mozart’s piano heritage! This music, starting from the first sonata (you will undoubtedly remember once and for all its sparkling finale with a Russian theme that came out of nowhere - completely folkloric, almost ditty) and ending with the last C minor fantasy, where polyphonic development is coupled with late romantic, literally from the middle XIX century expression, does not let go of your attention for a second.

There is a record of the composer's entire piano legacy, as paradoxical as the legacy itself. It was carried out by Canadian pianist Glenn Gould in the mid-60s of the 20th century.

A conversation about Gould's art invariably raises debates about the amount of freedom allowed in the interpretation of classical and even modern music. Disputes, the subject of which, let's say, for Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Bach - Gould's favorite authors - would not be completely clear. All of the listed composers existed in the bosom of improvisational culture, which involved correlating each performance with the environment of interpretation, the mood of the day, and the portrait of the era.

The perception of music as once and for all frozen, finally formalized, as if immersed in formaldehyde, is completely unacceptable for musicians with an open artistic consciousness, including Gould.

The pianist sometimes reverently and sometimes extremely expressively recreates the atmosphere of the birth of a musical idea, the germination of a motive, a plan and the beginning of a drama, as if he himself were the author.

Some of the critics (and there were always many of them) considered that “Gould’s recordings of Mozart’s complete clavier collection are a striking example of the performer’s voluntarism and arrogance.” But some of Gould’s fans (and Gould had significantly more of them than critics) still cannot shake the feeling that in order to record two fantasies and all of Mozart’s sonatas, the musician managed for some time to become Mozart himself - no more and no less!

These more than four hours of music are an ideal sound environment for the development of imagination, the spread of creative energy, the emancipation of consciousness for musicians, music lovers and just listeners, for children and adults, without any restrictions.

MOZART AND MUSICAL DRAMA

According to Köchel, Mozart's achievements in the field of musical drama are as follows: 21 operas, three works for the theater and one ballet. Impressive, isn't it?

Beethoven, by the way, also wrote one ballet: “The Works of Prometheus.” Almost no one remembers this. Therefore, Gennady Nikolaevich Rozhdestvensky loves to ask musicians entering the conducting department: “What can you say about Beethoven as a ballet composer?” It seems that so far no one has been able to answer. If among the readers there is a purposeful person who dreams of passing this test, we advise you to try it. Oh, how he will be happy! However, you might be interested in the plot...

Lorenzo da Ponte

L. da Ponte. Libretto of the opera "The Marriage of Figaro".Antititle to Act III

View of Prague in the 18th century. Mozart Museum, Prague

By the way, some information for those applying to the conducting department: Mozart’s only pantomime ballet, written by him in 1778, is called “Trinkets” or “Trinkets” ( Les petits riens).

We will talk about three operas by Mozart that have not left the theater stage and will, hopefully, never leave again.

G. Hooser. Figarohaus (house in Prague at Domgasse 5,
in which the opera "The Marriage of Figaro" was written). XVIII century

The Marriage of Figaro (1786) was preceded by ten operas and singspiels, three works for the theater and a single ballet. Despite the unsuccessful premiere, it was Figaro (it was the first opera in German, libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte) that gave Mozart an operatic triumph. The composer attributed the reason for the failure of the Viennese production to the Italian singers. But the main reason can be considered the fear of the Viennese nobility of the sharp pen of Beaumarchais. His ridicule of the aristocrats, greatly enhanced by Mozart’s sparkling humor, manifested not just anywhere, but in Vienna - one of the strongholds of absolutism... Good entertainment for the Viennese “patricians” and the court!

I.G. Ramberg. Cherubino in the opera "The Marriage of Figaro".Act II

It should be noted that Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” received an equally unwelcoming reception more than 30 years later. And in Rome. It is difficult to suspect Italian singers who performed opera in their native language of sabotage. But the author could easily be suspected of Bonapartism. Moreover, the Napoleonic wars had just swept across Europe, which was replaced by the “ninth wave” of restoration of royal houses.

M. Gauci. De Begny as Figaro.
Royal Theatre. 1823. Central archive. Westminster, London

What can we say, when the play “Figaro” at the Theater of Satire in Moscow in the seventies and eighties of the 20th century also did not go without cuts!

Only the Austrian Emperor Leopold was not afraid of ridicule and authorized the production of “Figaro” in Prague, where the opera was a success that Mozart no longer expected. The Prague impresario Bondini immediately placed the following order for the composer. Together with da Ponte, Mozart began to write his Don Giovanni.

Unknown artist. Count Almaviva asks his wife for forgiveness.
Scene from Act IV of the opera "The Marriage of Figaro". XVIII century Private collection

The success of this opera was immediate and unconditional. Probably, the Prague public was defeated already by the first bars of the overture, which, without a single word, vividly depict the fatal clash of Passion and Fate. If you believe the legend, then Mozart, as usual, composed the overture on the night before the premiere, which almost drove the poor copyists of notes to insanity.

Don Giovanni (1787) is one of the most significant events in the history of opera since Gluck’s operatic reform and, perhaps, the most exciting musical drama in its plot. The plot is based on a medieval Spanish legend about Don Juan, a brave and clever seducer, a daring adventurer. But this “fiend of hell” is not without attractiveness. It is no coincidence that this plot was touched upon and eventually immortalized by the Spanish playwright Tirso de Molina (1571–1648), the French comedian Jean Baptiste Moliere (1622–1673), and the Venetian playwright and librettist Carlo Goldoni (1707–1793). In the 19th century, Byron, Hoffmann, Pushkin, and Merimee turned to the image of Don Juan. Interest in this subject did not cool down in the art of the 20th century.

Poster for the premiere of the opera “Don Giovanni”
at the Vienna City Theater (Burgtheater) on May 7, 1788

Unknown artist. Scene from the opera "Don Juan".
End of the 18th century Private collection

Lorenzo da Ponte was not inclined to portray Don Giovanni as a notorious oathbreaker and scoundrel. And Mozart would not have made such a decision. Dooming their hero to death, the composer and librettist secretly (but not too much) sympathize with Don Juan. All the participants in the drama: Juan's inseparable companion and servant Leporello, the rustic Ottavio and Masetto, the proud Donna Anna, the passionate Donna Elvira, the flirtatious but cautious Zerlina - would have been completely invisible in the everyday circle of their lives if they had not happened to meet Don Giovanni. He cannot be denied charm, energy, courage, and a sense of humor.

Unknown artist. Scene from the opera "Don Juan". End of the 18th century

From the first bars of the overture in the music of the opera, two trends are fighting, marking the heritage opera series And opera buffa. The creative result of this struggle is worthy of Mozart. “Don Juan” is almost the first and, perhaps, the most striking phenomenon of tragicomedy on the opera stage.

K.F. Schinkel. Queen of the night.Sketch of the set design for the opera “The Magic Flute”.
1815. State Museums, Berlin

Scene from Act I of the opera "The Magic Flute"
in Vienna, at the Freihaus Theater on September 30, 1791.
Mozarteum, Salzburg

The libretto of The Magic Flute (1791) was proposed to Mozart by his friend Emanuel Schikaneder, a unique personality - playwright, actor, dancer, singer, composer. Having crisscrossed the entire empire as part of a traveling troupe, in 1780 he ended up in Salzburg, where he met Mozart. By 1790, Schikaneder settled in Vienna and headed the Freihouse Theater, for which The Magic Flute was composed. He drew the plot from Wieland’s fairy tale “Lulu” from the collection of fantasy poems “Dzhinnistan, or Selected Tales of Fairies and Spirits” (1786–1789).

Poster for the first performance of the opera “The Magic Flute” in Munich.
1791. State Library, Berlin

One can imagine how Mozart was captivated by the plot of this, without exaggeration, the most mysterious, wonderful and deep musical fairy tale!…

In human destiny, as in the destiny of a genius, there is not much room for miracles. But at all times, it has been human nature to hope for a miracle. Sometimes, if circumstances are extremely unfavorable, we are disappointed that a miracle did not happen and, apparently, will not happen. But we still tend to expect miracles even where they fundamentally “do not occur.”

E. Schikaneder

The main character of The Magic Flute, Prince Tamino, miraculously escapes death in the arms of a terrible snake. He, like no one else, has the right to believe that he “fell into a fairy tale.” True, a strange creature dressed in multi-colored bird feathers, the bird catcher Papageno, who declared himself the savior of Tamino, turns out to be a cowardly braggart. But the prince falls under the protection of the powerful Queen of the Night and her courtiers. The queen gives Tamino a magic golden flute. Moreover, she is ready to give him her beautiful daughter, Princess Pamina, as his wife. But bad luck (!), the princess was kidnapped on the orders of the gloomy and evil wizard Sarastro and languishes, poor thing, in his impregnable castle. The Prince, armed with a magic flute, accompanied by a disgruntled Papageno, who is also armed (with magic bells) by the Queen of the Night, sets off to perform great feats.

D.B. Lumpy. Ignaz von Born.
The head of the lodge “To Newly Crowned Hope” was the prototype of the wizard Sarastro in the opera “The Magic Flute”. 1785. Mozart House Museum, Vienna

In the end, the princess is freed by none other than Papageno. His magic bells are more powerful than the golden flute, for he does not crave exploits even under the auspices of the Queen of the Night. And it turns out he’s right! For the Queen is the main villain. And Sarastro is a wise and kind ruler. But, unfortunately, not all of his servants are loyal to him to the end. Thus, Monostatos, an insidious Moor close to Sarastro, who kidnapped the princess on his orders and the command of the gods, obstructs the meeting of Pamina and Tamino. But Monostatos will also be exposed and punished.

According to Sarastro's decision, the prince must pass three serious tests in order to enter the circle of initiates. He must be able to resist the treachery of women, fulfill the vow of silence and, finally, walk through the flames and keep love for Pamina in his heart.

Pamina will also face trials. She must show not only patience and wait for Tamino, but also show a desire for Truth that surpasses the strength of her daughter’s feelings. In the finale, the golden flute in the hands of Tamino will regain its magical properties. And all participants in the events, by the decision of Sarastro, guided by the will of the gods, will be rewarded according to their deserts.

“This is a Masonic opera!” - this is what detractors often said about The Magic Flute. Mozart (and Schikaneder, by the way) belonged to the secret order of “Freemasons” - a Masonic lodge, a society that united many leading people in Austria in an effort to spread enlightenment, fight the remnants of the Middle Ages, the dictates of Catholicism. For the composer and librettist, whose life was full of all sorts of secrets, the plot of The Magic Flute was the only opportunity to lift the veil of secrecy over his own aspirations.

In the interpretation of Mozart and Schikaneder, this naive utopia is permeated with humor, apt life observations, and rich everyday details. Fantastic characters acquired the features of persons acting in a real socio-political environment. Prominent contemporaries greeted the opera with delight. Among all Mozart's operas, Beethoven especially singled out The Magic Flute. Goethe compared it with the second part of his Faust and made an attempt to write a literary continuation of the opera libretto. And the famous Hegel in his “Aesthetics” wrote: “The Kingdom of Light and the Queen of the Night, mysteries, initiations, wisdom, love, trials and, moreover, certain commonplaces of morality that are magnificent in their ordinariness - all this with the depth, enchanting warmth and soulfulness of music expands and fills the imagination and warms the heart.”

And we, in turn, note that Mozart used a fairly well-known motif in The Magic Flute, which belongs to - who do you think? - Muzio Clementi!

AGAIN ABOUT THE BLACK MAN

The only thing that could distract Mozart from his exciting work on The Magic Flute was a mysterious anonymous order to create the Requiem. Not only the heavy workload of the opera, but also partly some kind of bad feeling prevented the composer from getting to work.

J. Lange. Mozart at the piano.
(The portrait is not finished). 1789. Mozarteum, Salzburg

And this premonition came true. At the beginning of the winter of 1791, Mozart died suddenly without finishing the last, seventh part of his Requiem - the most impressive and heartfelt choral work of the era of classicism.

And here a certain Black Man appears on the stage of our story.

Evil tongues claim that the Black Man is an invention of Mozart's widow in the romantic spirit of that time. In other words, the Black Man is nothing more than a marketing factor that should have influenced interest in the creative heritage of the genius.

Mozart. The last pages of the personal register of your own works.
Autograph. July–November 1791. British Museum Library, London

And so it happened. And three times! After the publication of the Boldino brainchild of the great Russian poet, sales of Mozart's sheet music jumped. And after “Amadeus” by Milos Forman, CDs with a recording of “Requiem” - in any performance - became almost a bestseller.

But back in the summer of 1792, it turned out that this order was made by a widowed aristocrat, Count Walseth-Stuppach. But the memory of the Black Man turned out to be more durable than the memory of the Count and his loss.

Just like the memory of Mozart...

One of the most inconsolable contemporaries turned out to be... Antonio Salieri. He often blamed himself for Mozart’s death out loud and in front of many witnesses.

Mozart. Requiem.Autograph.
1791. Austrian National Library, Vienna

After all, he was one of the few in Vienna who could fully appreciate the talent of his younger contemporary. And what did he do? Nothing! And under what pretext? He, you see, protected Mozart from conflicts with the nobility! Or protected the nobility from Mozart’s ridicule? But there is no genius! And it will never happen again! What then is the meaning of his existence, Salieri, a teacher, a musician, if he did not save, did not cherish, did not preserve?

This is what haunted him until his death.

Although whom did he save and cherish? Maybe Beethoven!

Alas, both the familyless Beethoven and Mozart, surrounded by household members who were almost indifferent to him, paid in full for the seal of the “divine touch.”

The greatest joy of creativity in the world.

The greatest sadness in the world is loneliness...

😉 Greetings to my regular and new readers! The article “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: biography, facts” is about the main life stages of the Austrian composer and virtuoso musician, who created more than 600 musical works during his short life.

Biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in the city of Salzburg. This city only eventually became part of Austria, and was previously the capital of the Archbishopric of Salzburg.

His musical abilities were evident already at the age of 3. Wolfgang's father, Leopold, was a violinist and composer in the court chapel. He taught his son lessons in playing the violin, organ and harpsichord. Already at the age of 5, the little composer was composing short plays. Soon high society became interested in the young genius.

Portrait of six-year-old Wolfgang in a suit given by the Empress.

Mozart the father with his 6-year-old son Wolfgang and his eldest daughter Anna (Nannerl) gave concerts throughout Austria, Germany, Holland, and Switzerland. We visited Paris and London.

The talented kid not only amazed the audience with his musical abilities, but also made a whole show out of his performance. For example, he played without mistakes blindfolded or played on the keys covered with a cloth.

The beginning of a creative journey

The child prodigy composed his first concerto at the age of 4! The kid wrote it not only with a pen, but also by dipping his fingers in ink. The father thought that his son was just drawing, but when he looked at the result of the drawing, he began to cry. After all, it was a very complex piece that even adult musicians could not play!

By the age of 17, the young virtuoso had already created a number of musical works:

• 13 symphonies, 4 operas (“Mithridates, King of Pontus”, “Lucio Sulla”, “La bella finta Giardiniera”, “The Dream of Scipio”);
• 24 sonnets and many short works.

In 1779, Wolfgang was invited to the post of court organist in his hometown of Salzburg.

Mozart family. There is a portrait of the mother on the wall. Artist Johann Nepomuk de la Croce, c. 1780

In 1781 the musician moved to Vienna. He had to live in poverty, even with patrons. This did not stop him from creating great works - “The Marriage of Figaro”, “The Mercy of Titus”, “Don Juan”, “Requiem”. And some fragments of the opera “The Magic Flute” were written specifically for some rituals of the Masonic lodge.

Mozart's personal life

Like most creative personalities, Wolfgang was quite loving. He dedicated new musical creations to each new inspirational passion. His wife was the daughter of the owner of the apartment in Vienna where the composer lived. Mozart and Constance Weber had six children, but only two survived.

Wolfgang often attended balls, receptions, and masquerades. He knew how to dance beautifully, played billiards brilliantly, and loved animals and birds. His height was 1.63 m. Zodiac sign - .

Mozart and Constance on their honeymoon. 19th century postcard

Death of Mozart

The virtuoso musician lived only 35 years. He died in 1791. His death was associated for a long time with suspicion of poisoning. The composer Antonio Salieri was suspected of this crime. Competition was believed to be the motive for the poisoning.

In 1997, a trial was held in Milan on this issue. The long-dead Salieri was acquitted, and the cause of death was determined to be rheumatic fever complicated by heart failure.

The exact burial place of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has not been established. He was buried in a common grave in St. Mark's Cemetery in Vienna. At that time, only the rich and nobility were buried in separate graves with tombstones.

This place is quite deserted, but near the symbolic grave of Mozart you can always meet admirers of his talent.

Cinema and music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote music for centuries. Therefore, his operas are often found in modern films and TV series.

• 1982 - historical series “Mozart” about the life and work of the composer;
• 1984 - feature film “Amadeus” (USA);
• 1991 - feature film “Wolfgang A. Mozart” - (Austrian director Juraj Hertz);
• 2006 - animated series “Little Mozart” (Germany);
• 2010 - cartoon “Mozart” (Russia);
• 2010 - the film “Mozart’s Sister” - about the composer’s family.

Don't miss the video "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: a short biography"

In this article we will tell you some interesting facts from the life of Mozart. This composer has become a real legend. He was born in 1756, January 27, in the city of Salzburg. During his short life, this composer managed to write many concerts, operas, symphonies, and sonatas (more than 600 different works in total). Mozart's work is truly multifaceted and voluminous. In each of which he worked, he managed to achieve unprecedented success. The composer's contemporaries said that he was a master of several instruments, and also had an incredible memory and perfect pitch. However, this is far from the end of the interesting facts from the life of Mozart. We have selected, in our opinion, the most interesting of them, and we invite you to get acquainted with some details of the biography of this genius.

Musical talent of the Mozart family

The whole family was musically gifted. For example, his father, Leopold, played the organ and violin, and also served as a composer at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg and led the church choir. He also wrote a book on playing the violin, which was considered at that time one of the best teaching aids on this instrument.

This man instilled a love of music in his children: his son, who began playing the harpsichord at the age of three, and later mastered the organ and violin, and his daughter, who also played the harpsichord and piano excellently.

Of the seven children, only two survived in the Mozart family: Wolfgang and his older sister.

Young genius

A family friend, Schachtner Johann Andreas, a Salzburg court trumpeter, told the following story, which should certainly be included in our story on the topic “Interesting facts from the life of Mozart.” One day, Leopold Mozart came to his home with Schachtner and saw young Wolfgang (who was only 4 years old) writing something on music paper. The son dipped not only his pen in ink, but also his fingers. Mozart Jr. told the adults that he was writing a concerto. The father took the paper, stained with blots, and cried - everything was so harmonious in the essay.

Mozart and Bach

When the boy was about 8 years old, his talent was highly appreciated by Johann Christian Bach, who was the son of the famous Johann Sebastian Bach. They played together in public several times: Bach sat the little genius on his lap and performed sonatas on the harpsichord with him. Bach played a few bars, Mozart played a few. It seemed that there was only one musician behind the instrument - this duet sounded so harmonious. The artists also played four hands and talked a lot about music.

Speech during Lent

Wolfgang often traveled to other countries as a child. These trips were organized by the boy's father so that his son would give concerts to the public, listen to famous musicians and learn something new. In Holland, one of the countries they visited, music was strictly prohibited during fasting. However, an exception was made for Mozart. The clergy saw God's gift in his talent.

Opera for the Emperor

Joseph II commissioned an opera from Mozart when the boy was only 12 years old. It was called "The Imaginary Simpleton" and was intended for an Italian troupe. The young composer composed the work in just a few weeks. The singers, however, did not like it, so the premiere of the opera never took place.

Composer and Freemasons

Interesting facts from Mozart’s life are connected not only with his musical career. This man, for example, became a Freemason and even brought his father into the lodge. The composer composed music for a number of Masonic rituals, even in the famous opera called “The Magic Flute” the theme of this movement is heard.

Mozart and Salieri

One day the hero of our story decided to play a joke on Salieri. He told his friend that he had created a piece for the clavier that no one in the world except Mozart himself could perform. Salieri, having looked at the notes, exclaimed that the young musician would not be able to do this either, since he would need to perform the most difficult passages with both hands, and moreover, at opposite ends of the keyboard. At the same time, you need to take a few more notes in the middle. Even if you play with your foot, you still won’t be able to execute what you wrote, since the tempo of the piece is too fast. Very pleased, Mozart laughed. He sat down at the clavier and performed this piece exactly as indicated in the notes. And complex notes were played with the nose!

Constance, Mozart's wife

Earning decent fees with his work, nevertheless, Mozart, whose biography is sometimes contradictory, was often forced to borrow money from his friends. So, for example, having received a thousand guilders (a fabulous sum at that time) for performing at one of the concerts, he found himself without money within two weeks. Mozart's friend, from whom the composer tried to borrow, noticed with surprise that the musical genius had neither a stable, nor a castle, nor a bunch of children, nor an expensive mistress. "Why do you need money?" - he asked. Mozart replied that he had Constance, his wife. “She is my herd of thoroughbred horses, my castle, my bunch of children, my mistress,” the composer said.

Difficult concert

Mozart, whose biography, like all child prodigies, was marked from childhood with facts testifying to his unique talent, wrote his first concerto at the age of four. This was a piece for the clavier. It was so complex that hardly any of the European virtuosos could ever perform it. When the father took the unfinished recording from the boy, explaining that such a difficult concerto, in his opinion, could not be played, Mozart replied that all this was nonsense. After all, even a child can do this. He, for example.

Mozart plays with a cat

Everything for the young genius was a series of musical studies and performances. In various parts of Europe, at numerous concerts, the child prodigy entertained audiences from high society: he played the clavier with his eyes closed. The father covered the child's face with a handkerchief. They also covered the keyboard, but the young genius still managed to play the game. Mozart's work was admired by everyone. A cat came onto the stage at one of this composer’s concerts. Then Mozart stopped playing and rushed towards her as fast as he could. Forgetting about the listeners, he began to play with this animal. To his father’s shout, the young genius replied that the harpsichord was not going anywhere anyway, but the cat was about to leave.

The story of Marie Antoinette

After little Mozart (the composer we are talking about) performed in the imperial palace, Marie Antoinette, the young duchess, decided to show him her luxurious home. A boy in one of the halls fell, slipping on the parquet floor. Then the Duchess helped Mozart get up. He noticed that the Duchess was kind to him. “I guess I’ll marry you,” said the musician. The girl told her mother about this. The Empress with a smile asked the little “groom” why he said that. Mozart replied: "Out of gratitude."

Meeting Mozart with Goethe

Once, seven-year-old Mozart gave concerts in Frankfurt am Main. A 14-year-old boy approached him after the performance. He praised his performance, saying that he would never learn such a skill, since it was very difficult. Young Wolfgang was surprised and asked him if he had tried to write notes. The interlocutor replied that no, because only poetry comes to mind. Then Mozart retorted: “It must be very difficult to write poetry?” The boy replied that, on the contrary, it was very easy. Mozart's interlocutor turned out to be Goethe.

Cause of death of the composer

The cause of death of this greatest composer still raises controversy and questions. The medical report stated that Wolfgang died of rheumatic fever, which may have been complicated by acute renal or However, some art historians believe that he was poisoned by his rival. But there really isn’t much reason to believe that there was enmity between these two people. In 1997, despite this, 200 years after Wolfgang's death, Salieri's trial was held in Milan. Researchers of the work of these two musicians, as well as doctors, were heard by the judge, who subsequently ruled that Salieri was not guilty of the death of the famous composer.

How was Mozart buried?

The composer, despite all his merits and greatest talent, was buried as a pauper. Mozart's remains were placed in a mass grave along with several other coffins. The exact location of the burial is still unknown. At that time, tombstones and slabs were placed near cemetery walls, and not on the grave. On the day of the funeral, no one from his relatives reached the composer’s cemetery. Mozart’s sick widow was unable to say goodbye to her husband. Only as far as the city gates did the guests accompany such a great composer as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Interesting facts from the life of this man do not end there. There are quite a lot of them. Some of them actually took place, while others are semi-legendary. Interesting things about Mozart are interesting not only to professional musicians and fans of his work. Geniuses always attract increased interest. Mozart's life was short. He was born in 1756 and died in 1791, that is, at the age of 35. But during this time, the genius managed to create many immortal works that far outlived their author, who is Mozart. Piano, violin, clarinet, flute - for all these instruments the composer created many works that are performed and enthusiastically received by the public to this day.