WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Born 1756 in Salzburg , Austria ; died 1791 in Vienna , Austria
• Mozart was considered a child prodigy , with his first piece published at age six and first opera written by age 12 .
• After being employed by wealthy patrons for a time , Mozart bucked the norm of holding steady employment under patronage and created a career as a freelance musician . As a result ( and in part due to regular gambling ), Mozart struggled financially throughout his life .
• The composer ’ s output was tremendous , composing over 600 works in his lifetime and mastering multiple genres including symphonic music , solo repertoire , and opera . Many of these works remain hugely popular , including The Marriage of Figaro , Eine kleine Nachtmusik , and The Magic Flute . He remains one of the most recognizable household names in Western classical music to this day .
• Mozart passed away at only 35 years old . Shortly before his death , the composer was commissioned to write a Requiem by an anonymous patron . The unusual commission haunted Mozart who began to see the work as a harbinger of his own death . Mozart passed away unexpectedly before finishing the work .
FUN FACT
There is a frog species named after Mozart . The “ Eleutherodactylus Amadeus ” is a Haitian frog species that was given its name due to its song-like sound frequencies .
ABOUT THE PIECE : Serenade No . 6 , Serenata notturna
• Mozart wrote his Serenade No . 6 , Serenata notturna in 1776 when he was 20 years old .
• At the time , his works were composed to serve as entertainment for high society events . Many of his pieces were performed once and then forgotten .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE 1776 |
MUSIC C . P . E . Bach ’ s Piano Trios |
LITERATURE Goethe ’ s Stella |
HISTORY The U . S . Declaration of Independence is signed |
ABOUT THE PIECE : Eine kleine Nachtmusik
• Like the work we just heard , this piece is also a serenade with a title meaning “ A Little Night Music .” The work was composed in 1787 when Mozart was in the middle of writing Don Giovanni . The piece was also written for entertainment , as court composers were expected to put on nightly concerts for their patrons .
• Mozart ’ s Eine kleine Nachtmusik is one of Mozart ’ s most famous works and has been used throughout pop culture on The Simpsons , The Man in the High Castle , and Brooklyn Nine-Nine .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE 1787 |
MUSIC Joseph Haydn ’ s Symphony No . 88 |
ART Francisco Goya ’ s The Snowstorm ( Winter ) |
HISTORY The Russo-Turkish War |
BSO SESSIONS | MARCH 2021
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