WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

AMADEUS IN 1782

PERSONA

Constance

The first and true love of Wolfgang was Aloysia. However, on Sunday August 4, he married her sister, Constance. Aloysia married Joseph Lange, a painter who achieved one of the most beautiful portraits (though unfinished) of Wolfgang.

“I would like to have all that is good, pure and beautiful! From where does it come that those who are not in situation to live that way would like to spend for these beautiful things, and that those who could do not move?”
Mozart, September 28

SOCIETÀ

"Playing music scores"

At the time of Mozart, only noble and rich people could enjoy music. Mozart made it available by organizing a series of public concerts.

With Rape at the Seraglio, Mozart created the first German opera, which yielded a mediocre monetary compensation of a few hundred florins.

“Mozart performed the accompanying music; Swieten, Starzer and me, we sang. I then learned how one must play music scores. The one who did not hear Mozart playing a Haendel's score with 16 voices and more, singing himself and, at the same time, assisting those who made errors, does not know Mozart, because he is even more admirable in that than in his compositions.”
Joseph Weigl, Autobiography

KOECHEL

Turkish anger

“The Osmin anger will turn comic, because I use Turkish music here... his anger keeps increasing, whereas one is made to believe that the aria will soon finish - the allegro assai, which is in every measure - must make the best right effect. Because the man who is in such violent anger exceeds any rule, any measurement, any boundary; he does not know himself any more. - And it is also necessary that the music too, does not know itself any more. But as passions, violent or not, must never be expressed until arousing disgust, so is the music, even in the most terrible situation. It must never offend the ear but still charms it, and thus always stays good music. I did not choose here a foreign tone in F (which is the key of the aria), but a related one: not the closest – D minor – but the farthest: A minor.”
Mozart, September 26

K.382	New Finale for the Concerto No. 5 for piano in D Major, K.175 of December 1773
K.383	Air for soprano: "Nehmt Meinen Dank..." in G Major
K.384	"Belmonte und Konstanze, oder: Die Entführung aus dem Serail" (Rape at the Seraglio), singspiel
K.385	Symphony No. 35" Haffner "in D Major (Serenade No. 2 "Haffner")
K.386	Rondo intended to replace the finale of the preceding concerto, then abandoned
K.387	String quartet No. 14 in G Major - First of the six quartets dedicated to Joseph Haydn
K.388	Serenade No. 12 in C Minor
K.394	Prelude and fugue for piano in C Major
K.396	Adagio (fantasia) for piano in C Minor (initially conceived for piano and violin, and unfinished)
K.397	Fantasia for piano in D Minor
K.399	Suite for piano in C Major
K.402	Sonata for piano and violin No. 37 in A Major
K.403	Sonata for piano and violin No. 38 in C Major
K.404	Sonata for piano and violin No. 39 in C Major
K.404a	Four preludes for string trio, to accompany fugues by Jean-Sebastian and Wilhelm-Friedemann Bach
K.405	Adaptation of five fugues of Jean-Sebastian Bach for string quartet
K.407	Quintet for horn and cords in E flat Major
K.408	No. 2 March in D Major, to accompany the serenade
K.412	Initial Allegro of a concerto for horn No. 1 in D Major
K.413	Concerto for piano No. 11 in F Major
K.414	Concerto for piano No. 12 in A Major
K.415	Concerto for piano No. 13 in C Major
K.427	Solemn Mass No. 16 in C Minor
K.440	Aria (unfinished) for soprano, in C Major: "In te Spero, o Sposo Amato..."

CON SPIRITO

Expressive Notes

“All efforts we made to express the heart of things became vain the day after the representation of Mozart. The Rape at the Seraglio dominated us all.”
Goethe

“Too many notes, my dear Mozart”
Joseph II

“Sire, not one in excess!”
Mozart

Keys to Success

“To achieve success, it is necessary to write things so comprehensible that a carriage driver could sing them, or so incomprehensible that they are appreciated precisely because no reasonable creature can understand them.”
Mozart, December 28, 1782

Glossaryexpressions and names used in this page

Goethe: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), poet, writer and German playwright. Author of the dramatic poem Faust, considered as a Western literature masterpiece.

On February 3, 1830, Goethe – then 80 years old –, reminded the only time he have seen Mozart.
Joseph II and Wolfgang: This comment was addressed by the emperor to Wolfgang, following the representation of Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail (Rape at the Seraglio).
Lange (Joseph): This Mozart portrait was painted by Joseph Lange (1751-1831):
Osmin anger: Osmin is one of the characters of Mozart's opera entitled Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail (Rape at the Seraglio). This comment from Wolfgang says a lot about the enormous composition work realized before presenting his opera.
These notes: In fact, it is true that Mozart used many notes. It even happened that his music scores were turned over because they were too much complex to play!