Kody Myhra January 24, 2022
This week, I have decided to do a little research on our dear friend Mozart. Over my Christmas break, I had received a book called Composers Their Lives and Works by DK Publishing and thought "Why not feature a composer every month?" So, guess who I had to choose first? Mr. Mozart, of course!
Read for some fun and historical information about our friend Mozart below! :)
Early Life
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. He was born into a low-class status, where his father, Leopold Mozart, was a musician at the court of Salzburg's ruling prince-archbishop. His family lived out of rented apartment above a grocery shop in his town.
As a Child...
Mozart was a musical prodigy. The children in his family were all taught by their father, Leopold, and were extremely gifted in the art of music. Mozart began to play the keyboard around age four, and writing his first musical compositions at only five years old! Noticing his children's advancements, Leopold took his children around the world to tour and show off their amazing skills. Mozart began getting high approval from many higher class individuals and later took on different jobs writing music for others.
Why Is Mozart Important to the Clarinet Community?
Mozart is most famously known in the clarinet community by his astonishing Clarinet Concerto, Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622. This concerto was written for Anton Stadler (1753-1812) in October 1791. The piece had been originally written for basset horn, for which Stadler was a very distinguished player of. Both Stadler and Mozart were friends prior to the writing of the concerto, and toured together before its premiere. Although the concerto had to be reconstructed due to the original manuscripts going missing, it is still played by almost every clarinetist to this day. The piece was completed just two months before Mozart's untimely passing at 35.
Here is a recording of the concerto performed by Robert Marcellus and the Cleveland Orchestra:
Comentarios