Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756-1791)

General Info

• Born in Salzburg Austria in 1756

• Son of Leopold and Maria Anna Mozart

• Mozart was educated by his father

• Started playing music at age 4

• First composition at age 5

• Performed for royalty at ages 5 and 6

• Played before Louis XV at age 9

Church Music

• Began composing church music at age 12• In late teens/early twenties he worked for

Archbishop Hieronymous Colloredo of Salzburg

• His masses were written for use in worship, not for performance

• Archbishop insisted that mass not be prolonged by music and stay with 3 quarters of an hour

• 2 litanies—one in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, one in honor of the Blessed Virgin

• 17 single movement works written for performance between the Epistle and the Gospel

• 2 settings of the five Psalms and the Magnificat required for celebrating solemn Vespers

• Many masses written for use in worship

Some Sacred Compositions Include:

Mozart Missa

C MinorKV 4271783

Credo in unum Deum

Poietical Analysis

• Created by the composer for his wife as a wedding gift

• Because it was never finished, only parts of it were performed

• First performance was october 26 at St. Peter’s

• Marriage to Constanze

• Death of firstborn

• Great success in Austria including several performances, even one in front of the emperor

• Several new pieces created during this time

• Mass never being finished suggests that it’s a minor work

• Written during anxious period in his life

Eisthesic analysis

• Considered both a major and a minor work because of its incompletion

• Was meant to be used at mass; however, could not be due to time restrictions by the archbishop. Thus mostly sung in performance setting.

• Some believe that it was unfinished because of Haydn and Bach, suggesting that he was trying to keep up with them

Bibliography

Dyer, Joseph: ‘Roman Catholic Church Music, §IV, 4: The 18th Century: Salzburg & the church music of Mozart’, Grove Music Online (Accessed 9 April 2006) <www.grovemusic.com>

Eisen, Cliff: ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, §1: Ancestry and early childhood’, Grove Music Online (accessed 9 April 2006) <www.grovemusic.com>

Eisen, Cliff: ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, §2: Travels, 1763-73’, Grove Music Online (accessed 9 April 2006) <www.grovemusic.com>