Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a prominent representative of the Vienna Classical School. He masterfully mastered various musical forms of his time, had a unique ear and a rare talent as an improviser. In a word, genius. And there are usually a lot of rumors and speculations surrounding the life and death of a genius. The composer passed away at the age of thirty-five. His early death became the subject of controversy and formed the basis of stories literary works. How did Mozart die? What caused his sudden death? And where is Mozart buried?
The composer, whose biography has been of interest to researchers around the world for more than two centuries, died in 1791. It is customary to begin biographies of outstanding people at birth. But Mozart's biography is so extensive that any of the periods is worthy of close attention. This article will focus, first of all, on how Mozart died. There is a lot of speculation. But according to the official version, the cause of death was a long illness. But before we begin to describe the last days of Mozart, we should briefly outline his biography.
Childhood
Where was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born? The city of the great musician’s childhood and youth is Salzburg. Amadeus's father was a violinist. Leopold Mozart dedicated his life to children. He did everything to ensure that his daughter and son received a decent musical education. It's musical. Unique abilities with early years showed both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose biography is presented in our article, and his older sister Nannerl.
Leopold began teaching his daughter to play the harpsichord quite early. Wolfgang was very young at that time. But he followed his sister’s lessons and repeated certain passages from musical works. Then Leopold decided that his son should definitely become a composer. Wolfgang, like his Nannerl, began performing very early. The audience was fascinated by the performance of the child prodigies.
Youth and the beginning of creativity
Since 1781, the hero of this article lived in Vienna. Haydn is a classic. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, along with these great musicians, created works that will never be forgotten. He managed to achieve such heights not only thanks to his innate talent, but also to perseverance and hard work.
How old was Mozart when he died? The composer was only thirty-five. And ten years before his death he settled in Vienna. In this short period of time, Wolfgang has transformed from a little-known musician into
The house belonged to the Webers, whose family had three unmarried daughters. One of them is Wolfgang's future wife, Constance. In the same year, when he first crossed the threshold of the Weber house, he began to create the opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio.” The work was approved by the Viennese public, but Mozart's name still had no weight in musical circles.
Glory
Soon Mozart married Constance Weber. After the wedding, his relationship with his father went wrong. Mozart Sr. was hostile towards his daughter-in-law until his last days. The peak of Wolfgang's fame was in the mid-eighties. A few years before his death, he begins to receive huge fees. The Mozarts move into a luxurious apartment, hire servants and buy a piano for crazy money at that time. The musician strikes up a friendship with Haydn, to whom he once even gives a collection of his works.
In February 1785, the public was presented with a piano concerto in D minor. “Why did the great Mozart die in poverty?” - sometimes you can hear such a question. What is the basis for the opinion about the financial troubles of the pianist and composer? After all, in the mid-eighties, Mozart was at the peak of his fame. He was one of the wealthiest musicians in Vienna in 1787. Four years before his death, he sent his son to a very expensive and prestigious educational institution. And in the same year, the great pianist joined the Masonic lodge. But in recent years, the composer has suffered somewhat. However, it was still far from poverty.
Financial difficulties
In 1789, Wolfgang's wife fell ill. He was forced to send her to a medical resort, which shook his financial situation. A few months later, Constance began to recover. By that time, The Marriage of Figaro had already achieved considerable success. Mozart began writing works for the theater. He had written operas before. But his early works were not successful.
The last year of Mozart's life became very fruitful. He wrote a symphony in G minor and received the position of conductor. And finally, I started working on Requiem. It was ordered by a stranger who wanted to honor his wife.
Requiem
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose biography is surprisingly eventful, despite his early death, wrote countless works. He had many students, and during his lifetime he received good royalties from the publication of his works. Shortly before his death, he began to create his last work, “Requiem.” The work captured him so much that he stopped accepting students. In addition, his health suddenly began to deteriorate every day.
How Mozart died was told years later by relatives who witnessed the death of the great composer. Among them was the son of a musician. According to the memoirs of relatives, Mozart suddenly became so ill that he had to call a doctor. And not just any, but the best in Vienna. Indeed, the healer helped the musician. However, the improvement did not last long. Soon Mozart fell ill completely.
Acute millet fever
According to the memoirs of Sophie Weber, the musician’s sister-in-law, after his condition worsened, his relatives decided to call another doctor. The cause of Mozart's death is controversial because his symptoms were so unusual that they prevented doctors from coming to unanimous opinion regarding the diagnosis.
In recent weeks, the composer's hearing has become more acute. He suffered unbearable pain, even from touching his body to his clothes. Mozart grew weaker every day. And, in addition, his condition worsened due to imperfect medical methods. The patient was regularly bled: this therapeutic technique was considered universal in those days. The cause of Mozart's death might have been established if he had lived in the 21st century. In the eighteenth century, treatment methods were, to put it mildly, ineffective. The death certificate of the genius stated: acute millet fever.
A good part of the Viennese population suffered from this disease at that time. The doctors did not know how to treat him. Therefore, one of the doctors, having visited the dying man, concluded: he could no longer be saved.
General weakness of the body
The life and work of Mozart is the subject of many books, feature films and documentaries. His rare gift was discovered at an early age. But in addition to his unique abilities, Mozart, contrary to popular belief, had extraordinary hard work. Much has been said today about how Mozart died. There is a version that the great musician was poisoned by the envious Salieri. But the composer's contemporaries thought differently.
After Mozart's death, some doctors claimed that he died from a serious infectious disease. His body was unable to fight as a result of general weakness. And Mozart was physically weakened due to many years of work without break or rest.
Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for researchers to diagnose a musician. There are many contradictions in the records of Sophie Weber and other relatives. It was these circumstances that gave rise to a lot of versions about the death of Amadeus Mozart. Let's look at each of them.
Salieri
The version that Mozart died at the hands of an envious person is the most common. And it was precisely this that formed the basis of Pushkin’s tragedy. According to this version, Mozart's life and work were surrounded by idleness. Nature allegedly endowed the musician with such talent that no effort was required. Mozart managed everything playfully and easily. And Salieri, on the contrary, with all his efforts was not able to achieve even a pathetic fraction of what Mozart could do.
Pushkin's work is based on artistic fiction. But many readers today do not distinguish the author’s fantasies from confirmed facts. Pushkin's characters argue that genius and evil are incompatible concepts. In the work of the Russian writer, Salieri stirs poison for Mozart because he does not agree with him. He believes that he is sacrificing an idle but gifted composer to art.
The opinion that Salieri is a murderer is considered to be one of the versions also because at the beginning of the nineteenth century his confession was found in one of the church archives, in which he confessed and repented of his crime. There are no confirmed facts that this document actually existed. However, even today many admirers of Mozart’s work are confident that the genius became a victim of the envy of a “colleague”.
Constance
There is another version of poisoning. Her adherents believe that Mozart was sent to the next world by his wife. And one of the musician’s students helped her with this. If you believe the rumors, the passionate romance between Constance and Züssmayr was accompanied by a showdown and extremely emotional reconciliations. The beloved of Mozart's wife was a very ambitious man, if not a careerist. And he could well have entered into a love affair with Constance solely in order to harass his great teacher. But why did Süssmayr need to get rid of Mozart? What would his death give him?
In addition, this version is less plausible due to the fact that after the musician’s death his diary was preserved. And it is evidence of the deepest devotion and love that reigned in the Mozart family.
Ritual murder
And finally, the latest version. If we take into account only those that talk about violent death, then this one is perhaps the most plausible. As already mentioned, the great musician was a member of the Masonic lodge. Masons, as a rule, help their “brothers”. But they did not help Mozart when he was experiencing severe financial difficulties. They even ignored the death of the composer, without canceling the next meeting as a sign of mourning.
Some researchers believe that the reason for the murder was Mozart's intention to create his own lodge. One of the latest works, “The Magic Flute,” uses Masonic symbolism. It was not customary to demonstrate something like this to the uninitiated. Perhaps Mozart was killed by his Masonic brothers.
Burial
It is known where Mozart is buried. At St. Mark's Cemetery. The date of burial remains controversial. According to the official version - December 6. It is widely believed that Mozart was buried in mass grave, intended for the poor. But, according to historians, the burial took place according to the third category. It was not a beggar’s funeral, but it was not a magnificent farewell ceremony for a great composer, pianist, and teacher. As often happens, true fame for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart came after his death.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a talented, gifted, famous composer who wrote about 650 works.
Childhood
On January 27, 1756, the future composer Mozart was born into a musical Austrian family. His talent was discovered in childhood - from the age of 4 he tried to write his first melodies, and from the age of six he brilliantly gave concerts in Europe. The parents did their best to educate the talented child and taught him to play instruments. In addition to his musical talent, Mozart was distinguished by an unusually rare memory, which allowed him to completely remember and write down a work after listening to it only once. By the age of 17, the composer’s repertoire already included about 45 voluminous works.
Creative path
In 1769, Mozart received the position of concertmaster in Salzburg, and the following year he became a member of the Philharmonic Academy.
In the period from 1775 to 1780, Mozart's work flourished. During this period, he created his famous operas - “Don Giovanni”, “The Marriage of Figaro”, and most of the symphonies (in total, Mozart wrote 49 of them). Since 1777, the composer gave successful concerts in Germany and France. Mozart's last work, which he never finished, was "Requiem". Mozart's works are contrasting, dramatic and deep, but at the same time they also have soft, smooth shades.
Family
Constance Weber became Mozart's faithful wife and creative muse. The couple had six children, of whom only two sons survived.
Death
Since November 1791, Mozart was seriously ill and died of a fever on December 5. The funeral of the outstanding composer, who gave the world so many wonderful works and showed people the magnificent world of music, took place on December 6 in the presence of his closest people. A little later, a monument to Mozart was erected in Vienna.
Creation Interesting Facts
Biography of Mozart about creativity
Mozart was born in 1756. Since childhood, the composer-father Leopold Mozart studied with him. He was such a gifted child who, at the age of four, already began writing harpsichord concertos, and at the age of six, he successfully toured Europe. Maybe genes affected him, or the boy was simply talented, but he had no equal at that time. Little Mozart had a unique memory. As soon as he heard the work once, he could immediately transfer it to paper.
In 1762, the composer's family headed to Vienna, and then the journey covered the whole of Europe - the composer spontaneously managed to give concerts in many cities. After resounding success, he was offered to publish his works. And this is in adolescence.
On one of these trips, they were invited to an audience with the empress. She had already heard about the talented boy, and here was an opportunity to see and enjoy his play.
By the age of seventeen, he occupied the place of accompanist at the court of the archbishop. His collection included about 40 works. For his services to music, the Pope awarded him the title of Knight of the Golden Spur.
In 1767, he was invited to the wedding of the daughter of Empress Maria Theresa. But due to unfortunate events, the composer was simply forgotten at that moment. And Mozart was unable to perform. The smallpox epidemic that spread at that time also crippled the young composer; the consequences of the disease were the boy’s short-term blindness.
The zenith of glory came in 1775-1780. Mozart constantly improved. In his works you can hear a number of unique techniques unique to him. This was influenced by studying with a local organist, as well as meeting with youngest son famous composer Johann Christian Bach. This acquaintance, and subsequently friendship, gave the young composer a lot of interesting and useful things. Thanks to his friend, he became more relaxed.
After this, Mozart received an offer to perform at the court of George III. His playing was so virtuosic that it was decided to involve him in writing a composition laudatory to the archbishop.
Despite the difficult financial situation and unfavorable family situation, Mozart wrote 4 operas, 13 symphonies, and 12 ballets during this period.
In 1781, the opera Idomeneo, whose composer was Mozart, was staged at the theater. It was new turn in his career as a composer. Much was written for the church chapel; he considered such works to be the best.
In 1782, the second opera, “The Abduction from the Seraglio,” was ready. The opera's resounding success in Vienna contributed to its popularity throughout Germany. However, admirers of Vienna's music were practically unfamiliar with the composer's work. In the same year he married Constance Weber. These were such strong feelings that for the sake of his beloved, the composer went against the will of his father. Only the mother, sister and guardian of his beloved were present at the wedding ceremony. In their marriage they had six children.
Mozart's fame and success were deafening. Moreover, it began to generate some income. Soon the Mozart family was able to buy a house.
In the autumn of 1791, Mozart began to be very ill. The work completely overwhelmed him. Lately he hasn't been up at all. The composer died on December 5, 1791 from an acute fever. The exact burial place of the composer is not known for certain, since the burial places at that time were not marked with signs or monuments. Thanks to the memories of the composer’s son, in honor of the centenary of his death, a monument in the form of a weeping angel was erected at Mozart’s grave.
Interesting facts and dates from life
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, full name Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, died on December 5, 1791 in Vienna. Austrian composer, bandmaster, virtuoso violinist, harpsichordist, organist. According to contemporaries, he had a phenomenal ear for music, memory and the ability to improvise. Mozart is widely recognized as one of the greatest composers: his uniqueness lies in the fact that he worked in all musical forms of his time and achieved the greatest success in all of them. Along with Haydn and Beethoven, he belongs to the most significant representatives of the Vienna Classical School.Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, which was then the capital of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, now this city is located in Austria.
Mozart's musical abilities manifested themselves at a very early age, when he was about three years old. Wolfgang's father taught him the basics of playing the harpsichord, violin and organ.
In 1762, Mozart's father and his son and daughter Anna, also a remarkable harpsichord player, took an artistic trip to Munich, Paris, London and Vienna, and then to many other cities in Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In the same year, young Mozart wrote his first composition.
In 1763, Mozart's first sonatas for harpsichord and violin were published in Paris. From 1766 to 1769, living in Salzburg and Vienna, Mozart studied the works of Handel, Stradella, Carissimi, Durante and other great masters.
Mozart spent 1770-1774 in Italy. In 1770, in Bologna, he met the composer Joseph Mysliveček, who was extremely popular in Italy at that time; the influence of “The Divine Bohemian” turned out to be so great that later, due to the similarity of style, some of his works were attributed to Mozart, including the oratorio “Abraham and Isaac”
In 1775-1780, despite worries about financial security, a fruitless trip to Munich, Mannheim and Paris, and the loss of his mother, Mozart wrote, among other things, 6 keyboard sonatas, a concerto for flute and harp, and the great symphony No. 31 in D major, called Paris, several spiritual choirs, 12 ballet numbers.
In 1779, Mozart received a position as court organist in Salzburg (collaborating with Michael Haydn). On January 26, 1781, the opera “Idomeneo” was staged in Munich with great success, marking a certain turn in Mozart’s work.
In 1781, Mozart finally settled in Vienna. In 1783, Mozart married Constance Weber, sister of Aloysia Weber, with whom he had been in love while in Mannheim. In the very first years, Mozart gained wide fame in Vienna; His “academies,” as public author’s concerts were called in Vienna, were popular, in which the works of one composer, often by himself, were performed. However, Mozart’s opera in subsequent years in Vienna did not go well. The operas "L'oca del Cairo" (1783) and "Lo sposo deluso" (1784) remained unfinished. Finally, in 1786, the opera “The Marriage of Figaro” was written and staged, the libretto of which was Lorenzo da Ponte. It had a good reception in Vienna, but after several performances it was withdrawn and was not staged until 1789, when the production was resumed by Antonio Salieri, who considered “The Marriage of Figaro” to be Mozart’s best opera.
In 1787, a new opera, created in collaboration with Da Ponte, was released - “Don Giovanni”.
At the end of 1787, after the death of Christoph Willibald Gluck, Mozart received the position of “imperial and royal chamber musician” with a salary of 800 florins, but his duties were mainly limited to composing dances for masquerades, opera - comic, on a plot from social life - was commissioned from Mozart only once, and it was “Cosi fan tutte” (1790).
In May 1791, Mozart was assigned an unpaid position as assistant conductor of St. Stephen's Cathedral; this position gave him the right to become conductor after the death of the seriously ill Leopold Hofmann; Hofmann, however, outlived Mozart.
Mozart died on December 5, 1791. The cause of Mozart's death is still a matter of debate. Most researchers believe that Mozart actually died, as stated in the medical report, from rheumatic fever, possibly complicated by acute heart or kidney failure. The famous legend about the poisoning of Mozart by the composer Salieri is still supported by several musicologists, but there is no convincing evidence for this version. In May 1997, a court sitting in the Milan Palace of Justice, having considered the case of Antonio Salieri on charges of murdering Mozart, acquitted him.
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Thank you, you saved me, you gave me a short biography of Mozart on music, but there was a lot written on other sites, I’m too lazy to copy everything off
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (German: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart). Born January 27, 1756 in Salzburg - died December 5, 1791 in Vienna. Baptized as Johann Chrysostomos Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart. Austrian composer and virtuoso performer.
Mozart showed his phenomenal abilities at the age of four. He is one of the most popular classical composers, having a profound influence on subsequent Western musical culture. According to contemporaries, Mozart had a phenomenal ear for music, memory and the ability to improvise.
Mozart's uniqueness lies in the fact that he worked in all musical forms of his time and composed more than 600 works, many of which are recognized as the pinnacle of symphonic, concert, chamber, opera and choral music.
Along with Beethoven, he belongs to the most significant representatives of the Vienna Classical School. The circumstances of Mozart's controversial life, as well as his early death, have been the subject of much speculation and debate, which have become the basis of numerous myths.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, then the capital of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, in a house at Getreidegasse 9.
His father Leopold Mozart was a violinist and composer in the court chapel of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Count Sigismund von Strattenbach.
Mother - Anna Maria Mozart (née Pertl), daughter of the commissioner-trustee of the almshouse in St. Gilgen.
Both were considered the most beautiful married couple in Salzburg, and the surviving portraits confirm this. Of the seven children from the Mozart marriage, only two survived: daughter Maria Anna, whom friends and relatives called Nannerl, and son Wolfgang. His birth almost cost his mother her life. Only after some time was she able to get rid of the weakness that made her fear for her life.
On the second day after his birth, Wolfgang was baptized in the Salzburg Cathedral of St. Rupert. The entry in the baptism book gives his name in Latin as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus (Gottlieb) Mozart. In these names, the first two words are the name of St. John Chrysostom, which is not used in everyday life, and the fourth varied during Mozart’s life: lat. Amadeus, German Gottlieb, Italian. Amadeo, meaning “beloved of God.” Mozart himself preferred to be called Wolfgang.
Both children's musical abilities were evident at a very early age.
At the age of seven, Nannerl began receiving harpsichord lessons from her father. These lessons had a huge impact on little Wolfgang, who was only about three years old: he sat down at the instrument and could have fun with the selection of harmonies for a long time. In addition, he remembered individual passages of musical pieces that he heard and could play them on the harpsichord. This made a great impression on his father, Leopold.
At the age of 4, his father began to learn small pieces and minuets with him on the harpsichord. Almost immediately Wolfgang learned to play them well. He soon developed a desire for independent creativity: already at the age of five he was composing small plays, which his father wrote down on paper. Wolfgang's very first compositions were Andante in C major and Allegro in C major for clavier, which were composed between the end of January and April 1761.
In January 1762, Leopold took his children on their first trial concert trip to Munich, leaving his wife at home. Wolfgang was only six years old at the time of the trip. All that is known about this journey is that it lasted three weeks, and the children performed before the Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian III.
On October 13, 1763, the Mozarts went to Schönbrunn, where the summer residence of the imperial court was then located.
The Empress gave the Mozarts a warm and polite reception. At the concert, which lasted several hours, Wolfgang flawlessly played a wide variety of music: from his own improvisations to works given to him by Maria Theresa’s court composer, Georg Wagenseil.
Emperor Franz I, wanting to see firsthand the child’s talent, asked him to demonstrate all sorts of performing tricks when playing: from playing with one finger to playing on a cloth-covered keyboard. Wolfgang easily coped with such tests, in addition, together with his sister, he played a variety of pieces with four hands.
The Empress was fascinated by the little virtuoso's performance. After the game ended, she sat Wolfgang on her lap and even allowed him to kiss her on the cheek. At the end of the audience, the Mozarts were offered refreshments and the opportunity to tour the palace.
There is a well-known historical anecdote associated with this concert: supposedly, when Wolfgang was playing with the children of Maria Theresa, the little archduchesses, he slipped on the polished floor and fell. Archduchess Marie Antoinette, the future queen of France, helped him rise. Wolfgang allegedly jumped up to her and said: “You are nice, I want to marry you when I grow up.” The Mozarts visited Schönbrunn twice. So that the children could appear there in more beautiful clothes than what they had, the Empress gave the Mozarts two costumes - for Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl.
The arrival of the little virtuoso created a real sensation, thanks to which the Mozarts received daily invitations to receptions in the houses of the nobility and aristocracy. Leopold did not want to refuse the invitations of these high-ranking persons, since he saw them as potential patrons of his son. The performances, which sometimes lasted for several hours, greatly exhausted Wolfgang.
On November 18, 1763, the Mozarts arrived in Paris. The fame of child virtuosos spread quickly, and, thanks to this, the desire of noble people to listen to Wolfgang play was great.
Paris made a great impression on the Mozarts. In January, Wolfgang wrote his first four sonatas for harpsichord and violin, which Leopold sent to print. He believed that the sonatas would create a great sensation: title page it was indicated that these were the works of a seven-year-old child.
The concerts given by the Mozarts caused great excitement. Thanks to a letter of recommendation received in Frankfurt, Leopold and his family were taken under the patronage of the well-connected German encyclopedist and diplomat, Friedrich Melchior von Grimm. It was thanks to Grimm's efforts that the Mozarts were invited to perform at the king's court in Versailles.
On December 24, Christmas Eve, they arrived at the palace and spent two weeks there, giving concerts in front of the king and the marquise. On New Year's Day, the Mozarts were even allowed to attend the gala feast, which was considered a special honor - they had to stand at the table, next to the king and queen.
In Paris, Wolfgang and Nannerl reached amazing heights in performing skills - Nannerl was equal to the leading Parisian virtuosos, and Wolfgang, in addition to his phenomenal abilities as a pianist, violinist and organist, amazed the public with the art of impromptu accompaniment to a vocal aria, improvisation and sight-playing. In April, after two big concerts, Leopold decided to continue his journey and visit London. Due to the fact that the Mozarts gave many concerts in Paris, they made good money, in addition, they were given various precious gifts - enamel snuff boxes, watches, jewelry and other trinkets.
On April 10, 1764, the Mozart family left Paris and went through the Pas-de-Calais Strait to Dover on a ship they had specially hired. They arrived in London on April 23, and stayed there for fifteen months.
His stay in England further influenced Wolfgang's musical education: he met outstanding London composers - Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of the great Johann Sebastian Bach, and Carl Friedrich Abel.
Johann Christian Bach became friends with Wolfgang despite the large age difference, and began to give him lessons that had a huge influence on the latter: Wolfgang's style became freer and more elegant. He showed sincere tenderness to Wolfgang, spending whole hours at the instrument with him, and playing together with him four hands. Here, in London, Wolfgang met the famous Italian opera singer-castrato Giovanni Manzuoli, who even began to give the boy singing lessons. Already on April 27, the Mozarts managed to perform at the court of King George III, where the whole family was warmly received by the monarch. At another performance on May 19, Wolfgang amazed the audience by playing from the sheets of pieces by J. H. Bach, G. K. Wagenseil, C. F. Abel and G. F. Handel.
Soon after returning from England, Wolfgang, already as a composer, was attracted to composing music: for the anniversary of the consecration of Prince-Archbishop S. von Strattenbach of Salzburg, Wolfgang composed praise music (“A Berenice... Sol nascente”, also known as “Licenza” ) in honor of his ruler. The performance, dedicated directly to the celebration, took place on December 21, 1766. In addition, for the needs of the yard in different time various now-lost marches, minuets, divertiments, trios, fanfares for trumpets and timpani, and other “opportunistic works” were also composed.
In the fall of 1767, the marriage of the daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, the young Archduchess Maria Josepha, with the King of Naples Ferdinand was supposed to take place. This event became the reason for the Mozarts' next tour to Vienna.
Leopold hoped that the valiant guests gathered in the capital would be able to appreciate the play of his child prodigies. However, upon arrival in Vienna, Mozart was immediately unlucky: the Archduchess fell ill with smallpox and died on October 16. Due to the confusion and confusion that reigned in court circles, not a single opportunity arose to speak. The Mozarts thought about leaving the epidemic-stricken city, but they were held back by the hope that, despite the mourning, they would be invited to the court. In the end, protecting the children from the disease, Leopold and his family fled to Olomouc, but first Wolfgang and then Nannerl managed to become infected and became so seriously ill that Wolfgang lost his sight for nine days. Returning to Vienna on January 10, 1768, when the children recovered, the Mozarts, without expecting it themselves, received an invitation from the empress to the court.
Mozart spent 1770-1774 in Italy. In 1770, in Bologna, he met the composer Joseph Mysliveček, who was extremely popular in Italy at that time; the influence of “The Divine Bohemian” turned out to be so great that subsequently, due to the similarity of style, some of his works were attributed to Mozart, including the oratorio “Abraham and Isaac”.
In 1771, in Milan, again with the opposition of theater impresarios, Mozart’s opera “Mithridates, King of Pontus” was staged, which was received by the public with great enthusiasm. His second opera, Lucius Sulla, was given the same success. For Salzburg, Mozart wrote “The Dream of Scipio” on the occasion of the election of a new archbishop, for Munich - the opera “La bella finta Giardiniera”, 2 masses, offertory.
When Mozart was 17 years old, his works already included 4 operas, several spiritual works, 13 symphonies, 24 sonatas, not to mention a host of smaller compositions.
In 1775-1780, despite worries about financial security, a fruitless trip to Munich, Mannheim and Paris, and the loss of his mother, Mozart wrote, among other things, 6 keyboard sonatas, a concerto for flute and harp, and the great symphony No. 31 in D major, called Paris, several spiritual choirs, 12 ballet numbers.
In 1779, Mozart received a position as court organist in Salzburg (collaborating with Michael Haydn).
On January 26, 1781, the opera “Idomeneo” was staged in Munich with great success, marking a certain turn in Mozart’s work. In this opera, traces of the old Italian opera seria are still visible (a large number of coloratura arias, the part of Idamante, written for a castrato), but a new trend is felt in the recitatives and especially in the choruses. A big step forward is also noticeable in the instrumentation. During his stay in Munich, Mozart wrote the offertory “Misericordias Domini” for the Munich chapel - one of the best examples of church music of the late 18th century.
At the end of July 1781, Mozart began writing the opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio” (German: Die Entführung aus dem Serail), which premiered on July 16, 1782.
The opera was enthusiastically received in Vienna, and soon became widespread throughout Germany. However, despite the success of the opera, Mozart's authority as a composer in Vienna was quite low. The Viennese knew almost nothing of his writings. Even the success of the opera Idomeneo did not spread beyond Munich.
In an effort to obtain a position at court, Mozart hoped, with the help of his former patron in Salzburg - the emperor's younger brother, Archduke Maximilian, to become a music teacher for Princess Elisabeth of Württemberg, whose education Joseph II took upon himself. The Archduke warmly recommended Mozart to the princess, but the emperor appointed Antonio Salieri to this post as the best singing teacher.
“For him, no one exists except Salieri!” Mozart wrote to his father in disappointment on December 15, 1781.
Meanwhile, it was completely natural that the emperor preferred Salieri, whom he valued primarily as a vocal composer.
On December 15, 1781, Mozart wrote a letter to his father in which he confessed his love for Constance Weber and announced that he was going to marry her. However, Leopold knew more than what was written in the letter, namely that Wolfgang had to give a written commitment to marry Constance within three years, otherwise he would pay 300 florins annually in her favor.
Main role in the story with a written commitment, the guardian of Constance and her sisters, Johann Thorwarth, a court official who enjoyed authority with Count Rosenberg, played. Thorwart asked his mother to forbid Mozart to communicate with Constance until “this matter is completed in writing.”
Due to strong developed sense honor, Mozart could not leave his beloved and signed a statement. However, later, when the guardian left, Constance demanded a commitment from her mother, saying: “Dear Mozart! I don’t need any written commitments from you, I already believe your words,” she tore up the statement. This act of Constance made her even dearer to Mozart. Despite such imaginary nobility of Constance, researchers have no doubt that all these marriage disputes, including the breaking of the contract, are nothing more than a well-performed performance by the Webers, the purpose of which was to organize a rapprochement between Mozart and Constance.
Despite his son's numerous letters, Leopold was adamant. In addition, he believed, not without reason, that Frau Weber was playing an “ugly game” with his son - she wanted to use Wolfgang as a wallet, because just at that time enormous prospects were opening up for him: he wrote “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, carried out many concerts by subscription and every now and then received orders for various compositions from the Viennese nobility. In great confusion, Wolfgang appealed to his sister for help, trusting in her good old friendship. At Wolfgang's request, Constance wrote letters to his sister and sent various gifts.
Despite the fact that Maria Anna accepted these gifts in a friendly manner, the father persisted. Without hopes for a secure future, a wedding seemed impossible to him.
Meanwhile, the gossip became increasingly unbearable: on July 27, 1782, Mozart wrote to his father in complete despair that most people took him for already married and that Frau Weber was extremely outraged by this and tortured him and Constance to death.
Mozart's patron, Baroness von Waldstedten, came to the aid of Mozart and his beloved. She invited Constance to move into her apartment in Leopoldstadt (house no. 360), to which Constance readily agreed. Because of this, Frau Weber was now angry and intended to eventually force her daughter back to her home. To preserve Constance's honor, Mozart had to marry her as soon as possible. In the same letter, he most persistently begged his father for permission to marry, repeating his request a few days later. However, the desired consent was not forthcoming again. At this time, Mozart vowed to write a mass if he successfully married Constance.
Finally, on August 4, 1782, the betrothal took place in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral, attended only by Frau Weber and her youngest daughter Sophie, Herr von Thorwarth as guardian and witness for both, Herr von Zetto as witness for the bride, and Franz Xaver Gilowski as witness. Mozart. wedding feast arranged by the Baroness, and a serenade was played for thirteen instruments. Only a day later did the father’s long-awaited consent come.
During their marriage, the Mozart couple had 6 children., of which only two survived:
Raymond Leopold (17 June – 19 August 1783)
Carl Thomas (21 September 1784 – 31 October 1858)
Johann Thomas Leopold (October 18 – November 15, 1786)
Theresa Constance Adelaide Frederica Marianna (27 December 1787 – 29 June 1788)
Anna Maria (died shortly after birth, December 25, 1789)
Franz Xaver Wolfgang (26 July 1791 – 29 July 1844).
At the zenith of his fame, Mozart received huge fees for his academies and the publication of his works, and he taught many students.
In September 1784, the composer's family moved into a luxurious apartment at Grosse Schulerstrasse 846 (now Domgasse 5) with an annual rent of 460 florins. At this time, Mozart wrote the best of his works. The income allowed Mozart to keep servants at home: a hairdresser, a maid and a cook; he bought a piano from the Viennese master Anton Walter for 900 florins and a pool table for 300 florins.
In 1783, Mozart met famous composer Joseph Haydn, a cordial friendship soon develops between them. Mozart even dedicated his collection of 6 quartets, written in 1783-1785, to Haydn. These quartets, so daring and new for their time, caused bewilderment and controversy among Viennese lovers, but Haydn, aware of the genius of the quartets, accepted the gift with the greatest respect. Other things also belong to this period an important event in Mozart’s life: on December 14, 1784, he joined the Masonic lodge “To Charity”.
Mozart received an order from the emperor for a new opera. For help in writing the libretto, Mozart turned to a familiar librettist, the court poet Lorenzo da Ponte, whom he met at his apartment with Baron Wetzlar back in 1783. As material for the libretto, Mozart proposed Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy “Le Mariage de Figaro” (French: “The Marriage of Figaro”). Despite the fact that Joseph II banned the production of comedy at the National Theater, Mozart and Da Ponte still got to work, and, thanks to the lack of new operas, won the situation. Mozart and da Ponte called their opera “Le nozze di Figaro” (Italian: “The Marriage of Figaro”).
Thanks to the success of Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart considered da Ponte an ideal librettist. Da Ponte suggested the play “Don Giovanni” as a plot for the libretto, and Mozart liked it. On April 7, 1787, young Beethoven arrived in Vienna. According to widespread belief, Mozart, after listening to Beethoven's improvisations, allegedly exclaimed: “He will make everyone talk about himself!”, and even took Beethoven as his student. However, there is no direct evidence of this. One way or another, Beethoven, having received a letter about his mother’s serious illness, was forced to return to Bonn, spending only two weeks in Vienna.
In the midst of work on the opera, on May 28, 1787, Leopold Mozart, the father of Wolfgang Amadeus, died. This event cast such a shadow over him that some musicologists attribute the darkness of the music from Don Giovanni to the shock Mozart experienced. The premiere of the opera Don Giovanni took place on October 29, 1787 at the Estates Theater in Prague. The success of the premiere was brilliant; the opera, in Mozart’s own words, was a “resounding success.”
The production of Don Giovanni in Vienna, which Mozart and da Ponte had been considering, was hampered by the increasing success of Salieri's new opera Aksur, King of Hormuz, which premiered on January 8, 1788. Finally, thanks to the order of Emperor Joseph II, interested in the Prague success of Don Giovanni, the opera was performed on May 7, 1788 at the Burgtheater. The Vienna premiere was a failure: the public, which had generally cooled towards Mozart’s work since the time of Figaro, could not get used to such a new and unusual work, and generally remained indifferent. Mozart received 50 ducats from the Emperor for Don Giovanni, and, according to J. Rice, during 1782-1792 this was the only time the composer received payment for an opera commissioned outside of Vienna.
Since 1787, the number of Mozart’s “academies” has sharply decreased, and in 1788 they stopped altogether - he was unable to gather a sufficient number of subscribers. “Don Juan” failed on the Vienna stage and brought almost nothing to the table. Because of this, Mozart's financial situation deteriorated sharply. Obviously, already at this time he began to accumulate debts, aggravated by the costs of treating his wife, who was ill due to frequent childbirth.
In June 1788, Mozart settled in a house at Waringergasse 135 “At Three Stars” in the Vienna suburb of Alsergrund. The new move was further evidence of dire financial problems: the rent for a house in the suburbs was significantly lower than in the city. Soon after the move, Mozart's daughter Theresia dies. From this time on, a series of numerous heartbreaking letters from Mozart began with requests for financial help to his friend and brother in the Masonic lodge, the wealthy Viennese businessman Michael Puchberg.
Despite this deplorable situation, during one and a half months of the summer of 1788, Mozart wrote three, now the most famous, symphonies: No. 39 in E-flat major (K.543), No. 40 in G minor (K.550) and No. 41 in C major (“Jupiter”, K.551). The reasons that prompted Mozart to write these symphonies are unknown.
In February 1790, Emperor Joseph II died. Mozart initially associated the accession to the throne of Leopold II big hopes, however, the new emperor was not a particular lover of music, and musicians did not have access to him.
In May 1790, Mozart wrote to his son, Archduke Franz, hoping to establish himself: “The thirst for fame, the love of activity and the confidence in my knowledge make me dare to ask for the position of second bandmaster, especially since the very skillful bandmaster Salieri has never been involved in the church style. , I have perfectly mastered this style since my youth.” However, Mozart's request was ignored, which greatly disappointed him. Mozart was ignored and during the visit to Vienna on September 14, 1790 of King Ferdinand and Queen Carolina of Naples, a concert was given under the baton of Salieri, in which the Stadler brothers and Joseph Haydn participated; Mozart was never invited to play in front of the king, which offended him.
Since January 1791, Mozart’s work experienced an unprecedented rise, which was the end of the creative decline of 1790: Mozart composed the only and last concerto for piano and orchestra (No. 27 in B-flat major, K.595) in the past three years, which dates back to 5 January, and numerous dances written by Mozart on duty as a court musician. On 12 April he wrote his last Quintet No. 6, E-flat major (K.614). In April he prepared a second edition of his Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K.550), adding clarinets to the score. Later, on April 16 and 17, this symphony was performed at charity concerts conducted by Antonio Salieri. After a failed attempt to obtain an appointment as Salieri's second Kapellmeister, Mozart took a step in a different direction: in early May 1791, he sent a petition to the Vienna city magistrate asking him to be appointed to the unpaid position of assistant Kapellmeister of St. Stephen's Cathedral. The request was granted, and Mozart received this position. She gave him the right to become a bandmaster after the death of the seriously ill Leopold Hofmann. Hofmann, however, outlived Mozart.
In March 1791, Mozart’s old acquaintance from Salzburg, theater actor and impresario Emanuel Schikaneder, who was then the director of the Auf der Wieden theater, turned to him with a request to save his theater from decline and write for him a German “opera for the people” on a fairy-tale plot.
Presented in September 1791 in Prague, on the occasion of the coronation of Leopold II as the Czech king, the opera La Clemenza di Titus was received coldly. The Magic Flute, staged in the same month in Vienna at a suburban theater, on the contrary, was as successful as Mozart's Austrian capital I haven't known for many years. This fairy tale opera occupies a special place in Mozart’s extensive and varied work.
Mozart, like most of his contemporaries, paid a lot of attention to sacred music, but he left few great examples in this area: except for “Misericordias Domini” - “Ave verum corpus” (KV 618, 1791), written in a completely uncharacteristic style. Mozart style, and the majestic and sorrowful Requiem (KV 626), on which Mozart worked in the last months of his life.
The history of writing “Requiem” is interesting. In July 1791, Mozart was visited by a mysterious stranger in gray and ordered him a “Requiem” (funeral mass). As the composer's biographers established, this was a messenger from Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach, a music-playing amateur who loved to perform other people's works in his palace with the help of his chapel, buying authorship from composers; With the requiem he wanted to honor the memory of his late wife. The work on the unfinished Requiem, stunning for its mournful lyricism and tragic expressiveness, was completed by his student Franz Xaver Süssmayer, who had previously taken some part in composing the opera La Clemenza di Titus.
In connection with the premiere of the opera La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart arrived in Prague already ill, and from then on his condition worsened. Even during the completion of The Magic Flute, Mozart began to faint and became very discouraged. As soon as The Magic Flute was performed, Mozart enthusiastically began working on the Requiem. This work occupied him so much that he even intended not to accept any more students until the Requiem was completed. Upon returning from Baden, Constance did everything to keep him from working; In the end, she took the score of the Requiem from her husband and called the best doctor in Vienna, Dr. Nikolaus Klosse.
Indeed, thanks to this, Mozart's condition improved so much that he was able to complete his Masonic cantata on November 15 and conduct its performance. He told Constance to return the Requiem to him and worked on it further. However, the improvement did not last long: on November 20, Mozart fell ill. He began to feel weak, his arms and legs became so swollen that he could not walk, followed by sudden bouts of vomiting. In addition, his hearing became more acute, and he ordered the cage with his favorite canary to be removed from the room - he could not stand its singing.
On November 28, Mozart’s condition deteriorated so much that Klosse invited Dr. M. von Sallab, at that time the chief physician of the Vienna General Hospital, to a consultation. During the two weeks Mozart spent in bed, he was cared for by his sister-in-law Sophie Weber (later Heibl), who left behind numerous memories of Mozart's life and death. She noticed that Mozart was gradually weakening every day, and his condition was aggravated by unnecessary bloodletting, which were the most common means of medicine at that time, and were also used by doctors Klosse and Sallaba.
Klosse and Sallaba diagnosed Mozart with “acute millet fever” (this diagnosis was also indicated on the death certificate).
According to modern researchers, it is no longer possible to more accurately establish the causes of the composer’s death. W. Stafford compares Mozart's medical history to an inverted pyramid: tons of secondary literature are piled up on a very small amount of documentary evidence. At the same time, the volume of reliable information over the past hundred years has not increased, but decreased: over the years, scientists have become increasingly critical of the testimony of Constance, Sophie and other eyewitnesses, discovering many contradictions in their testimony.
On December 4, Mozart's condition became critical. He became so sensitive to touch that he could barely tolerate his nightgown. A stench emanated from the body of the still living Mozart, which made it difficult to be in the same room with him. Many years later, Mozart's eldest son Karl, who was seven at the time, recalled how he, standing in the corner of the room, looked in horror at the swollen body of his father lying in bed. According to Sophie, Mozart felt the approach of death and even asked Constance to inform I. Albrechtsberger about his death before others found out about it, so that he could take his place in St. Stephen's Cathedral: he always considered Albrechtsberger a born organist and believed that the position of assistant the bandmaster should rightfully be his. That same evening, the priest of St. Peter's Church was invited to the patient's bedside.
Late in the evening they sent for a doctor, Klosse ordered a cold compress to be applied to his head. This had such an effect on the dying Mozart that he lost consciousness. From that moment on, Mozart lay prone, wandering randomly. At about midnight he sat up in bed and stared motionlessly into space, then leaned against the wall and dozed off. After midnight, five minutes to one, that is, already December 5, death occurred.
Already at night, Baron van Swieten appeared at Mozart’s house and, trying to console the widow, ordered her to move in with friends for a few days. At the same time, he gave her urgent advice to arrange the burial as simply as possible: indeed, the last debt to the deceased was paid in third class, which cost 8 florins 36 kreuzers and another 3 florins for the hearse. Soon after van Swieten, Count Deim arrived and removed Mozart death mask. “To dress the gentleman,” Diner was called early in the morning. People from the funeral fraternity, covering the body with black cloth, carried it on a stretcher to the workroom and placed it next to the piano. During the day, many of Mozart’s friends came there, wanting to express condolences and see the composer again.
The controversy surrounding the circumstances of Mozart's death continues to this day., despite the fact that more than 220 years have passed since the composer’s death. Associated with his death great amount versions and legends, among which the legend of the poisoning of Mozart by the most famous composer of that time, Antonio Salieri, became especially widespread, thanks to the “little tragedy” of A. S. Pushkin. Scientists studying Mozart's death are divided into two camps: supporters of violent and natural death. However, the vast majority of scientists believe that Mozart died naturally, and any versions of poisoning, especially the version of Salieri’s poisoning, are unprovable or simply erroneous.
On December 6, 1791, at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Mozart's body was brought to St. Stephen's Cathedral. Here, in the Cross Chapel adjacent to the north side of the cathedral, a modest religious ceremony was held, attended by Mozart's friends van Swieten, Salieri, Albrechtsberger, Süssmayer, Diner, Rosner, cellist Orsler and others. The hearse went to St. Mark's cemetery, in accordance with the regulations of that time, after six o'clock in the evening, that is, already in the dark, without accompanying persons. The date of Mozart's burial is controversial: sources indicate December 6, when the coffin with his body was sent to the cemetery, but regulations prohibited burying the dead earlier than 48 hours after death.
Contrary to popular belief, Mozart was not buried in a linen bag in a mass grave with the poor, as shown in the film Amadeus. His funeral took place according to the third category, which included burial in a coffin, but in a common grave along with 5-6 other coffins. There was nothing unusual about Mozart's funeral for that time. This was not a "beggar's funeral." Only very rich people and members of the nobility could be buried in a separate grave with a tombstone or monument. The impressive (albeit second-class) funeral of Beethoven in 1827 took place in a different era and, moreover, reflected a sharply increased social status musicians.
For the Viennese, Mozart’s death passed almost unnoticed, but in Prague, with a large crowd of people (about 4,000 people), in memory of Mozart, 9 days after his death, 120 musicians performed with special additions Antonio Rosetti’s “Requiem,” written back in 1776.
The exact place of Mozart’s burial is not known for certain: in his time, graves remained unmarked, and tombstones were allowed to be placed not at the burial site itself, but near the cemetery wall. Mozart's grave was visited for many years by the wife of his friend Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, who took her son with her. He precisely remembered the composer’s burial place and, when, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Mozart’s death, they began to look for his burial, he was able to show it. One simple tailor planted a willow tree on the grave, and then, in 1859, a monument was built there according to the design of von Gasser, the famous Weeping Angel.
In connection with the centenary of the composer’s death, the monument was moved to the “musical corner” of the Vienna Central Cemetery, which again raised the risk of losing the real grave. Then the overseer of St. Mark's cemetery, Alexander Kruger, built a small monument from various remains of previous tombstones. Currently, the Weeping Angel has been returned to its original place.
Amadeus
en.wikipedia.org
Biography
Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, which was then the capital of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, now this city is located in Austria. On the second day after birth, he was baptized in St. Rupert's Cathedral. The entry in the baptism book gives his name in Latin as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus (Gottlieb) Mozart. In these names, the first two words are the name of St. John Chrysostom, which is not used in everyday life, and the fourth varied during Mozart’s life: lat. Amadeus, German Gottlieb, Italian. Amadeo, meaning “beloved of God.” Mozart himself preferred to be called Wolfgang.
Mozart's musical abilities manifested themselves at a very early age, when he was about three years old. His father Leopold was one of Europe's leading music teachers. His book “The Experience of a Solid Violin School” (German: Versuch einer grundlichen Violinschule) was published in 1756, the year of Mozart’s birth, went through many editions and was translated into many languages, including Russian. Wolfgang's father taught him the basics of playing the harpsichord, violin and organ.
In London, the young Mozart was the subject of scientific research, and in Holland, where music was strictly banned during Lent, an exception was made for Mozart, since the clergy saw the finger of God in his extraordinary talent.
In 1762, Mozart's father took his son and daughter Anna, also a remarkable harpsichord performer, on an artistic journey to Munich and Vienna, and then to many other cities in Germany, Paris, London, Holland, and Switzerland. Everywhere Mozart aroused surprise and delight, emerging victorious from the most difficult tests that were offered to him by people both knowledgeable in music and amateurs. In 1763, Mozart's first sonatas for harpsichord and violin were published in Paris. From 1766 to 1769, living in Salzburg and Vienna, Mozart studied the works of Handel, Stradella, Carissimi, Durante and other great masters. By order of Emperor Joseph II, Mozart wrote the opera “The Imaginary Simpleton” (Italian: La Finta semplice) in a few weeks, but the members of the Italian troupe, into whose hands this work of the 12-year-old composer fell, did not want to perform the boy’s music, and their intrigues were so are strong that his father did not dare to insist on performing the opera.
Mozart spent 1770-1774 in Italy. In 1771, in Milan, again with the opposition of theater impresarios, Mozart’s opera “Mithridates, King of Pontus” (Italian: Mitridate, Re di Ponto) was staged, which was received by the public with great enthusiasm. His second opera, “Lucio Sulla” (Lucius Sulla) (1772), was given the same success. For Salzburg, Mozart wrote “The Dream of Scipio” (Italian: Il sogno di Scipione), on the occasion of the election of a new archbishop, 1772, for Munich - the opera “La bella finta Giardiniera”, 2 masses, offertory (1774). When he was 17 years old, his works already included 4 operas, several spiritual poems, 13 symphonies, 24 sonatas, not to mention a host of smaller compositions.
In 1775-1780, despite worries about financial security, a fruitless trip to Munich, Mannheim and Paris, and the loss of his mother, Mozart wrote, among other things, 6 keyboard sonatas, a concerto for flute and harp, and the great symphony No. 31 in D major, called Paris, several spiritual choirs, 12 ballet numbers.
In 1779, Mozart received a position as court organist in Salzburg (collaborating with Michael Haydn). On January 26, 1781, the opera Idomeneo was staged in Munich with great success. The reform of lyrical and dramatic art begins with Idomeneo. In this opera, traces of the old Italian opera seria are still visible (a large number of coloratura arias, the part of Idamante, written for a castrato), but a new trend is felt in the recitatives and especially in the choruses. A big step forward is also noticeable in the instrumentation. During his stay in Munich, Mozart wrote the offertory “Misericordias Domini” for the Munich chapel - one of the best examples of church music of the late 18th century. With each new opera, the creative power and novelty of Mozart's techniques manifested themselves brighter and brighter. The opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" (German: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail), written on behalf of Emperor Joseph II in 1782, was received with enthusiasm and soon became widespread in Germany, where it came to be considered the first national German opera. It was written during romantic relationships Mozart with Constance Weber, who later became his wife.
Despite Mozart's success, his financial situation was not brilliant. Leaving the position of organist in Salzburg and taking advantage of the meager bounty of the Viennese court, Mozart, in order to provide for his family, had to give lessons, compose country dances, waltzes and even plays for wall clocks with music, and play at the evenings of the Viennese aristocracy (hence his numerous piano concertos). The operas "L'oca del Cairo" (1783) and "Lo sposo deluso" (1784) remained unfinished.
In 1783-1785, 6 famous string quartets were created, which Mozart dedicated to Joseph Haydn, the master of this genre, and which he accepted with the greatest respect. His oratorio “Davide penitente” (Repentant David) dates back to the same time.
In 1786, Mozart's unusually prolific and tireless activity began, which was the main reason for the breakdown of his health. An example of the incredible speed of composition is the opera “The Marriage of Figaro”, written in 1786 in 6 weeks and, nevertheless, striking in its mastery of form, perfection of musical characteristics, and inexhaustible inspiration. In Vienna, The Marriage of Figaro went almost unnoticed, but in Prague it caused extraordinary delight. No sooner had Mozart's co-author Lorenzo da Ponte finished the libretto of The Marriage of Figaro than he had to rush, at the composer's request, to the libretto of Don Giovanni, which Mozart was writing for Prague. This great work, which has no analogues in the art of music, was published in 1787 in Prague and was even more successful than The Marriage of Figaro.
This opera had much less success in Vienna, which generally treated Mozart colder than other centers of musical culture. The title of court composer with a salary of 800 florins (1787) was a very modest reward for all of Mozart’s works. However, he was tied to Vienna, and when in 1789, having visited Berlin, he received an invitation to become the head of the court chapel of Frederick William II with a salary of 3 thousand thalers, he still did not dare to leave Vienna.
However, many researchers of Mozart's life claim that he was not offered a place at the Prussian court. Frederick William II only made an order for six simple piano sonatas for his daughter and six string quartets for himself. Mozart did not want to admit that the trip to Prussia was a failure, and pretended that Friedrich Wilhelm II had invited him to serve, but out of respect for Joseph II, he refused the place. The order received in Prussia gave his words the appearance of truth. There was little money earned during the trip. They were barely enough to pay a debt of 100 guilders, which were taken from the Freemason's brother Hofmedel for travel expenses.
After Don Giovanni, Mozart composed the 3 most famous symphonies: No. 39 in E-flat major (KV 543), No. 40 in G minor (KV 550) and No. 41 in C major “Jupiter” (KV 551), written within a month and a half in 1788; Of these, the last two are especially famous. In 1789, Mozart dedicated a string quartet with a concert cello part (in D major) to the Prussian king.
After the death of Emperor Joseph II (1790), Mozart's financial situation turned out to be so hopeless that he had to leave Vienna to escape the persecution of creditors and at least improve his affairs a little through an artistic journey. Mozart's last operas were "Cosi fan tutte" (1790), "La Clemenza di Titus" (1791), which contains wonderful pages, despite the fact that it was written in 18 days for the coronation of Emperor Leopold II, and finally, "The Magic flute" (1791), which had enormous success and spread extremely quickly. This opera, modestly called an operetta in old editions, together with The Abduction from the Seraglio, served as the basis for the independent development of national German opera. In Mozart's extensive and varied activities, opera occupies the most prominent place. In May 1791, Mozart accepted an unpaid position as assistant bandmaster of St. Stephen's Cathedral, expecting to take the place of bandmaster after the death of the seriously ill Leopold Hofmann; Hoffman, however, survived him.
A mystic by nature, Mozart worked a lot for the church, but he left few great examples in this area: except for “Misericordias Domini” - “Ave verum corpus” (KV 618), (1791) and the majestic and sorrowful Requiem (KV 626), on which Mozart worked tirelessly, with special love, in last days life. The history of writing “Requiem” is interesting. Shortly before Mozart’s death, a mysterious stranger dressed all in black visited Mozart and ordered him a “Requiem” (funeral mass). As the composer's biographers established, it was Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach, who decided to pass off the purchased composition as his own. Mozart plunged into work, but bad feelings did not leave him. A mysterious stranger in a black mask, the “black man,” constantly stands before his eyes. The composer begins to feel that he is writing this funeral mass for himself... The work on the unfinished “Requiem,” which to this day stuns listeners with its mournful lyricism and tragic expressiveness, was completed by his student Franz Xaver Süssmayer, who had previously taken some part in composing the opera “La Clemenza di Tito.”
Mozart died on December 5 at 00-55 o'clock in the night 1791 from an unspecified illness. His body was found swollen, soft and elastic, as happens with poisoning. This fact, as well as some other circumstances related to the last days of the great composer’s life, gave researchers grounds to defend this particular version of the cause of his death. Mozart was buried in Vienna, in St. Mark's cemetery in a common grave, so the burial place itself remained unknown. In memory of the composer, on the ninth day after his death in Prague, in front of a huge crowd of people, 120 musicians performed Antonio Rosetti’s “Requiem”.
Creation
A distinctive feature of Mozart's work is the amazing combination of strict, clear forms with deep emotionality. The uniqueness of his work lies in the fact that he not only wrote in all the forms and genres that existed in his era, but also left works of lasting significance in each of them. Mozart's music reveals many connections with different national cultures(especially Italian), nevertheless it belongs to the national Viennese soil and bears the stamp of the creative individuality of the great composer.
Mozart is one of the greatest melodists. Its melody combines the features of Austrian and German folk songs with the melodiousness of the Italian cantilena. Despite the fact that his works are distinguished by poetry and subtle grace, they often contain melodies of a masculine nature, with great dramatic pathos and contrasting elements.
Mozart attached particular importance to opera. His operas represent a whole era in the development of this type of musical art. Along with Gluck, he was the greatest reformer of the opera genre, but unlike him, he considered music to be the basis of opera. Mozart created a completely different type of musical dramaturgy, where operatic music is in complete unity with the development of stage action. As a result, in his operas there are no clearly positive and negative characters; the characters are lively and multifaceted; the relationships between people, their feelings and aspirations are shown. The most popular operas were “The Marriage of Figaro”, “Don Giovanni” and “The Magic Flute”.
Mozart paid great attention to symphonic music. Due to the fact that throughout his life he worked in parallel on operas and symphonies, his instrumental music is distinguished by the melodiousness of an operatic aria and dramatic conflict. The most popular were the last three symphonies - No. 39, No. 40 and No. 41 (“Jupiter”). Mozart also became one of the creators of the classical concert genre.
Mozart's chamber instrumental work is represented by a variety of ensembles (from duets to quintets) and works for piano (sonatas, variations, fantasies). Mozart abandoned the harpsichord and clavichord, which have a weaker sound compared to the piano. Mozart's piano style is distinguished by elegance, clarity, and careful finishing of melody and accompaniment.
The composer created many spiritual works: masses, cantatas, oratorios, as well as the famous Requiem.
The thematic catalog of Mozart's works, with notes, compiled by Köchel (Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichniss sammtlicher Tonwerke W. A. Mozart?s, Leipzig, 1862), is a volume of 550 pages. According to Kechel's calculation, Mozart wrote 68 sacred works (masses, offertories, hymns, etc.), 23 works for the theater, 22 sonatas for harpsichord, 45 sonatas and variations for violin and harpsichord, 32 string quartets, about 50 symphonies, 55 concertos and etc., a total of 626 works.
About Mozart
Perhaps there is no name in music before which humanity bowed so favorably, rejoiced and was so touched. Mozart is a symbol of music itself.
- Boris Asafiev
Incredible genius elevated him above all the masters of all arts and all centuries.
- Richard Wagner
Mozart has no strain, because he is above the strain.
- Joseph Brodsky
His music is certainly not just entertainment, it contains the whole tragedy of human existence.
- Benedict XVI
Works about Mozart
The drama of Mozart's life and work, as well as the mystery of his death, have become a fruitful topic for artists of all types of arts. Mozart became the hero of numerous works of literature, drama and cinema. It is impossible to list them all - below are the most famous of them:
Dramas. Plays. Books.
* “Little tragedies. Mozart and Salieri." - 1830, A. S. Pushkin, drama
* "Mozart on the way to Prague." - Eduard Mörike, story
* "Amadeus". - Peter Schaeffer, play.
* “Several meetings with the late Mr. Mozart.” - 2002, E. Radzinsky, historical essay.
* "The Murder of Mozart." - 1970 Weiss, David, novel
* “The sublime and the earthly.” - 1967 Weiss, David, novel
* "The Old Cook." - K. G. Paustovsky
* “Mozart: the sociology of one genius” - 1991, Norbert Elias, a sociological study about the life and work of Mozart in the conditions of his contemporary society. Original title: “Mozart. Zur Sociologie eines Genies"
Movies
* Mozart and Salieri - 1962, dir. V. Gorikker, in the role of Mozart I. Smoktunovsky
* Little tragedies. Mozart and Salieri - 1979, dir. M. Schweitzer As Mozart V. Zolotukhin, I. Smoktunovsky as Salieri
* Amadeus - 1984, dir. Milos Forman as Mozart T. Hulse
* Enchanted by Mozart - 2005 documentary film, Canada, ZDF, ARTE, 52 min. dir. Thomas Wallner and Larry Weinstein
* Famous art critic Mikhail Kazinik about Mozart, film “Ad Libitum”
* “Mozart” is a two-part documentary film. Broadcast on September 21, 2008 on the Rossiya channel.
* "Little Mozart" is a children's animated series based on real biography Mozart.
Musicals. Rock operas
*Mozart! - 1999, music: Sylvester Levi, libretto: Michael Kunze
* Mozart L"Opera Rock - 2009, creators: Albert Cohen/Dove Attia, as Mozart: Mikelangelo Loconte
Computer games
* Mozart: Le Dernier Secret (The Last Secret) - 2008, developer: Game Consulting, publisher: Micro Application
Works
Operas
* “The Duty of the First Commandment” (Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes), 1767. Theater oratorio
* “Apollo and Hyacinthus” (Apollo et Hyacinthus), 1767 - student musical drama based on Latin text
* “Bastien and Bastienne” (Bastien und Bastienne), 1768. Another student piece, Singspiel. German version of the famous comic opera by J.-J. Rousseau - “The Village Sorcerer”
* “The Feigned Simpleton” (La finta semplice), 1768 - an exercise in the opera buffe genre with a libretto by Goldoni
* “Mithridates, King of Pontus” (Mitridate, re di Ponto), 1770 - in the tradition of Italian opera seria, based on Racine’s tragedy
* “Ascanio in Alba”, 1771. Serenade opera (pastoral)
* Betulia Liberata, 1771 - oratorio. Based on the story of Judith and Holofernes
* “Scipio’s Dream” (Il sogno di Scipione), 1772. Serenade opera (pastoral)
* “Lucio Silla”, 1772. Opera seria
* “Thamos, King of Egypt” (Thamos, Konig in Agypten), 1773, 1775. Music for Gebler’s drama
* “The Imaginary Gardener” (La finta giardiniera), 1774-5 - again a return to the traditions of opera buffe
* “The Shepherd King” (Il Re Pastore), 1775. Serenade opera (pastoral)
* “Zaide”, 1779 (reconstructed by H. Chernovin, 2006)
* “Idomeneo, King of Crete” (Idomeneo), 1781
* “The Abduction from the Seraglio” (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail), 1782. Singspiel
* “The Cairo Goose” (L’oca del Cairo), 1783
* “The Deceived Spouse” (Lo sposo deluso)
* “The Theater Director” (Der Schauspieldirektor), 1786. Musical comedy
* “The Marriage of Figaro” (Le nozze di Figaro), 1786. The first of 3 great operas. In the opera buffe genre.
* “Don Giovanni” (Don Giovanni), 1787
* “Everyone does this” (Cosi fan tutte), 1789
* “The Mercy of Tito” (La clemenza di Tito), 1791
* “The Magic Flute” (Die Zauberflote), 1791. Singspiel
Other works
* 17 masses, including:
* "Coronation", KV 317 (1779)
* “Great Mass” C minor, KV 427 (1782)
* "Requiem", KV 626 (1791)
* about 50 symphonies, including:
* "Parisian" (1778)
* No. 35, KV 385 "Haffner" (1782)
* No. 36, KV 425 "Linzskaya" (1783)
* No. 38, KV 504 “Prazhskaya” (1786)
* No. 39, KV 543 (1788)
* No. 40, KV 550 (1788)
* No. 41, KV 551 "Jupiter" (1788)
* 27 concertos for piano and orchestra
* 6 concertos for violin and orchestra
* Concerto for two violins and orchestra (1774)
* Concerto for violin and viola and orchestra (1779)
* 2 concertos for flute and orchestra (1778)
* No. 1 G major K. 313 (1778)
* No. 2 D major K. 314
* Concerto for oboe and orchestra in D major K. 314 (1777)
* Concerto for clarinet and orchestra in A major K. 622 (1791)
* Concerto for bassoon and orchestra in B-flat major K. 191 (1774)
* 4 concertos for horn and orchestra:
* No. 1 D major K. 412 (1791)
* No. 2 E-flat major K. 417 (1783)
* No. 3 E-flat major K. 447 (between 1784 and 1787)
* No. 4 E-flat major K. 495 (1786) 10 serenades for string orchestra, including:
* "Little Night Serenade" (1787)
* 7 divertimentos for orchestra
* Various wind instrument ensembles
* Sonatas for various instruments, trios, duets
* 19 piano sonatas
* 15 cycles of variations for piano
* Rondo, fantasies, plays
* More than 50 arias
* Ensembles choirs, songs
Notes
1 All about Oscar
2 D. Weiss. “The Sublime and the Earthly” is a historical novel. M., 1992. Page 674.
3 Lev Gunin
4 Levik B.V. “Musical literature of foreign countries,” vol. 2. - M.: Music, 1979 - p.162-276
5 Mozart: Catholic, Master Mason, favorite of the pope (English)
Literature
* Abert G. Mozart: Trans. with him. M., 1978-85. T. 1-4. Part 1-2.
* Weiss D. Sublime and earthly: A historical novel about the life of Mozart and his time. M., 1997.
* Chigareva E. Mozart’s operas in the context of the culture of his time. M.: URSS. 2000
* Chicherin G. Mozart: Research etude. 5th ed. L., 1987.
* Steinpress B. S. The last pages of Mozart’s biography // Steinpress B. S. Essays and etudes. M., 1980.
* Shuler D. If Mozart kept a diary... Translation from Hungarian. L. Balova. Kovrin Publishing House. Typogr. Athenaeum, Budapest. 1962.
* Einstein A. Mozart: Personality. Creativity: Transl. with him. M., 1977.
Biography
Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, and was baptized as Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus. Mother - Maria Anna, née Pertl, father - Leopold Mozart, composer and theorist, since 1743 - violinist in the court orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg. Of the seven Mozart children, two survived: Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna. Both brother and sister had brilliant musical abilities: Leopold began giving his daughter harpsichord lessons when she was eight years old, and the music book with easy pieces composed by her father in 1759 for Nannerl was later useful in teaching little Wolfgang. At the age of three, Mozart picked up thirds and sixths on the harpsichord, and at the age of five he began composing simple minuets. In January 1762, Leopold took his miracle children to Munich, where they played in the presence of the Bavarian Elector, and in September to Linz and Passau, from there along the Danube to Vienna, where they were received at court, in the Schönbrunn Palace, and twice received a reception from Empress Maria Theresa. This trip marked the beginning of a series of concert trips that continued for ten years.
From Vienna, Leopold and his children moved along the Danube to Pressburg, where they stayed from December 11 to 24, and then returned to Vienna on Christmas Eve. In June 1763, Leopold, Nannerl and Wolfgang began the longest of their concert tours: they did not return home to Salzburg until the end of November 1766. Leopold kept a travel diary: Munich, Ludwigsburg, Augsburg and Schwetzingen, the summer residence of the Elector of the Palatinate. On August 18, Wolfgang gave a concert in Frankfurt. By this time, he had mastered the violin and played it fluently, although not with such phenomenal brilliance as on keyboard instruments. In Frankfurt, he performed his violin concerto, among those present in the hall was 14-year-old Goethe. Brussels and Paris followed, where the family spent the entire winter between 1763 and 1764. The Mozarts were received at the court of Louis XV during the Christmas holidays at Versailles and enjoyed great attention in aristocratic circles throughout the winter. At the same time, Wolfgang's works were published for the first time in Paris - four violin sonatas.
In April 1764, the family went to London and lived there for more than a year. A few days after their arrival, the Mozarts were solemnly received by King George III. As in Paris, children gave public concerts during which Wolfgang demonstrated his amazing abilities. Composer Johann Christian Bach, a favorite of London society, immediately appreciated the child’s enormous talent. Often, having put Wolfgang on his knees, he would perform sonatas with him on the harpsichord: they would play in turns, each playing a few bars, and they would do it with such precision that it seemed as if one musician was playing. In London, Mozart composed his first symphonies. They followed the examples of the gallant, lively and energetic music of Johann Christian, who became the boy's teacher, and demonstrated an innate sense of form and instrumental color. In July 1765, the family left London and headed to Holland; in September, in The Hague, Wolfgang and Nannerl suffered severe pneumonia, from which the boy recovered only by February. They then continued their tour: from Belgium to Paris, then to Lyon, Geneva, Bern, Zurich, Donaueschingen, Augsburg and finally to Munich, where the Elector again listened to the play of the miracle child and was amazed at the successes he had made. As soon as they returned to Salzburg, on November 30, 1766, Leopold began making plans for his next trip. It began in September 1767. The whole family arrived in Vienna, where at that time a smallpox epidemic was raging. The disease overtook both children in Olmutz, where they had to stay until December. In January 1768 they reached Vienna and were again received at court. Wolfgang at this time wrote his first opera, “The Imaginary Simpleton,” but its production did not take place due to the intrigues of some Viennese musicians. At the same time, his first large mass for choir and orchestra appeared, which was performed at the opening of the church at the orphanage in front of a large and friendly audience. A trumpet concerto was written by order, but unfortunately has not survived. On the way home to Salzburg, Wolfgang performed his new symphony, “K. 45a", in the Benedictine monastery in Lambach.
The goal of the next trip Leopold planned was Italy - the country of opera and, of course, the country of music in general. After 11 months of study and preparation for the trip, spent in Salzburg, Leopold and Wolfgang began the first of three journeys through the Alps. They were absent for more than a year, from December 1769 to March 1771. The first Italian journey turned into a chain of continuous triumphs - for the pope and the duke, for King Ferdinand IV of Naples and for the cardinal and, most importantly, for the musicians. Mozart met with Niccolo Piccini and Giovanni Battista Sammartini in Milan, with the heads of the Neapolitan opera school Niccolo Yomelli and Giovanni Paisiello in Naples. In Milan, Wolfgang received a commission for a new opera seria to be presented during the carnival. In Rome, he heard Gregorio Allegri's famous Miserere, which he later wrote down from memory. Pope Clement XIV received Mozart on July 8, 1770 and awarded him the Order of the Golden Spur. While studying counterpoint in Bologna with the famous teacher Padre Martini, Mozart began work on a new opera, Mithridates, King of Pontus. At Martini's insistence, he underwent an examination at the famous Bologna Philharmonic Academy and was accepted as a member of the academy. The opera was successfully performed at Christmas in Milan. Wolfgang spent the spring and early summer of 1771 in Salzburg, but in August father and son went to Milan to prepare the premiere of the new opera Ascanius in Alba, which was successfully held on October 17. Leopold hoped to convince Archduke Ferdinand, for whose wedding a celebration was organized in Milan, to take Wolfgang into his service, but by a strange coincidence, Empress Maria Theresa sent a letter from Vienna, in which she stated in strong terms her dissatisfaction with the Mozarts, in particular, she called their "useless family". Leopold and Wolfgang were forced to return to Salzburg, unable to find a suitable duty station for Wolfgang in Italy. On the very day of their return, December 16, 1771, Prince-Archbishop Sigismund, who was kind to the Mozarts, died. He was succeeded by Count Hieronymus Colloredo, and for his inaugural celebrations in April 1772, Mozart composed the “dramatic serenade” “The Dream of Scipio.” Colloredo accepted the young composer into the service with an annual salary of 150 guilders and gave permission to travel to Milan. Mozart undertook to write a new opera for this city, but the new archbishop, unlike his predecessor, did not tolerate the Mozarts’ long absences and was not inclined to admire them art. The third Italian voyage lasted from October 1772 to March 1773. Mozart's new opera, Lucius Sulla, was performed the day after Christmas 1772, and the composer received no further opera commissions. Leopold tried in vain to gain the patronage of the Grand Duke of Florence, Leopold. Having made several more attempts to settle his son in Italy, Leopold realized his defeat, and the Mozarts left this country so as not to return there again. For the third time, Leopold and Wolfgang tried to settle in the Austrian capital; they remained in Vienna from mid-July to the end of September 1773. Wolfgang had the opportunity to become acquainted with the new symphonic works of the Viennese school, especially the dramatic symphonies in minor keys of Jan Vanhal and Joseph Haydn, the fruits of which are evident in his symphony in G minor, “K. 183". Forced to remain in Salzburg, Mozart devoted himself entirely to composition: at this time symphonies, divertimentos, works of church genres, as well as the first string quartet appeared - this music soon secured the author’s reputation as one of the most talented composers in Austria. Symphonies created at the end of 1773 - beginning of 1774, “K. 183", "K. 200”, “K. 201”, are distinguished by high dramatic integrity. A short break from the Salzburg provincialism that he hated was given to Mozart by an order that came from Munich for a new opera for the carnival of 1775: the premiere of The Imaginary Gardener was a success in January. But the musician almost never left Salzburg. A happy family life compensated to some extent for the boredom of everyday life in Salzburg, but Wolfgang, who compared his current situation with the lively atmosphere of foreign capitals, gradually lost patience. In the summer of 1777, Mozart was dismissed from the archbishop's service and decided to seek his fortune abroad. In September, Wolfgang and his mother traveled through Germany to Paris. In Munich, the Elector refused his services; On the way, they stopped in Mannheim, where Mozart was friendly received by local orchestra players and singers. Although he did not receive a place at the court of Karl Theodor, he stayed in Mannheim: the reason was his love for the singer Aloysia Weber. In addition, Mozart hoped to make a concert tour with Aloysia, who had a magnificent coloratura soprano; he even went with her secretly to the court of the Princess of Nassau-Weilburg in January 1778. Leopold initially believed that Wolfgang would go to Paris with a company of Mannheim musicians, sending his mother back to Salzburg, but having heard that Wolfgang was madly in love, he strictly ordered him to immediately go to Paris with his mother.
His stay in Paris, which lasted from March to September 1778, turned out to be extremely unsuccessful: Wolfgang’s mother died on July 3, and Parisian court circles lost interest in the young composer. Although Mozart successfully performed two new symphonies in Paris and Christian Bach came to Paris, Leopold ordered his son to return to Salzburg. Wolfgang delayed his return as long as he could and especially lingered in Mannheim. Here he realized that Aloysia was completely indifferent to him. It was a terrible blow, and only his father’s terrible threats and pleas forced him to leave Germany. Mozart's new symphonies in G major, “K. 318", B-flat major, "K. 319", C major, "K. 334" and instrumental serenades in D major, "K. 320" are marked by crystal clarity of form and orchestration, richness and subtlety of emotional nuances and that special warmth that placed Mozart above all Austrian composers, with the possible exception of Joseph Haydn. In January 1779, Mozart resumed his duties as organist at the archbishop's court with an annual salary of 500 guilders. The church music that he was obliged to compose for Sunday services was much higher in depth and variety than what he had previously written in this genre. Particularly notable are the “Coronation Mass” and “Solemn Mass” in C major, “K. 337". But Mozart continued to hate Salzburg and the archbishop, and therefore happily accepted the offer to write an opera for Munich. “Idomeneo, King of Crete” was staged at the court of Elector Karl Theodor, his winter residence in Munich, in January 1781. Idomeneo was a magnificent result of the experience acquired by the composer in the previous period, mainly in Paris and Mannheim. The choral writing is especially original and dramatically expressive. At that time, the Archbishop of Salzburg was in Vienna and ordered Mozart to immediately go to the capital. Here the personal conflict between Mozart and Colloredo gradually assumed alarming proportions, and after Wolfgang's resounding public success in a concert given for the benefit of the widows and orphans of Viennese musicians on April 3, 1781, his days in the service of the archbishop were numbered. In May he submitted his resignation, and on June 8 he was kicked out. Against his father's will, Mozart married Constance Weber, the sister of his first lover, and the bride's mother managed to get very favorable terms of the marriage contract from Wolfgang, to the anger and despair of Leopold, who bombarded his son with letters, begging him to change his mind. Wolfgang and Constanze were married in Vienna's Cathedral of St. Stephen on August 4, 1782. And although Constanza was as helpless in financial matters as her husband, their marriage apparently turned out to be a happy one. In July 1782, Mozart's opera The Rape from the Seraglio was staged at the Vienna Burgtheater; it was a significant success, and Mozart became the idol of Vienna, not only in court and aristocratic circles, but also among concert-goers from the third estate. Within a few years, Mozart reached the heights of fame; life in Vienna encouraged him to engage in a variety of activities, composing and performing. He was in great demand, tickets for his concerts (the so-called academy), distributed by subscription, were completely sold out. For this occasion, Mozart composed a series of brilliant piano concertos. In 1784, Mozart gave 22 concerts over six weeks. In the summer of 1783, Wolfgang and his bride paid a visit to Leopold and Nannerl in Salzburg. On this occasion, Mozart wrote his last and best mass in C minor, “K. 427", which was not completed. The Mass was performed on October 26 in Salzburg's Peterskirche, with Constanze singing one of the soprano solo parts. Constanza, apparently, was a good professional singer, although her voice was in many ways inferior to that of her sister Aloysia. Returning to Vienna in October, the couple stopped in Linz, where the Linz Symphony, “K. 425". In February of the following year, Leopold paid a visit to his son and daughter-in-law in their large Viennese apartment near cathedral. This beautiful house has survived to this day, and although Leopold could not get rid of his hostility towards Constance, he admitted that his son’s business as a composer and performer was very successful. The beginning of many years of sincere friendship between Mozart and Joseph Haydn dates back to this time. At a quartet evening with Mozart in the presence of Leopold, Haydn, turning to his father, said: “Your son is the greatest composer of all whom I know personally or have heard of.” Haydn and Mozart were significant influences on each other; as for Mozart, the first fruits of such influence are evident in the cycle of six quartets that Mozart dedicated to a friend in a famous letter in September 1785.
In 1784, Mozart became a Freemason, which left a deep imprint on his life philosophy. Masonic ideas can be traced in a number of Mozart's later works, especially in The Magic Flute. In those years, many well-known scientists, poets, writers, and musicians in Vienna were members of Masonic lodges, including Haydn, and Freemasonry was also cultivated in court circles. As a result of various opera and theater intrigues, Lorenzo da Ponte, the court librettist, heir to the famous Metastasio, decided to work with Mozart as opposed to the clique of the court composer Antonio Salieri and da Ponte's rival, the librettist Abbot Casti. Mozart and Da Ponte began with Beaumarchais's anti-aristocratic play The Marriage of Figaro, and by that time the ban on the German translation of the play had not yet been lifted. Using various tricks, they managed to obtain the necessary permission from the censor, and on May 1, 1786, “The Marriage of Figaro” was first shown at the Burgtheater. Although this Mozart opera was later a huge success, when first staged it was soon supplanted by Vicente Martin y Soler's new opera, A Rare Thing. Meanwhile, in Prague, The Marriage of Figaro gained exceptional popularity, melodies from the opera were heard in the streets, and arias from it were danced to in ballrooms and coffee houses. Mozart was invited to conduct several performances. In January 1787, he and Constanza spent about a month in Prague, and it was the happiest time in the life of the great composer. The director of the Bondini opera troupe ordered him a new opera. It can be assumed that Mozart himself chose the plot - the ancient legend of Don Giovanni; the libretto was to be prepared by none other than Da Ponte. The opera Don Giovanni was first performed in Prague on October 29, 1787.
In May 1787, the composer's father died. This year generally became a milestone in Mozart’s life, as regards its external course and the composer’s state of mind. His thoughts were increasingly colored by deep pessimism; The sparkle of success and joy of youth are forever a thing of the past. The pinnacle of the composer's path was the triumph of Don Juan in Prague. After returning to Vienna at the end of 1787, Mozart began to be haunted by failures, and at the end of his life - by poverty. The production of Don Giovanni in Vienna in May 1788 ended in failure: at the reception after the performance, the opera was defended by Haydn alone. Mozart received the position of court composer and conductor of Emperor Joseph II, but with a relatively small salary for this position, 800 guilders per year. The Emperor understood little about the music of either Haydn or Mozart. About Mozart's works, he said that they were “not to the taste of the Viennese.” Mozart had to borrow money from Michael Puchberg, his fellow Mason. In view of the hopelessness of the situation in Vienna, a strong impression is made by documents confirming how quickly the frivolous Viennese forgot their former idol, Mozart decided to take a concert trip to Berlin, April - June 1789, where he hoped to find a place for himself at the court of the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II. The result was only new debts, and even an order for six string quartets for His Majesty, who was a decent amateur cellist, and six keyboard sonatas for Princess Wilhelmina.
In 1789, the health of Constance, then Wolfgang himself, began to deteriorate, and the family’s financial situation became simply threatening. In February 1790, Joseph II died, and Mozart was not sure that he could maintain his post as court composer under the new emperor. The coronation celebrations of Emperor Leopold took place in Frankfurt in the fall of 1790, and Mozart went there at his own expense, hoping to attract public attention. This performance included the “Coronation” keyboard concerto, “K. 537”, took place on October 15, but did not bring any money. Returning to Vienna, Mozart met with Haydn; London impresario Zalomon came to invite Haydn to London, and Mozart received a similar invitation to the English capital for the next winter season. He wept bitterly as he saw off Haydn and Zalomon. “We will never see each other again,” he repeated. The previous winter, he invited only two friends to the rehearsals of the opera “That’s What Everybody Do” - Haydn and Puchberg.
In 1791, Emanuel Schikaneder, a writer, actor and impresario, a longtime acquaintance of Mozart, commissioned him a new opera in German for his Freihaustheater in the Vienna suburb of Wieden, and in the spring Mozart began work on The Magic Flute. At the same time, he received an order from Prague for the coronation opera, La Clemenza di Titus, for which Mozart’s student Franz Xaver Süssmayer helped write some spoken recitatives. Together with his student and Constance, Mozart went to Prague in August to prepare the performance, which took place on September 6 without much success; later this opera enjoyed enormous popularity. Mozart then left hastily for Vienna to complete The Magic Flute. The opera was performed on September 30, and at the same time he completed his last instrumental work - a concerto for clarinet and orchestra in A major, “K. 622". Mozart was already ill when, under mysterious circumstances, a stranger came to him and ordered a requiem. This was the manager of Count Walsegg-Stuppach. The count commissioned an essay in memory deceased wife, intending to perform it under his own name. Mozart, confident that he was composing a requiem for himself, feverishly worked on the score until his strength left him. On November 15, 1791, he completed the Little Masonic Cantata. Constance was being treated in Baden at that time and hastily returned home when she realized how serious her husband’s illness was. On November 20, Mozart fell ill and a few days later felt so weak that he took communion. On the night of December 4–5, he fell into a delirious state and, in a semi-conscious state, imagined himself playing the timpani on the “Day of Wrath” from his own unfinished requiem. It was almost one in the morning when he turned to the wall and stopped breathing. Constanza, broken by grief and without any means, had to agree to the cheapest funeral service in the chapel of the Cathedral of St. Stefan. She was too weak to accompany her husband's body on the long journey to the cemetery of St. Mark, where he was buried without any witnesses except the gravediggers, in a pauper's grave, the location of which was soon hopelessly forgotten. Süssmayer completed the requiem and orchestrated large unfinished text fragments left by the author. If during Mozart's life his creative power was realized only by a relatively small number of listeners, then already in the first decade after the death of the composer, recognition of his genius spread throughout Europe. This was facilitated by the success that The Magic Flute had among a wide audience. The German publisher André acquired the rights to most of Mozart's unpublished works, including his remarkable piano concertos and all of his later symphonies, none of which were published during the composer's lifetime.
In 1862, Ludwig von Köchel published a catalog of Mozart's works in chronological order. From this time on, the titles of the composer's works usually include the Köchel number - just as the works of other authors usually contain the opus designation. For example, the full title of Piano Concerto No. 20 would be: Concerto No. 20 in D minor for piano and orchestra or “K. 466". Köchel's index was revised six times. In 1964, Breitkopf and Hertel, Wiesbaden, Germany, published a thoroughly revised and expanded Köchel Index. It includes many works for which Mozart's authorship has been proven and which were not mentioned in earlier editions. The dates of the essays have also been clarified in accordance with scientific research data. In the 1964 edition, changes were made to the chronology, and therefore new numbers appeared in the catalogue, but Mozart’s works continue to exist under the old numbers of the Köchel catalogue.
Biography
The biography of the great composer confirms the well-known truth: facts are absolutely meaningless. Having facts, you can prove any fable. Which is what the world does with the life and death of Mozart. Everything is described, read, published. But they still say: “He didn’t die a natural death—he was poisoned.”
Divine gift
King Midas from ancient myth received a wonderful gift from the god Dionysus - everything he did not touch turned into gold. Another thing is that the gift turned out to have a catch: the unfortunate man almost died of hunger and accordingly begged for mercy. The insane gift was returned to God - in myth it’s easy. But if a real person is given an equally spectacular gift, only a musical one, what then?
Mozart received a chosen gift from the Lord - all the notes he touched turned into musical gold. The desire to criticize his work is doomed to failure in advance: it wouldn’t even occur to you to say that Shakespeare was not successful as a playwright. Music that stands above all criticism was written without a single false note! Mozart had access to any genres and forms of composition: operas, symphonies, concerts, chamber music, sacred works, sonatas (more than 600 in total). Once the composer was asked how he always manages to write such perfect music. “I don’t know any other way,” he replied.
However, he was also a magnificent “golden” performer. How can one not remember that his concert career began on a “stool” - at the age of six, Wolfgang played his own compositions on a tiny violin. On tours organized by his father in Europe, he delighted the audience by playing four hands together with his sister Nannerl on the harpsichord - then this was a novelty. Based on melodies suggested by the public, he composed enormous plays on the spot. People could not believe that this miracle was happening without any preparation, and they performed all sorts of tricks on the child, for example, covering the keyboard with a piece of cloth, waiting for him to get into trouble. No problem - the golden child solved any musical puzzle.
Preserving his cheerful disposition as an improviser until death, he often surprised his contemporaries with his musical jokes. Let me give you just one famous anecdote as an example. Once at a dinner party, Mozart offered his friend Haydn a bet that he would not immediately play the etude he had composed. If he doesn’t play, he’ll give his friend half a dozen champagne. Finding the topic easy, Haydn agreed. But suddenly, already playing, Haydn exclaimed: “How can I play this? Both my hands are busy playing passages at different ends of the piano, and meanwhile, at the same time I have to play notes in the middle keyboard - this is impossible!” “Let me,” said Mozart, “I’ll play.” Having reached a seemingly technically impossible place, he bent down and pressed the necessary keys with his nose. Haydn had a snub nose, and Mozart had a long nose. Those present “cryed” with laughter, and Mozart won champagne.
At the age of 12, Mozart composed his first opera and by this time had also become an excellent conductor. The boy was small in stature and it was probably funny to watch how he found mutual language with orchestra members whose age exceeded his own by three or more times. He stood on the “stool” again, but the professionals obeyed him, understanding that there was a miracle in front of them! In fact, it will always be like this: music people They did not hide their delight, they recognized the divine gift. Did this make Mozart's life easier? Being born a genius is wonderful, but his life would probably have been much easier if he had been born like everyone else. But ours is not! Because we wouldn't have his divine music.
Everyday vicissitudes
The little musical “phenomenon” was deprived of a normal childhood; endless travel, associated with terrible inconveniences at that time, undermined his health. All further musical work required the highest tension: after all, he had to play and write at any time of the day or night. More often at night, although music apparently always sounded in his head, and this was noticeable by the way he was absent-minded in communication, and often did not react to conversations around him. But, despite the fame and adoration of the public, Mozart constantly needed money and accumulated debts. As a composer, he earned good money, however, he did not know how to save. Partly because he was distinguished by his love of entertainment. He organized luxurious dance evenings at home (in Vienna), bought a horse and a billiard table (he was a very good player). He dressed fashionably and expensively. Family life also required large expenses.
The last eight years of my life have become a complete “money nightmare”. Constanza's wife was pregnant six times. Children were dying. Only two boys survived. But the health of the woman herself, who married Mozart at the age of 18, had seriously deteriorated. He was forced to pay for her treatment at expensive resorts. At the same time, he did not allow himself any indulgences, although they were necessary. He worked harder and harder, and the last four years became the time of creation of the most brilliant works, the most joyful, bright and philosophical: the operas “Don Juan”, “The Magic Flute”, “La Clemenza di Titus”. I actually wrote the last one in 18 days. It would take most musicians twice as long to transcribe these notes! It seemed that he instantly responded to all the blows of fate with music of wondrous beauty: Concert No. 26 – Coronation; the 40th symphony (undoubtedly the most famous), the 41st “Jupiter” - with a victorious-sounding finale - a hymn to life; “Little Night Serenade” (last No. 13) and dozens of other works.
And all this against the background of depression and paranoia that took hold of him: it seemed to him that he was being poisoned with a slow-acting poison. Hence the appearance of the legend of poisoning - he himself launched it into the light.
And then they ordered “Requiem”. Mozart saw some kind of omen in this and worked hard on it until his death. I finished only 50% and did not consider it the main thing in my life. The work was completed by his student, but this unevenness of the plan is heard in the work. Therefore, the Requiem is not included in the list of Mozart’s best creations, although it is passionately loved by listeners.
Truth and slander
His death was terrible! At just over 35 years of age, his kidneys began to fail. His body became swollen and began to smell terrible. He suffered madly, realizing that he was leaving his wife and two tiny children with debts. On the day of death, they say, Constanza went to bed next to the deceased, hoping to catch a contagious disease and die with him. Did not work out. The next day, a man, whose wife was allegedly pregnant with Mozart’s child, attacked the unfortunate woman with a razor and injured her. This was not true, but all kinds of gossip spread throughout Vienna, and the man committed suicide. We remembered Salieri, who was intrigued by the appointment of Mozart to a good position at court. Many years later, Salieri died in a mental hospital, tormented by accusations of murdering Mozart.
It is clear that Constance could not attend the funeral, and this later became the main accusation of all her sins and dislike for Wolfgang. The rehabilitation of Constance Mozart occurred quite recently. The slander that she was an incredible spender was dropped. Numerous documents report, on the contrary, the prudence of a business woman who is ready to selflessly defend her husband’s work.
Slander is indifferent to nonentity, and, having grown old, gossip becomes legends and myths. Moreover, when no less great people take on the biographies of the great. Genius versus genius – Pushkin versus Mozart. He grabbed the gossip, romantically reinterpreted it and made it into the most beautiful artistic myth, dissected into quotes: “Genius and villainy are incompatible,” “It doesn’t amuse me when a worthless painter / Stains Raphael’s Madonna for me,” “You, Mozart, God doesn’t even know it.” " and so on. Mozart became a recognizable hero of literature, theater, and later cinema, eternal and modern, a “man from nowhere” not tamed by society, an ungrown chosen boy...
Biography
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus (27.1.1756, Salzburg, - 5.12.1791, Vienna), Austrian composer. Among the greatest masters of music, M. stands out early bloom powerful and comprehensive talent, the unusualness of life's destiny - from the triumphs of a child prodigy to the difficult struggle for existence and recognition in adulthood, the unparalleled courage of the artist, who preferred the insecure life of an independent master to the humiliating service of a despot-nobleman, and, finally, the comprehensive significance of creativity, covering almost all genres of music.
M. was taught to play musical instruments and to compose by his father, the violinist and composer L. Mozart. From the age of 4 M. played the harpsichord, from the age of 5-6 he began to compose (at the age of 8-9 M. created the first symphonies, and at 10-11 - the first works for musical theater). In 1762, M. and his sister, pianist Maria Anna, began touring in Austria, then in England and Switzerland. M. performed as a pianist, violinist, organist, and singer. In 1769-77 he served as accompanist, in 1779-81 as organist at the court of the Salzburg prince-archbishop. Between 1769 and 1774 he made three trips to Italy; in 1770 he was elected a member of the Philharmonic Academy in Bologna (he took composition lessons from the head of the academy, Padre Martini), and received the Order of the Spur from the Pope in Rome. In Milan, M. conducted his opera “Mithridates, King of Pontus.” By the age of 19, the composer was the author of 10 musical and stage works: the theatrical oratorio “The Debt of the First Commandment” (1st part, 1767, Salzburg), the Latin comedy “Apollo and Hyacinth” (1767, University of Salzburg), the German singspiel “Bastien and Bastienne" (1768, Vienna), Italian opera buffa "The Feigned Simpleton" (1769, Salzburg) and "The Imaginary Gardener" (1775, Munich), Italian opera seria "Mithridates" and "Lucius Sulla" (1772, Milan), serenade operas (pastorals) “Ascanius in Alba” (1771, Milan), “The Dream of Scipio” (1772, Salzburg) and “The Shepherd King” (1775, Salzburg); 2 cantatas, many symphonies, concertos, quartets, sonatas, etc. Attempts to settle in any significant musical center or Paris were unsuccessful. In Paris, M. wrote music for J. J. Nover's pantomime "Trinkets" (1778). After the production of the opera “Idomeneo, King of Crete” in Munich (1781), M. broke with the archbishop and settled in Vienna, earning his livelihood through lessons and academies (concerts). A milestone in the development of the national musical theater was M.'s Singspiel "The Abduction from the Seraglio" (1782, Vienna). In 1786 the premieres of a small musical comedy M. "Theater Director" and the opera "The Marriage of Figaro" based on the comedy by Beaumarchais. After Vienna, “The Marriage of Figaro” was staged in Prague, where it met with an enthusiastic reception, as did M.’s next opera, “The Punished Libertine, or Don Giovanni” (1787). From the end of 1787, M. was a chamber musician at the court of Emperor Joseph with the responsibility of composing dances for masquerades. As an opera composer, M. was not successful in Vienna; only once did M. manage to write music for the Vienna Imperial Theater - the cheerful and graceful opera “They Are All Like That, or the School of Lovers” (otherwise known as “That’s What All Women Do,” 1790). The opera "La Clemenza di Titus" based on an ancient plot, timed to coincide with the coronation celebrations in Prague (1791), was received coldly. M.'s last opera, “The Magic Flute” (Viennese suburban theater, 1791), found recognition among the democratic public. The hardships of life, need, and illness brought the tragic end of the composer’s life closer; he died before reaching 36 years of age and was buried in a common grave.
M. is a representative of the Viennese classical school, his work is the musical pinnacle of the 18th century, the brainchild of the Enlightenment. The rationalistic principles of classicism were combined in it with the influences of the aesthetics of sentimentalism and the Sturm and Drang movement. Excitement and passion are just as characteristic of M.’s music, as are endurance, will, and high organization. M.'s music retains the grace and tenderness of the gallant style, but the mannerism of this style is overcome, especially in mature works. M.'s creative thought is focused on an in-depth expression of the spiritual world, on a truthful reflection of the diversity of reality. With equal force, M.’s music conveys the feeling of the fullness of life, the joy of being - and the suffering of a person experiencing the oppression of an unjust social order and passionately striving for happiness, for joy. Grief often reaches tragedy, but a clear, harmonious, life-affirming structure prevails.
M.'s operas are a synthesis and renewal of previous genres and forms. M. gives primacy in opera to music - the vocal element, ensemble of voices and symphony. At the same time, he freely and flexibly subordinates the musical composition to the logic of dramatic action, individual and group characteristics of the characters. M. developed in his own way some of the techniques of K. V. Gluck’s musical drama (in particular, in “Idomeneo”). Based on the comic and partly “serious” Italian opera, M. created the opera-comedy “The Marriage of Figaro,” which combines lyricism and fun, liveliness of action and completeness in the depiction of characters; The idea of this social opera is the superiority of people from the people over the aristocracy. Opera-drama (“funny drama”) “Don Juan” combines comedy and tragedy, fantastic convention and everyday reality; the hero of an ancient legend, the Seville seducer, embodies in the opera vital energy, youth, freedom of feeling, but the self-will of the individual is opposed by firm principles of morality. The national fairy tale opera "The Magic Flute" continues the traditions of the Austro-German Singspiel. Like “The Abduction from the Seraglio,” it combines musical forms with spoken dialogue and is based on a German text (most of M.’s other operas are written on an Italian libretto). But her music is enriched various genres- from opera arias in the styles of opera buffa and opera seria to chorale and fugue, from a simple song to Masonic musical symbols (the plot is inspired by Masonic literature). In this work, M. glorified brotherhood, love and moral fortitude.
Based on the classical norms of symphonic and chamber music developed by I. Haydn, M. improved the structure of the symphony, quintet, quartet, and sonata, deepened and individualized their ideological and figurative content, introduced dramatic tension into them, sharpened internal contrasts, and strengthened the stylistic unity of sonata-symphonic music. cycle (later Haydn adopted a lot from M.). An essential principle of Mozart's instrumentalism is expressive cantability (melody). Among M.'s symphonies (about 50), the most significant are the last three (1788) - a cheerful symphony in E-flat major, combining sublime and everyday images, a pathetic symphony in G minor, filled with sorrow, tenderness and courage, and a majestic, emotionally multifaceted symphony in C major, which later it was given the name "Jupiter". Among the string quintets (7), the quintets in C major and G minor (1787) stand out; among the string quartets (23) there are six dedicated to “father, mentor and friend” I. Haydn (1782-1785), and three so-called Prussian quartets (1789-90). M.'s chamber music includes ensembles for different compositions, including those with the participation of piano and wind instruments.
M. is the creator of the classical form of concert for solo instrument and orchestra. While maintaining the wide accessibility inherent in this genre, M.'s concerts acquired a symphonic scope and a variety of individual expression. The concertos for piano and orchestra (21) reflected the brilliant skill and inspired, melodious style of performance of the composer himself, as well as his high art improvisation. M. wrote one concerto for 2 and 3 pianos and orchestra, 5 (6?) concertos for violin and orchestra and a number of concertos for various wind instruments, including Symphony Concertante with 4 solo wind instruments (1788). For his performances, and partly for his students and acquaintances, M. composed piano sonatas (19), rondos, fantasies, variations, works for piano for 4 hands and for 2 pianos, sonatas for piano and violin.
The everyday (entertaining) orchestral and ensemble music of M. - divertissements, serenades, cassations, nocturnes, as well as marches and dances - has great aesthetic value. A special group consists of his Masonic compositions for orchestra ("Masonic Funeral Music", 1785) and choir and orchestra (including "Little Masonic Cantata", 1791), related in spirit to "The Magic Flute". Church choral works M. wrote mainly in Salzburg and church sonatas with organ. Two unfinished major works belong to the Viennese period - the Mass in C minor (the written parts were used in the cantata "David Penitent", 1785) and the famous Requiem, one of M.'s most profound creations (commissioned anonymously in 1791 by Count F. Walsegg-Stuppach; completed by M's student . - composer F. K. Zyusmayr).
M. was among the first to create classical examples of chamber songs in Austria. Many arias and vocal ensembles with orchestra (almost all in Italian), comic vocal canons, 30 songs for voice and piano, including “Violet” to the words of J. V. Goethe (1785), have been preserved.
True fame came to M. after his death. The name M. has become a symbol of the highest musical talent, creative genius, unity of beauty and truth of life. The enduring value of Mozart’s creations and their enormous role in the spiritual life of mankind are emphasized by the statements of musicians, writers, philosophers, scientists, starting with I. Haydn, L. Beethoven, J. V. Goethe, E. T. A. Hoffmann and ending with A. Einstein, G.V. Chicherin and modern masters of culture. "What depth! What courage and what harmony!" - this apt and capacious description belongs to A. S. Pushkin (“Mozart and Salieri”). P. I. Tchaikovsky expressed his admiration for the “luminous genius” in a number of his musical compositions, including in the orchestral suite "Mozartiana". There are Mozart societies in many countries. In M.'s homeland, in Salzburg, a network of Mozart memorial, educational, research and educational institutions led by the International Institution "Mozarteum" (founded in 1880).
Catalog of works by M.: ochel L. v. (edited by A. Einstein), Chronologischthematisches Verzeichnis samtlicher Tonwerke. A. Mozarts, 6. Aufl., Lpz., 1969; in another, more complete and corrected edition - 6. Aufl., hrsg. von. Giegling, A. Weinmann und G. Sievers, Wiesbaden, 1964(7 Aufl., 1965).
Works: Briefe und Aufzeichnungen. Gesamtausgabe. Gesammelt von. A. Bauer und. E. Deutsch, auf Grund deren Vorarbeiten erlautert von J. . Eibl, Bd 1-6, Kassel, 1962-71.
Lit.: Ulybyshev A.D., New biography of Mozart, trans. from French, vol. 1-3, M., 1890-92; Korganov V.D., Mozart. Biographical sketch, St. Petersburg, 1900; Livanova T. N., Mozart and Russian musical culture, M., 1956; Chernaya E. S., Mozart. Life and Creativity, (2nd ed.), M., 1966; Chicherin G.V., Mozart, 3rd ed., Leningrad, 1973; Wyzewa. de et Saint-Foix G. de, . A. Mozart, t. 1-2, ., 1912; continuation: Saint-Foix G. de, . A. Mozart, t. 3-5, ., 1937-46; Abert., . A. Mozart, 7 Aufl., TI 1-2, Lpz., 1955-56 (Register, Lpz., 1966); Deutsch. E., Mozart. Die Dokumente seines Lebens, Kassel, 1961; Einstein A., Mozart. Sein Charakter, sein Werk, ./M., 1968.
B. S. Steinpress.