Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The best works of Mozart (Salzburg, January 27, 1756-Vienna, December 5, 1791)

Born in Salzburg Mozart was educated in a musical environment. His father a well-known violinist Leopold Mozart, would write one of the most famous violin treatises in history the same year of Wolfgang’s birth. Known as a child prodigy at the age of five he could read music and at the age of six he began to compose his first musical pieces. From very little his father organized tours in different European cities. In 1781 he moved to Vienna where he would remain the rest of his days. Despite being a very famous musician, Mozart had a really bad time to survive since it was a time of war and there was not much money for music. In 1782 he got married without the blessing of his parents, and until the end of his days he would have five children, only two of whom would survive. Unfortunately Mozart died at the age of 35 when he was in the process of finishing his Requiem

10 Famous Works

1. Ave Verum Corpus. KV 618. 1791.

When the chapel master Leopold Hofmann got ill, the Cathedral of St. Stephen, Mozart saw the possibility of obtaining certain income for the composition of sacred works, that is why he decided to write this work. It was dedicated to Anton Stoll, choir director of the parish of Baden.

2. Requiem Mass in D minor, KV. 626. 1791.

It was the last work that the composer wrote before dying, in fact, on his deathbed he instructed his disciple Franz Xaver Süssmayr to finish it. It is said that days before the birth of his last son on July 26, 1791, a man dressed in black who did not want to identify himself and who commissioned this work, showed up at his house. Mozart thought that this was a messenger of destiny and that the music he was going to compose would be for his own funeral. The most famous movement of this work is the Lacrimosa.

3. Clarinete concert in A mayor, KV. 622. 1791.

It is considered the first great work for a then relatively young instrument and a masterpiece of its repertoire. He wrote this work for the clarinetist Anton Stadler, who at that time was the most talented clarinetist in Vienna. It was finished two months before his death.

4. The Magic Flute KV. 620. 1791.

It is a German Singspiel (small opera in the style of Spanish zarzuela) with two acts. It is the composer’s last staged opera, released two months before his death. The plot is a kind of fairy tale with a multitude of Masonic ideas in it.

5. Quartet No. 19 KV. 465, “the Dissonances”.

Mozart wrote 20 string quartets throughout his life. Compositions that show his evolution from his youth to his maturity. One of the best known is No. 19 KV. 465, frequently performed in concert halls and named after the initial introduction that seems to envision what music would be like in the 20th century

6. Sonata for Piano in A Major No. 11 KV. 331. c. 1783

The Austrian composer wrote 18 sonatas for solo piano, considered fundamental works of music for keyboard. Among the most famous is the Sonata No. 11 in A major with his famous Rondo alla Turka that has been transcribed to all instruments. Not only this movement is brilliant, the first, Andante grazioso with its theme and variations is really a work of art.

7. Concert for piano No. 21 in C major KV. 467.

Mozart composed a total of 27 concerts for piano and orchestra. Among them possibly the No. 21 has become the most famous with its second movement. It is structured in three movements:

I. Allegro maestoso

II. Andante in F major

III. Allegro vivace assai

8. Symphony No. 40 KV. 550. 1788.

Despite his short life, Mozart wrote 41 symphonies, which seems truly supernatural. The symphony No. 40 in G minor, called the great symphony. It is divided into 4 movements

I. Molto allegro,

II. Walking,

III. Menuetto Allegretto – Trio,

IV. Finale Allegro assai

9. Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, KV. 525. 1787.

Known as the little night serenade, it is possibly Mozart’s best known composition. It had 5 movements of which 4 have been preserved.

10. Quintet for clarinet in La mayor, KV. 581. 1789.

Like the concerto for clarinet and orchestra, this work was dedicated to the clarinetist Anton Stadler, and the audience is usually referred to as the Stadler quintet.

I. Allegro

II. Larghetto

III. Menuetto

IV. Allegretto with variazioni