Hey Blog! This post is about one of the greatest composers in history, and one whose music I rather enjoy. This is about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Mozart was born in 1756, so his music is quite old. A bit more than 200 years old. And he died in 1791, so he was only in his mid-thirties when he died. What makes him incredible is the fact that for thirty of those years, he was composing music. Yes, he started at age 5 – and while that is only three years younger than I started learning piano, by the time he was fifteen he had already written multiple symphonies, operas, toured Europe and performed for a large portion of nobility on the continent. I, however, have done none of these.
Mozart is one of the most well-known composers as well. He wrote in the classical style, which comes after the baroque period and before the romantic period. Baroque has short notes and slightly sharper pitch, mostly consisting of straight harmonies; romantic has longer, more spreading and richer notes, usually layered over each other. Mozart, as a classical composer, has lots of fast-flowing notes but also some longer ones, and his harmonies are excellent. I am currently learning one of his pieces (Sonata, movement 1, K.547a) and the majority of it is fast, clear passages, but there is a section of awesome harmony and lots of accidentals!
Which brings me on to why I like Mozart’s music. Firstly: it gives my fingers a challenge! I can play very fast – apparently faster than my piano teacher – and most music does not contain the speed and multitude of notes that Mozart gives me. Secondly: it is complex in theory but a delight to play. This is good, as it means I can learn it without too much trouble but if I wish I can go into a lot more detail learning the chords and how the keys work together. It is bright, fresh, and dancing, and seems as present now as it was in the 1700s. While I appreciate a great variety of composers, Mozart is one of my favourites. (I never have a favourite, but Mozart comes close!)
My piano is going well. I’m even starting to compose myself. Maybe you’ll be hearing about my music one day!
P.s. “It’s Mozart!” is an in-joke with some friends. We were doing a quiz and someone mentioned that if there is ever a question on music, Mozart is almost always the answer as he did pretty much everything. So next time someone asks you a question in the pub quiz music round, try going for Mozart. You will have a higher-than-average chance of being right!