In July 1765, a newspaper in London, England published such a concert notice: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a child prodigy who can make all Europe and even all mankind proud. The 8-year-old amazed musicians and intellectuals. His harpsichord playing, sight-reading ability, improvisation and composition using various instruments are all amazing. The father of this gifted child decided to extend his stay in accordance with the sincere request of the gentleman and lady. For this reason, you have the opportunity to appreciate the performance of this young composer and his sister...
On January 27, 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Austria. A home of court musicians in Salzburg. His father, Leopold Mozart, was originally from Germany and had 7 children. However, 5 of them died prematurely. Only the youngest son, Woll, survived and grew up. Wolfgang and his sister Anna.
Leopold was a well-respected violinist and composer. Young Mozart's extraordinary musical talent had long attracted his joy and attention. Once, he returned to his home with a friend and saw his 4-year-old son writing something on the music paper attentively. The father asked him what he was doing? The son replied seriously: "I am composing music." The child's behavior made the two adults look at each other and laugh. Facing the crooked notes on the paper, they thought it was just a child's nonsense. However, after the attentive father took a serious look at his son's work, he suddenly shouted to the guest with tears in his eyes: "Dear, come and see! How correct and meaningful it is!" "The genius has begun his creative career!
In the long history of European music, it is not uncommon for people to show musical talent from an early age. But it is extremely difficult to find a precocious prodigy like Mozart, a musician who can be recognized as a "child prodigy" at such a young age. At the age of 3, he can play many pieces of music he has heard on the piano. At the age of 5, he can accurately identify the names of single notes, double notes, and chords played on any instrument, and can even easily name cups. The pitch emitted when objects such as bells and bells collide... Such a perfect concept of absolute pitch is something that most professional musicians will never be able to achieve in their lifetime.
In order to enable little Mozart to grow rapidly, Leopold devoted all his efforts and carefully cultivated it. The son's study and training are extremely strict. In addition to complex music theory and performance skills, there are also Latin, French, Italian, English, literature and Li'an, etc.
Since 1762, under the leadership of his father, the 6-year-old Mozart and his 10-year-old sister Anna began traveling and performing throughout the European continent. They have been to Munich, Frankfurt, Bonn, Vienna, Paris, London, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Naples, Rome, Amsterdam and many other places, causing a huge sensation wherever they went! In Vienna, the capital of Austria, they were invited by the emperor to perform in the palace.
Behind the flowers, applause and cheers are hard labor, harsh conditions and terrible tests. For the sake of money and honor, Leopold asked the young Mozart to perform in public at any time, no matter how tiring the journey was. In order to promote his son's genius, he made the child have to obey all kinds of sudden and whimsical and difficult suggestions. For example: sight-reading on the spot a piece of music with difficult skills that has never been touched before; composing a few bass improvisations based on the audience's temporary imagination, and playing it immediately according to the specified key, covering the entire keyboard with multiple handkerchiefs without affecting the playing; Perform all his own works in a concert from beginning to end, etc. Moreover, such performances almost always last four or five hours.
In 1772, the 16-year-old Mozart finally ended his ten-year wandering life and returned to his hometown of Salzburg, where he served as the chief musician in the archbishop's court orchestra.
Although Mozart was a genius and although he enjoyed great honors, in the eyes of the archbishop, he was just an ordinary servant, and a very bad servant at that. Because he has honor.
Mozart had to be like his predecessor Haydn, waiting for the master's instructions in the vestibule every day. He might be reprimanded, insulted, or even severely punished by the archbishop at any time. However, Mozart was not Haydn after all. He had stronger self-esteem and an independent and unruly spirit. In order to get rid of the insult and control of the archbishop, he traveled and performed again in 1777, hoping to find a place to stay and leave Salzburg forever.
What is deeply surprising is that this glittering darling who once caused a sensation throughout Europe is now running into obstacles everywhere! The child prodigy has grown up and is no longer a child prodigy. The former child prodigy disappeared. Although his talent increased in proportion to his age, the real society mercilessly ignored him. He had to return to Salzburg, whereupon the Archbishop, of course, treated him even more harshly. Mozart's bitterness and dilemma are easy for anyone with common sense to imagine.
In June 1781, Mozart finally broke with the archbishop publicly when he could no longer bear it. He resolutely resigned and left, becoming the first musician in European history to openly break away from the shackles of the court. Under the social conditions of the time, this move was undoubtedly extremely bold and heroic. Because, this means hardship, hunger and even death.
Leopold urged his son to apologize to the archbishop and reconcile, but Mozart firmly refused. He wrote in reply to his father: I can't stand this anymore. The mind ennobles people. I'm not a Duke, but I'm probably a lot more upright than a lot of Dukes who have inherited it. I was prepared to sacrifice my happiness, my health, and even my life. My personality should be the most precious to me and to you!
Mozart, who broke out of his prison, settled in Vienna, the "City of Music", and began his career as a free artist. He was only 25 years old at the time, but he was only 10 years away from the end of his life.
The ease and speed of Mozart's writing made his contemporaries and descendants regard him as a genius who was self-taught and unlearned. Throughout his life, except for his father's influence as a child, Apart from strict instruction, he has indeed never received formal teacher guidance. Genius is undeniable, but people often ignore that genius is also inseparable from hard work and diligence. One day in October 1787, when Mozart was walking with Kuchartz, the conductor of the opera "Don Giovanni", he said: "Anyone who thinks that my art comes without any effort is wrong. I tell you exactly, dear My friend, no one spends as much time and thought on composing as I do; there is no famous artist whose works I have not studied diligently many times."
This is reflected in Mozart everywhere. Typical artist nature. He is a person who loves life, is full of poetry and emotion. He believes that the poor are the most loyal. "Only the poor are the best and truest friends in the world. The rich have no friendship at all." He is innocent, simple and always cheerful. He is easily moved, loves to shed tears, and has a feminine tenderness. He has a childlike innocence, full of curiosity like a child, and it seems that he will never grow up.
Mozart loved his relatives dearly. Whenever he talked about his parents and wife, his face could not help but shine with happiness, and his tone was particularly peaceful. During the sacred wedding ceremony, he and his wife both shed tears of excitement. Everyone was deeply affected and cried together. Since he had no fixed income and his wife Constance was not good at managing the household and finances, his married life was very poor. In order to maintain his basic daily needs, Mozart worked hard-teaching, performing, and creating, which was overwhelming and never-ending. Despite this, life was still quite embarrassing. One winter evening, friends came to his home as guests. From the window, they saw the couple dancing happily in the house, and they all marveled. It was only after entering the house that they realized that because they had no money to buy coal, they had to dance to stay warm and survive the cold winter.
Mozart's life deteriorated in his later years, and his health became worse and worse. He had to often ask for help from his friends. When his last outstanding opera, The Magic Flute, premiered on September 30, 1791, he was already suffering from chronic illness.
One day, a stranger with a cold expression and dressed in black came to pay homage. He asked the master to write a "Requiem" for him. After the stranger left, Mozart, who was physically and mentally exhausted, told his wife with tears in his eyes that this work would be written for himself. "He began to write his last work - "Requiem" with a kind of fanatical and desperate effort... Mozart was in a state of overwork, and he could not get rid of this 'Mass for Death'" For his own sake, he thought he would not live to finish it, and he spurred himself to write this masterpiece full of death scenes, beginning a tragic race against time. "An eternal regret. , the winner of this competition is Death. Halfway through writing "Requiem", Mozart could no longer hold the pen in his hand... The final completer of this handed down work was his favorite disciple Husme you.
The great success of "The Magic Flute" brought Mozart, who was on the verge of collapse, indescribable final relief. Late at night on December 4, 1791, he was lying on a deserted hospital bed, murmuring to himself as he imagined the performance of "The Magic Flute": Act I is now over... Now begins the aria of the Queen of the Night... 1 am , he quietly closed his eyes. At this time, the luxurious Vuitton Opera House was brightly lit, the comfortable boxes were full, and people from all walks of life in Vienna gathered together to enjoy the master's new work "The Magic Flute" with relish.
On the day of the funeral, the wind was howling and the snow was falling. The bad weather forced several relatives and friends to return halfway, leaving only an old gravedigger driving the hearse and walking alone... This is a cemetery where criminals, homeless people and poor people are buried. There are already two coffins of other people in the grave. Constanze was seriously ill and bedridden at the time and was unable to attend. When she went to the cemetery a few days later, she could no longer find the exact location. A generation of geniuses in the history of human civilization disappeared without a trace, leaving behind an unpaid debt of 1,682 florins.
Compared with Haydn, who lived a long life and matured late, Mozart was just the opposite - short-lived and matured precociously. However, in his life of less than 36 years old, he created an astonishing number of musical treasures for people. These include: 22 operas; the most famous ones are "The Marriage of Figaro", "Don Juan" and "The Magic Flute"; 41 symphonies, including the 39th, 40th and 40th The first symphony is the most famous; there are 27 piano concertos, with the 20th, 21st, 23rd, 24th, 26th and 27th piano concertos being the most famous; and there are 6 violin concertos, with the 4th, 27th and 27th piano concertos being the most famous. The Concerto for Five Violins is the most famous; in addition, he also wrote a large number of instrumental and vocal works in various genres.
Mozart’s music is elegant and beautiful, as exquisite and clear as pearls, as warm and warm as sunshine, and full of youthful vitality. Because his musical language is approachable and the structure of his works is clear and rigorous, "there are no traces of chiseling in the most complex creations of musical ideas. This simplicity that is easily misunderstood is the art that truly hides art."
American music scholar Joseph Maklis said it well: "There is a moment in the history of music when all opposites are aligned and all tensions are eliminated. Mozart was that brilliant moment. ”