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Mozart’s Music
Classical Music, a term often used to describe any music
that is “old”, comes from Western European composers
and is played by an orchestra or piano. However, the term
“classical music” specifically refers to an era of musical
development which occurred from 1750 – 1820. Mozart
was coming of age during this time, and his music falls into
this category.
After the Baroque era, which favoured “artificial” gestures
in operas, classical composers pursued a simpler,
balanced, “natural” music. Composers wanted to capture
raw human emotions in their compositions like anger, love
and sadness, with more expressive variations in the melody
(dynamics) and varying the speed of the music (tempo).
and then applied their techniques and styles to his own
work, experimenting and developing his own style. In his
short lifetime, Mozart composed over 600 musical works
including symphonies, piano sonatas, chamber music,
masses, dances, concertos, art songs and operas. His
legacy includes his ability to create a sense of lightness,
simplicity and timelessness in his very sophisticated,
complex and forward thinking musical style.
MOZART’S MUSICAL RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
w homophonic textures (one clear melodic line and
accompaniment)
In 1780, at the age of 24, Mozart was at the height of
his powers and hard at work on a commission from the
Elector of Bavaria, Karl Theodor to create an opera seria,
a “serious” form of Italian opera which had been in style
for much of the 18th century. In a reaction to the often
vulgar librettos of the early 18th century, opera seria
sought to show off the nobility of neo-classical principles,
highly moral narratives that aimed to instruct as well as
entertain. These mostly classical stories would have their
tragic endings altered so that virtue could be shown to be
rewarded and triumphant.
w simpler melodies written in evenly structured phases
allowing them to be easily recalled (like a catchy tune
that is difficult to forget)
Ultimately Mozart produced a score that surpassed the
very genre it was rooted in. In Idomeneo all the set pieces,
secco recitatives* and mythical characters are there, but to
them he brought music of great personal characterization,
an abundance of wonderfully expressive orchestral writing
and grandly conceived choral scenes. Mozart’s score was
one of the most complex and elaborate of the time, linking
certain keys and musical phrases to different characters
and motivations, especially in the recitatives.
w a focus on human, every-day-type characters in his
operas
He lived, studied and worked in the musical centres of
Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In places like Paris, Vienna and Salzburg, composers
were exploring new styles of sound and orchestration.
Mozart soaked up the works of J. C. Bach, Joseph Haydn
w the extensive use of the piano as a solo instrument
w simple two- or three-part forms in his music (playing
the melody at the beginning of the music, changing the
mood of the music in the middle and then repeating
the melody again towards the end – what musicians
call ABA sonata form)
*secco recitatives
(“dry recitatives” in
Italian): Recitatives that
are only accompanied
by one instrument, most
often by a harpsichord
or cello.
Canadian Opera Company ~ Education and Outreach ~ Idomeneo Study Guide 2009/2010 ~ coc.ca ~ 416-306-2392