Creative Genius - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

#musician #creative #composer #multitalented #child prodigy

“All I insist on, and nothing else, is that you should show the whole world that you are not afraid. Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak—and speak in such a way that people will remember it.’’

There are people who did a lot in a very small span of time even when their life did not give them enough chances to explore more and show how different and unique they are and what exceptional things they can do for others.

Mozart was one of the famous and greatest composers of western history, who excelled in all the musical genres of his time. Although he got a very short time, his work left an inerasable impression on the music scene forever. He produced more than 600 compositions and his best work was in opera, piano concerto, sonata and symphony.

Life

He was born on 27th January, 1756 in Austria. His father was famous as the author of the violin playing manual, which was published in his birth year. Mozart had a sister Maria Anna; both brother and sister were very talented.

As his father was a talented violinist, Mozart received perfect training and guidance from him. He learned basic notes on a musical instrument called harpsichord at the age of three, played short pieces at four and composed the music at five. Looking at his talent nearly at the age of six, his father took him and his sister to perform at Bavarian Court in Munich and later to Imperial court in Vienna and in noble houses.

Later, Mozart and his sister played in courts, public places and churches in many cities. During the visit in Paris, they met many German composers and Mozart’s first music was published; in London he composed his first symphonies. He was appointed an honorary Konzertmeister at the Salzburg court.

He performed in many places from a very young age, got famous in his time as a child prodigy. Although his fame faded when he turned an adult, he gained fame again and became extremely famous before he died at the age of 35.

Performance & Compositions

He first performed publicly when he was five and in 1762. He had composed many genres, operas and symphony. He travelled to Munich and Vienna to perform in the court with his father and sister. He travelled with his family from 1763 to 1766 to many European capitals and during this time he composed his first pieces. In 1768, he wrote his first opera “ La Finte Simplice” and later on he continued working hard and produced many operas and composition in Vienna for many years. He produced more than 600 compositions although many genres on which he worked were common at that time. His most famous work includes 41 symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, string quartets, several operas and a requiem.

His performance lost fame for some time around 1788 to 1789 but soon he gained success by “The Magic Flute” and “Requiem” in 1791.

Obstacles

He was the greatest music composer and produced some masterpieces but his life was not as calm and serene as the music he produced. His life since childhood suffered psychological and physical sufferings as he had some deformities and odd appearance; he was not considered a good-looking man.

He suffered illness during his whole life; it is believed that it was due to the malnutrition from which he suffered since his childhood. He was fed on barley water instead of breast-feeding.

His father was very strict and took him on touring to get him famous as a child prodigy and he missed having a normal childhood. During his visits to different cities, he suffered from scarlet fever and got renal problems. He also suffered from strep throat and smallpox when he was 11 years old. As an adult, he had other illnesses related to toothaches, fever, respiratory infections, jaundice and tonsillitis. Even with all these illnesses, he produced his masterpieces and gained prosperity through his performance. He also suffered from financial instabilities and lived in debt for a long time but was able to get back and stable.

Work habits

Since his childhood, he kept his focus toward music and learning the skills from his father. He performed in many places and improved his skills by experiencing it at an early age.

From the age of three, he started taking lessons from his father along with his sister and practiced to become an expert on it. He spent years travelling with his family or father to different places in Europe; he performed in Courts and Noble houses.

Under his father's guidance, he got the opportunity to master the music, get the feedback, improve and get better by learning from his mistakes and practicing more and more. He wrote his first piano concerto at the age of 11.

As an adult, his schedule was very hectic and tiring, as he had no leisure time for himself. He used to spend his days composing and practicing the music and giving lessons to different people. In a letter to her sister, he mentioned his everyday routine of getting up at 6, writing at 9 am, giving lessons till 1pm, dining at 2 or 3 and again working from 5pm to 9pm or attending concerts. Getting back to home at 10pm and writing before going to bed till 1am and following the same routine the next day.

"When I am ... completely myself, entirely alone... or during the night when I cannot sleep, it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how these ideas come I know not nor can I force them".

Creative Mind

Divergent: Mozart enjoyed playing music tricks in the party to show how divergent and intelligent he was. He covered the piano keys with a cloth, played it skillfully and gained appreciation from others. He used to add his own touch on the music he had mastered and produced some of the masterpieces in music.

Focused: He was very focused toward learning and had an extraordinary passion for music. He practiced, learned and improved through the feedback he received at an early age during his performances and got influenced by different composers which helped him to produce unique compositions.

Analytical: He travelled to different places in Europe, met different composers which helped him gain more experience; he absorbed and adapted the valuable features of other music. With his analytical mind he was able to give his own touch to his mastered music.

Multi-instrumentalist: He showed his genius throughout his life by playing music on different instruments like violin, piano, viola and harpsichord. Nowadays we can hear his keyboard music on modern piano. His hard exploration and long term experiments with many instruments resulted in producing the masterpieces.

Early learner- Mozart was a real genius and was lucky to learn from his father who was a remarkable tutor for him. Seeing his sister learning from his father, his urge to learn more and get better then his sister was there which made him put more effort, time and practice to prove himself to be the best.

Mozart had an advantage of getting exposed to music at an early age. It's the time when the child learns the most from his surroundings. He got two talented people around him. He started learning at the age of three and was ready to compose at five. Seeing his talent, his father took him to perform at different cities of Europe along with his sister where he received appreciation for his skillfull performance.

Legacy:

Although Mozart left the world at an early age, his work for music has left an implacable impact on the hearts of music lovers. He is remembered and admired as a great music composer. A leading centre “Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg” serves as a research centre of Mozart's work. There is a collection of instruments and objects which once belonged to him and every year Mozart's interpreters perform in Salzburg, in his remembrance. Those who like to watch films with great stories need to check “Amadeus’’ (1984) and get themselves surprised with his music and turbulent life. Large collection of letters, documents of the 18th and 19th century, and books on Mozart's biography are also available for Mozart's followers and admirers.

References

“Mozart: the tragic real life of Mozart” https://www.grunge.com/194140/the-tragic-real-life-story-of-mozart/

“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” http://www.mozart.com/en/timeline/life/birth-family-and-childhood-salzburg-austria/

“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart

“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quotes”https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/22051.Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart

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