Mozart’s music can be heard to hover: between innocence and experience, ideality and sensuousness, comedy and tragedy, sympathy and mockery, intimacy and transcendence. It offers no blind faith yet no paralyzing doubt; it is not just a longingly imperfect reach for the infinite (Schiller’s sentimental art) nor just a comfortably perfect grasp of the finite … Continue reading The Real Mozart
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Classical Music II: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Let’s get this out of the way—pretty much everything you know about Mozart from the movie Amadeus is a lie. Here’s what the movie gets right: There was a guy called Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was a child prodigy and a remarkable composer. He lived most of his adult life in Vienna, where he composed … Continue reading Classical Music II: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Interlude: The Other Haydn at the Side of the Road
In 1783, Mozart visited Salzburg with his wife Constanze. While there, he dropped in to see his good friend, Haydn, who was in trouble. Haydn had a commission due for the Archbishop--a set of six duos for violin and viola. Four were already completed, but Haydn had taken ill and was unable to complete the … Continue reading Interlude: The Other Haydn at the Side of the Road
Haydn: The Symphonies and The Creation
"Papa" Haydn earned his sobriquet for his generousity with his students. But it could equally refer to his status as the Father of the Symphony and the Father of the String Quartet. Haydn was already well-established when Mozart came on the scene; he died six decades later during his student Beethoven's second period. In between, … Continue reading Haydn: The Symphonies and The Creation
Haydn: Chamber Music
Haydn is the Father of the String Quartet. He did not compose the first one, however. That honor likely goes to Alessandro Scarlatti, who composed six works called Sonata a Quattro per Due Violini, Violette e Violoncello, senza Cemballo (i.e., a quartet comprised of 2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello, without keyboard). While Haydn … Continue reading Haydn: Chamber Music
A Gertus History of Music 