It was the Moonlight Sonata that started my obsession with musical Conversations. And no, it wasn't the Mozart link described in the prior entry. It is easy to find how Beethoven influenced subsequent composers. You can jump only a few decades forward to Frederic Chopin, for example: Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata No. 14, Op. 27, … Continue reading Searching for Truth: The Conversations
Tag: Mozart
Soaked in Mozart
In 1787, a 17-year old Beethoven left his home in Bonn, Germany and traveled to Vienna with the express purpose of meeting and studying with Mozart, the greatest composer in Europe. Whether Beethoven actually met Mozart is debatable--the famous quotation attributed to Mozart ("Stanzi, Stanzi, watch out for that boy. One day he will give … Continue reading Soaked in Mozart
Mozart’s Coda: The Clarient Concerto
Most musical histories leave Mozart with his Requiem (Mozart’s last words were reported to be “I was composing this for myself”), but that I think is a mistake. In fact, Mozart's final complete composition was his Clarinet Concerto. I tend to ascribe much importance to final works, but I don’t think Mozart really had cause … Continue reading Mozart’s Coda: The Clarient Concerto
That Day of Tears and Mourning
Mozart famously received a commission from a secret patron to compose a Requiem in 1791. Mozart had been ill for a year and was laboring under the strain of producing two other major compositions—The Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito, his return to opera seria—as well as on several other notable works. Surely, composing … Continue reading That Day of Tears and Mourning
A Gertus History of Music 