Friday, April 15, 2016

M is for Mozart

 
              I am participating in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, and my theme this year is classical music. Check out the list of other participants by clicking here! M is for Mozart. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756 and he died at the young age of 35 in 1791. Today’s featured video is the Overture to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro performed by the Weiner Symphoniker with conductor Fabio Luisi.


 
Portrait by Barbara Krafft
   ·   Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s father began teaching him to play minuets and other pieces on the clavier at the age of 4. Around the age of 5, he began composing and playing short pieces that his father wrote down.
 
   ·   His musical memory was beyond belief. He heard Allegri’s Miserere at the age of 14 and wrote down the entire piece by memory later that day.
 
   ·   Mozart had a pet starling and he taught it to whistle a short tune that is similar to the opening of the third movement of his Piano Concerto No. 17 in G.
 
   ·   Mozart wrote 30 symphonies by the age of 18 and composed over 600 works in his short lifetime. After his death, Mozart’s compositions became a standard part of studies for classical musicians.
 

A young Mozart with his father,
Leopold and sister, Nannerl
painted by Carmontelle
   ·   During his final illness, Mozart was working on the Requiem Mass in D Minor and he felt as though he was writing the piece for his own funeral. He did not finish it before his death and the work was completed by composer Franz Xaver Süssmayr.
 
   ·   His music is used in many films, including The Shawshank Redemption, When Harry Met Sally, Out of Africa, The King’s Speech, and Amadeus, a movie about the last 10 years of his life. He has 1,163 soundtrack credits in the Internet Movie Database!
 


Yesterday's trivia: How many miles do you think it was estimated that Franz Liszt traveled in his threefold existence? Answer: It is estimated that Liszt traveled 4000 miles per year by train during those later years of his life. That is a significant distance for the 1870s at his age.

For this challenge, I’m keeping a playlist of the videos I’m using plus some extras for anyone who wants to hear more. I will update with the latest letter each day. Today's extra video is the hauntingly beautiful Adagio from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23. The piano is played with great emotion by Hélène Grimaud.


  
I'm sure you have heard of Mozart before, learn anything new? Trivia: Which member of Mozart's family is speculated to be the composer of the Toy Symphony?

20 comments:

  1. I believe the answer might be his sister, Nannerl. I love Mozart and had the privilege to see a concert in the golden hall in Vienna that is seen on TV in New Year's Day. I also visited his birthplace and toured his birth home in Salzburg.

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    1. Birgit, That would be an amazing trip! One of these days I hope I can visit Europe.

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  2. I remember playing Mozart when I took piano lessons years ago.
    That's really unfortunate that he died at such a young age.

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    1. Cynthia, Mozart has so many great piano pieces, who knows how much more he could have written if he had lived longer.

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  3. I had no idea he had a pet starling. That's pretty neat. And I loved the movie Amadeus.

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    1. Tamara, my friend told me Amadeus was on Netflix and I wanted to watch it before this post, but I didn't get around to it. Oh well, May will be here soon enough :)

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  4. I was way off on the miles! He was certainly prolific in his short life with what he accomplished!

    betty

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    1. Betty, it was still a good guess :) I'm getting closer to 35, and Mozart certainly makes my life look very unaccomplished in comparison.

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  5. Wow! And no telling how many smartphones have his music as ringtones now!

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  6. I like Mozart. It was interesting to read some new facts about him. ~Meg Writer‘s Crossings

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    1. Megan, thanks for stopping by, I'm glad you enjoyed!

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  7. I would love to have just a portion of his memory.

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  8. Ah yes, couldn't do a music theme without Mozart. A true giant.

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    1. Liz, I agree, music and Mozart go hand in hand.

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  9. I love Rondo Alla Turca. I still remember snippets from the piece.
    Writer In Transit

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    1. Michelle, that is a great piece, I have tried to learn it before, but I am too slow and don't practice piano enough.

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