![]() One piece, the third movement of Piano Sonata No. Many of Mozart’s pieces for the piano are easily recognizable and appear in popular culture and CD anthologies of well-known classical music. During the years 17, he composed several piano concertos and performed them for the public. Mozart was especially attracted to the piano and played on it during the final years of his life. The instrument was donated to the Mozarteum foundation by Mozart’s son in 1856. The fortepiano which he used is normally attributed to the builder Anton Walter. While Mozart continued to play on the harpsichord and the clavichord, his keyboard music is most commonly heard today on the modern piano. With the development of the fortepiano, keyboard artists had a greater range of dynamic expression available to them. Other important works include the five concertos he composed in 1775 at age 19 and the 36 sonatas for violin and piano. Of these works, one famous strings quintet is Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (“A Little Night Music”). Mozart composed a wide body of literature for the violin, from chamber music to pieces for the larger ensemble. ![]() He performed mainly on the piano while living in Vienna during the final decade of his life. After Wolfgang’s trip to Paris, however, the young composer decided to concentrate on a career in the keyboard instruments. All three instruments are kept by the Mozarteum Foundation. Mozart played on three major violins in his lifetime: his childhood violin, his Costa violin, and his concert violin. The harpsichord was still a popular instrument for operatic collaboration, and the clavichord, with dynamic differences that were not extreme, was ideal for practicing in the home.Įven his father, Leopold Mozart, who wrote the famous technical treatise Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule, was himself amazed at Wolfgang’s playing abilities. While one might think that Mozart immediately switched instruments following the development of the pianoforte, he is documented to continue playing all three keyboard instruments throughout his life. ![]() The evolution of the keyboard instruments progressed quite rapidly over the short course of Mozart’s life. One can find some of his pieces written for Klavier that are usually played today on the piano. The harpsichord was the keyboard instrument of the Baroque era and is also said to be Mozart’s preferred keyboard instrument for performing, accompanying, and composing in different genres and styles. The clavichord, on the other hand, had dynamic capabilities, but could never really be used in a large performance as it was still a quiet instrument. Another interesting work is the Kegelstatt Trio, featuring colorful interplay between a viola, clarinet, and a piano. While he composed no works for solo viola, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, a famous violin and viola duet with orchestra, is a prominent work featuring the viola. Often, he gives the viola independent melodies and also pushes the musical and range capabilities of the instrument. In many of his works, Mozart gives special attention to the viola part. However, the literature he produced includes violin and viola duets, string trios and quintets, and trios for piano, clarinet, and viola. Interestingly, Mozart only composed for the viola in ensemble. His viola was crafted in Northern Italy, and it is now owned by the Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg. Some say that out of all his instruments, Mozart preferred the viola. Another report from Thomas Attwood, a student of Mozart, said that his teacher added pedals to his own fortepiano out of his fascination of the polyphonic structures of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. He reported that during his performance in the Court Chapel in Manheim, he turned different parts of traditional Christian worship into complex fugues, which astonished members of the congregation. Wolfgang was also a talented improviser and would demonstrate his skills during the mass. Throughout his life, Mozart continued working, playing, and composing for churches and courts that would sponsor him. ![]() His talents brought him to play in the Church of the Holy Ghost in Heidelberg, the Cathedral of Antwerp, the church of St. Mozart first started learning the organ in Ybbs and later learned how to use the pedal board by standing on top of it at the age of seven. His humorous character is also portrayed in the biographical movie Amadeus. It is recorded that even as a child he was able to perform on the piano while blindfolded and with crossed hands. Even though the Classical era may be regarded as “serious” in terms of academic study, the young, comical Mozart had several performing tricks up his sleeve.
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