Music composed during the Classical period (1775-1830) embodied logic, precision and unity. Music was written so that it flowed in an orderly, reasoned way. Which was in stark contrast to other events happening in the world.
Louis the XVI’s regime was overthrown by the French revolution. Americans were fighting for their independence from the British. And a short, feisty man by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte began waging war across Europe and Russia.
And there were changes in the world of classical music as well. No longer were composers writing primarily for the church; the nobility had become the desired audience. If you were a member of royalty, you were certain to have a composer as well as a chef on your payroll. Without question, the most famous of these “employees” was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Regarded by many as the world’s greatest composer, Mozart’s genius graced Europe for a mere 35 years. Born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, he began playing the piano at age four and was composing simple pieces a year later. At age seven, little Amadeus went out on his first “tour” which lasted three and a half years. He would do four additional tours over the next ten years at the urging of his tour manager, his father Leopold.
But traveling and performing were not all that Mozart was doing. He was a prolific composer. The following is only a partial list of his accomplishments.
41 symphonies
26 string quartets
17 piano sonatas
42 violin sonatas
Is it any wonder that ones of the things that killed him was quite simply overwork?
One of my favorite compositions written by Mozart is “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” (A Little Night Music). Composed in the summer of 1787, it originally contained five movements (a movement is a section of music within a larger piece) but somewhere along the way, one movement was lost. Light and airy, this is definitely easy and enjoyable listening.