Lecture 13 Mozart

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Lecture 13Mozart

• The Concerto and Opera

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

• Sister, Maria Anna
• Mother on wall
• Father Leopold
• Child Prodigy
• Born in Salzburg
• Professional career in Vienna
• Attempted to break free of patronage system
• Wrote over 600 composition in all genres in his
  35 years
• Best known for his extraordinary melodies

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

• Classical Concerto
• A 3 movement work for solo instrument and
  orchestra
• Cadenza
• Section of quasi-improvised music for the soloist
  alone
• Mozart composed his concertos for his own
  performance
• Piano Concerto in G Major K. 453 (köchel number)

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Opera of the Classical Era

• Opera seria
• Opera buffa
• Singspiel
• Most important form of entertainment in the 18th
  century
• Usually sung in Italian
• Aria
• Recitative
• Ensemble
• Chorus

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

• Mozarts great masterpiece
• The Marriage of Figaro
• Lorenzo da Ponte, Mozarts librettist
• Written in 1786 for the royal opera in Vienna
• Based in a play by Beaumarchais
• Act I, Scenes 6 and 7

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

• The Marriage of Figaro
• Act I, Scenes 6 and 7
• Characters
• Susanna - Maid to the countess
• Figaro - Susannas fiancé and valet to the count
• Cherubino - page boy at the court
• Count Almaviva - letch
• Basilio - music master and court busybody

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Assignment

• Read Transition III
• Chapters 39 - 46