Essay on Appreciation of European Classical Music Works

First of all, the profile of the character

Wolfgang? Amar Dehousse? Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 ~ 179 1).

1756 65438+1October 27th, Mozart was born in a family of court musicians in Salzburg, Austria. 179 1 year 65438+February 5, died in Vienna at the age of 36. Mozart, an Austrian composer, is the most typical composer of classical music, and is also known as the three great composers of Vienna classical music together with Haydn and Beethoven.

Opera is the mainstream of Mozart's creation. Like Gluck, Wagner and Verdi, Mozart is one of the four giants in the history of European opera. Together with Haydn and Beethoven, he wrote a glorious page for the European symphony. In addition, his Requiem has also become a valuable masterpiece in religious music. As a European composer at the end of 18, Mozart's music profoundly reflected the spirit of this era, especially the thought of the civil class embodied in his opera works, which was undoubtedly of progressive significance at that time. Mozart endowed music with beautiful singing joy, but it was deeply combined with sadness, which reflected the fate of intellectuals in Mozart's era.

Mozart is one of the representatives of Vienna classical music school in Europe. As a model of classical music, he played a great role in the development of European music. Mozart wrote 22 operas, 4/kloc-0 symphonies, 42 concertos, a requiem, sonatas, chamber music, religious music and songs.

Mozart is the founder of piano concertos. He wrote 29 piano concertos plus K. 107. He also made outstanding contributions to the development of European instrumental concerto.

Opera is the mainstream of Mozart's creation. Like Gluck, Wagner and Verdi, Mozart is one of the four giants in the history of European opera. Together with Haydn and Beethoven, he wrote a glorious page for the European symphony.

Second, the artistic career

(1) first appeared (1762 ~ 1773)

Mozart was born into a family of court musicians. He showed great musical talent at the age of 3, studied piano with his father at the age of 4, and began to compose music at the age of 5.

(1762 ~1773)1762, 6-year-old Mozart, led by his father, made an experimental tour in Munich, Vienna and Pressburg, which was a success.

From June 1763 to March 1773, he went to Germany, Belgium, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries 10, and all of them were successful. He had the opportunity to get in touch with the most advanced music art in contemporary Europe-Italian opera, French opera and German instrumental music, and also met composers such as Bach, Martini and Samartini. And learn composition techniques from them, making him the most widely composed composer at that time.

During this period, Mozart published six sonatas for Harper Secord and violin (or flute) in London, and composed three symphonies and operas, False Goodwill, Bastian and Bastina, Mitridat, King of the Capital and Luzio? Silas and other works. Some works reflect his influence by J.C. Bach. The works of this period have shown the universality of Mozart's creative genre and his interest in opera creation.

(2) Maturity (1774 ~ 178 1)

1at the end of 773, Mozart returned to Salzburg. Under the guidance of his father, he made up for the interrupted study of music and culture. At the same time, he created a large number of works by using the knowledge and materials gained during his travels. Including the operas The Fake Gardener (1775) and The Shepherd King (1775).

The works of this period reflect the influence of Mannheim Music School. The content reflects the influence of hurricane movement at that time, and new elements appear in form. These techniques enhanced the drama of his music works and further formed the classical sonata form.

(3) Vienna period (1781~1791)

Mozart couldn't stand the insult of the archbishop any longer, so he resolutely resigned as archbishop and went to Vienna to make a living. He is the first composer in Austrian history who has the courage and determination to get rid of the court and church and safeguard personal dignity. The hardships of life had a profound impact on his thought and creation, and became the most important 10 year in Vienna. 1785, the once closed Vienna National Theatre was restored, and Mozart had the opportunity to engage in opera creation. He wrote a farce, The Theater Manager. 1786, The Wedding of Figaro was completed and staged, which had a great influence and even became a household name in Prague. 1787 "Don Juan" completed the performance. In Vienna, Mozart discovered Bach's works. He deeply studied and studied Bach's polyphonic techniques. This played an important role in his later creation.

1789 April, Mozart in poverty performed in Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig. 1790 65438+ 10, his opera "Woman's Heart" was staged. 179 1 year, he wrote the opera "Tito's Good", which was unsuccessful. In September of the same year, he composed the last opera "Magic Flute" and a large-scale religious music work "Requiem" when he was seriously ill. Among them, he died because he was terminally ill, and some of them were even written by ghostwriters, but they were not completely finished. After his death, he was buried in an unknown place in Vienna's poor cemetery. Mozart lived long and came to Haydn late, but he was just the opposite-short-lived and precocious. However, in his life before the age of 36, he created an amazing number of music treasures for people.

Third, the contribution of classical music.

Mozart created a large number of musical works in his short life, and the genre involved various fields, leaving many immortal masterpieces.

Mozart's music is elegant and beautiful, as delicate as pearls, as warm as sunshine and full of youthful vitality. Because of his approachable musical language and clear and rigorous work structure, "there is no trace of axe and chisel in the most complicated creation of music thought." This misleading simplicity is the art that really hides art. "

(1) Opera

Mozart's main creative field is opera. In his 36-year life, he has been engaged in opera creation for 25 years and has written 22 films. Among them, The Wedding of Figaro, Don Juan and The Magic Flute are the most representative.

The Marriage of Figaro exposes and satirizes the hypocrisy and luxury life of the feudal nobles represented by the count, praises the integrity, wit and courage of the "third class" people represented by Figaro and Susanna, and shows the optimistic spirit of winning the anti-feudal struggle.

Don Juan is based on a famous Spanish folklore. Through the contradictory character of Don Juan, an aristocrat, and the despicable end of his cheating and hurting women, the decadent life of the feudal aristocracy was exposed, and at the same time, the master's contempt for feudal ethics and the pursuit of happiness were affirmed.

The Magic Flute celebrates the idea that light will conquer darkness through the story of the hero's struggle for his ideal and ultimate victory. The ideas reflected in this opera are closely related to Mozart's pursuit of enlightenment and his ideals of freedom, equality and love in an "economic society". This opera marks the end of the development of German-Austrian operetta in the18th century, which laid the foundation for the later romantic operas in Germany and became the pioneer of the latter.

(2) Concerto

Besides opera, Mozart is one of the most outstanding schools of music creation. On the basis of Baroque Concerto, these works established the structural principle of18th century classical concerto. At the same time, it strengthens the position of solo instrument and emphasizes its musical character different from concerto band. Because of Mozart's achievements, concerto is no longer a one-sided expression of skills, but has the same profound significance as symphony. Mozart became the founder of the modern concerto form.

(3) Symphony

Symphonies are mostly written in the early years under the influence of different musical styles, so there are traces of imitating different styles. We can see the influence of Bach, Genser, Mohn, especially Haydn and Mannheim School represented by Stamitz.

(4) Sonata Suite

Mozart composed 17 piano sonatas, 6 violin sonatas and 35 piano violin sonatas, which contributed to the development of the classical sonata suite and established the sonata suite form of the Vienna classical school with three movements.

(5) Indoor music

Among the 23 string quartets composed by Mozart, the best ones are six dedicated to Haydn (1773), which reflect Mozart's thoughts and styles from different aspects-sincerity, kindness, cheerfulness and optimism. Unlike Haydn and Beethoven, Mozart's genius is not manifested in the quartet, but in the quintet.

(vi) Religious music

The work injects the author's deep feelings for the whole life, showing his suffering from exploitation, humiliation and poverty all his life, and his unremitting pursuit and yearning for light and joy as a citizen musician. There is never pain in his music, only pure happiness. This dying work is still the same, only the feeling that the light of heaven shines on him.

(7) Others

In addition to the above genres, Mozart also created a large number of serenades, dance music and so on. In these folk works, Mozart adopted the factors of folk music. It reflects his connection with folk music, which is characterized by lightness and liveliness. They reflect that at the end of 18, the oppressed German and Austrian intellectuals got rid of the shackles of feudal absolutism and pursued a beautiful society and the dignity of people with light and justice. His music style is characterized by sincerity, delicacy, popularity, elegance, lightness and elegance, and most of them are full of optimism, which reflects the optimism spirit of the German and Austrian bourgeoisie in the rising period. In Vienna's later creation, tragic and dramatic styles also appeared, which reflected social contradictions more deeply.

Fourth, summary.

In the long history of European music, it is not uncommon for people to show musical talent from an early age. But it is really hard to find a precocious wizard like Mozart, a musician who can be recognized as a "prodigy" at such a young age.

There is a typical artist's nature everywhere in Mozart. He is a man who loves life and is full of poetry and emotion. He believes that the poor are the most loyal. "Only the poor are the best and truest friends in the world, and the rich have no idea what friendship is." . He is naive, simple and always in high spirits. He is easily moved, tearful and feminine. He is childlike and full of curiosity like a child. He never seems to grow up.

Mozart's ease and quickness in writing made his contemporaries and future generations regard him as a genius who learned from his teachers without learning anything. Throughout his life, except for the strict instruction of his father when he was a child, he really didn't receive formal teacher guidance. Genius is undeniable, but people often ignore that genius is also inseparable from hard work and diligence. 1One day in June, 787, Mozart walked with the conductor of the opera Don Juan, Kucharz, and he said, "It is wrong to think that my art is something for nothing. I tell you exactly, my dear friend, no one will spend so much time and thought on composing music as I do; I have not studied the works of a famous artist many times. "