Mozart: Concertos, Serenade, Symphonies, Requiem & Biography 7/9/25

Piano Concertos (Overview)

Mozart wrote 27 piano concertos, all regarded as masterpieces of the Classical era.
In this lecture three single movements were highlighted for study and enjoyment:
- Concerto No. 23 in A major (K. 488) – third movement.
  • Composed near the end of Mozart’s life (between roughly ages 30–35).
  • Chosen recording demonstrates the extreme virtuosity demanded of the soloist.
- Concerto No. 21 in C major (K. 467) – third movement.
  • Featured performance by a 10-year-old prodigy, underscoring the piece’s accessibility and showmanship.
- Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major (K. 271) – third movement.
  • Lecturer’s personal favorite for its joyful energy and technical fireworks.

Title translates from German as “A Little Night-Music.”
Remains one of the most popular and frequently commercialized works in Western music.
Genre: SERENADE—music written for evening entertainment, usually for a small string orchestra hired by an aristocratic patron.
Movement plan (remember for exam):
1. Allegro – light, exciting, instantly memorable main theme.
2. Romanze – slow, lyrical, “pretty.”
3. Menuetto – triple-meter dance; stately yet graceful.
4. Rondo – lively, sparkling finale; pairs stylistically with the opening.
Listening assignment supplied as four separate YouTube links (one per movement).

In the last 5 years of life Mozart enjoyed considerable operatic success.
Best known example: The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492).
• Plot centers on "urgent adolescent sexuality" of the servant/barber Figaro and the “despair of a neglected wife.”
• Blends deep human feeling with comedy and social satire, often lampooning aristocracy—much to some royals’ annoyance.
Key takeaway: Mozart’s operas combine emotional depth, humor, and social commentary better than almost any contemporaneous works.

Mozart composed 41 numbered symphonies—a remarkable total for someone who died at 35.
The final three (Nos. 39, 40, 41) are routinely ranked among the top 15–20 symphonies ever written.
Required listening: Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K. 550), complete in four movements.
• First movement famous for its obsessive 3-note motive—model example of concise thematic development.
• Apply standard pattern recognition: 1st = lively; 2nd = slow; 3rd = triple-meter dance (Minuet & Trio); 4th = lively finale.

Late 1791: a mysterious messenger delivered an anonymous commission (with down-payment) for a Requiem Mass.
A Requiem = liturgical "mass for the dead," traditionally solemn and large-scale.
Mozart’s health declined steadily while composing; he became convinced he was writing his own funeral music.
Death occurred before completion. Pupil Franz Xaver Süssmayr finished the score using Mozart’s sketches.
The completed Requiem is today viewed as a masterpiece, filled with dramatic contrasts of terror, sorrow, and hope.
• Well-known excerpt was assigned for listening.

Died at age 35 on 5 December 1791.
Suggested causes (none proven): rheumatic fever, typhoid, kidney stones, heart disease, pneumonia, poisoning, or (most recent theory) tainted pork cutlets.
Financial status: nearly destitute; buried in a common, unmarked grave during inclement weather—exact site lost to history, so DNA confirmation impossible.

Catalog exceeds 800 works, ranging from simple comic songs to profound explorations of life, death, love, tragedy, romance, despair, and hope.
Academics often debate revisions they would make to Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, etc., but commonly assert that “not a single note” in Mozart needs altering.

Mozart and wife Constanze produced 6 children; only 2 survived infancy:
• Carl Thomas Mozart – became a minor government official in Milan; showed little musical interest.
• Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart – active composer/conductor across Europe but never matched his father’s fame.
Neither son married or had offspring; Mozart’s direct bloodline ended with them.

Piano Concerto No. 23 (3rd movement): notice late-style elegance and virtuosic interplay between piano and orchestra.
Piano Concerto No. 21 (3rd movement): pay attention to youthful exuberance; observe how technical brilliance supports melodic charm.
Piano Concerto No. 9 (3rd movement): recognize its forward-looking brilliance and role as prototype for later Classical concerto finales.
"Eine kleine Nachtmusik": identify each movement’s character, instrumental textures, and formal designs (sonata-allegro, rondo, minuet & trio).
Symphony No. 40: locate the recurring 3-note motive; follow thematic development and key changes.
Requiem excerpts: differentiate between Introit, Kyrie, Dies irae, Lacrimosa, etc., and note the dramatic choral/orchestral writing.

Serenade = evening entertainment piece for small ensemble.
Virtuosity = high technical skill displayed by soloist.
Motive = short musical idea (often 3–5 notes) that recurs and is developed.
Triple meter dance = minuet or scherzo feel (beat pattern 3/4).
Requiem = mass for the dead.
Patronage system: aristocrats commissioning works (e.g., serenades for parties).
Social satire in opera: Mozart poking fun at nobility via character portrayal.