Piece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Piece - Essay Example Although there are other minor scale symphonies attributed to Mozart’s name but there are doubts as to authenticity. However, Symphony Number Forty and Symphony Number Twenty Five are minor scale symphonies both authentically attributed to Mozart (Zaslaw). This paper will explore Mozart’s biography, his Symphony Number Forty in terms of its historical context and its description in order to bring out the nuances in this great musical piece. Mozart’s Life and Times It would not be unjustified to term Mozart as one of the chief canons of Western classical music. Mozart hailed from a period when Europe was teeming with musical activity. Mozart was aided in his musical endeavours at an early age by his family background. Wolfgang Mozart’s father, Leopold Mozart was a practising musician and was quick to realise his son’s talents early on. Mozart was encouraged to take up music at a very early age and was able to compose as early as five years old. The e arliest demonstrations by Mozart were based on the violin and the piano and this left quite a strong impression on the maturing Mozart later. The early works of Mozart tend to revolve around the violin and the piano in large part especially his concertos. ... Mozart moved into the Austrian capital and was soon on his way to fame although Mozart’s financial troubles were far from over. The prolific character and the quality of Mozart’s work were able to project him into the limelight in Vienna and around. However, forbidding circumstances such as the Austro Turk war from the same era proved to be a drain on the fiscal resources of Mozart’s patrons. Consequently, Mozart found himself in fiscal trouble for some time. Eventually, Mozart’s circumstances began to recover but the great composer was soon claimed by a mysterious illness. Wolfgang Mozart died in 1791 at age thirty five. Mozart’s untimely death has been the subject of much speculation over the years and most people consider his early death a setback to Western classical music (Robbins). History of Symphony Number Forty The origin of Symphony Number Forty has been traced to Mozart with authentication. The symphony was noted down by Mozart in his per sonal notebook on July the 25th, 1788. It must be noted that Symphony Number Forty hails from one of the most prolific periods in Mozart’s life. The period in which this symphony was created consisted of only a few weeks but works from this period by Mozart are hailed as masterpieces in their own right (Deutsch). Symphony Number Forty has come under debate for Mozart’s personal viewership. It has been argued that Mozart was never able to hear his Symphony Number Forty performed during his lifetime. The time between the composition of Symphony Number Forty and Mozart’s death is brief so it is argued that Mozart died before any large performances of Symphony Number Forty. However, there are other commentators who reason that Mozart was party to Symphony