Mozart and his Opera Writing essays

Mozart and his Opera Writing essays Considered one of the greatest musicians to have lived during the classical period in musical history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, Jan. 27, 1756, the son of Leopold Mozart and his wife, Anna Maria Pertl. Wolfgang came from a family that was saturated with musical talent. His father, Leopold was a successful composer and violinist and assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. He had an older sister, Maria Anna who played the keyboard and toured with Wolfgang. Mozart composed a variety of works and but among his most acclaimed works are the operas Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, and The Marriage Figaro. Mozart may be considered the most acclaimed opera writers, and one should recognize this over any other fact about Mozart. Wolfgang showed incredible musical talent at a very early age, composing when he was five and when he was six playing for the Austrian empress. He was a child prodigy and his father, Leopold felt that it would be in the best interest for Wolfgang to showoff his talent, so when he was six the family embarked on a series of concert tours through Europe's courts and major cities. Mozart amazed his audiences with his skills; he played to the French and English royal families, and had his first music published in Paris, where he wrote his earliest symphonies. The first works of young Mozart that were published were four sonatas written in 1764. The Mozart family continued to tour and while in Vienna, in 1768, Wolfgang composed his first opera, La Finta Semplice, but it was not performed because of skepticism and indifferences; it was first presented a year later at Salzburg. According to Leopold, it was the Emperor Joseph II who asked the boy twice whether he would like to compos e an opera and conduct it himself. Wolfgang, Leopold reported, said yes. (Boerner). The setting of the opera takes place in at a country estate near Cremona. The opera portrays ...