Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This is part 2 of a two-part series on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Read part 1 here.

Church works and Idomeneo

Mozart’s desire to not stay in Salzburg had not diminished, but his need for employment and income won out and he returned in 1779. There, Mozart composed a series of church works, as well as another opera for Munich, Idomeneo.

Idomeneo (1781)

• Accogli, o re Del Mar
• D’Oreste, d’Ajace
• Fuor del mar ho un mar in seno
• Ha vinto Amore
• Idol mio, se ritroso
• Il padre adorato ritrovo
• No, la morte io non pavento
• Non ho colpa, e mi condanni
• Padre, germani, addio
• Se colà ne’ fati è scritto
• Se il padre perdei
• Se il tuo duol
• Torna la pace al core
• Tutte nel cor vi sento
• Vedrommi intorno l’ombra dolente
• Zeffiretti lusinghieri

Although Mozart had an opportunity to perform outside the court for Emperor Joseph II, he was largely kept under wrap and control by Archbishop von Colloredo. Mozart was unhappy with his treatment, and there was bad chemistry between the two men. Ultimately, Mozart resigned his position. Initially the resignation was refused by the Archbishop, but eventually, it was accepted and Mozart was rather unceremoniously shown the door.

Mozart set out for Vienna, where he taught, wrote music, and performed. In 1781 he began working on Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

From the IPA Source database, Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782):

• Ach, ich liebte, war so glücklich
• Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln
• Frisch zum Kampfe
• Hier soll ich dich denn sehen
• Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke
• In Mohrenland gefangen war
• Martern aller Arten
• O wie ängstlich, o wie feurig
• O! wie will ich triumphiren
• Solche hergelaufne Laffen
• Traurigkeit ward mir zum Lose
• Welche Wonne, welche Lust
• Wenn der Freude Tränen fliessen
• Wer ein Liebchen hat gefunden

Marriage and Fellow Composer Influence

In 1782 Mozart began courting Constanze, a daughter of the Weber family, with whom he was lodging. They were married later that year. The Mozarts had six children. Sadly only two of their children survived infancy.

Gottfried van Swieten, a diplomat, librarian, and government official owned many manuscripts of Baroque masters. As such, Mozart became very familiar with the work of Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Händel. It is said that this influenced Mozart in his creation of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute).

Die Zauberflöte (1791)

• Ach, ich fühl’s
• Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden
• Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen
• Der Hölle Rache
• Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
• Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon
• Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
• In diesen heil’gen Hallen
• O Isis und Osiris
• O zitt’re nicht, mein lieber Sohn
• Papageno’s Suicide Scene
• Papageno-Papagena Duet

Mozart met Joseph Haydn in Vienna about 1784, and they became friends. They occasionally performed in impromptu string quartet concerts. Mozart dedicated six quartets to Haydn; some have the opinion that these quartets are a response to Haydn’s Opus 33.

During this time, Mozart did a great deal of performing, sometimes in unconventional venues. He and Constanze embraced a fancier lifestyle, with a more expensive apartment, a fortepiano, and even a billiard table. They sent their son to boarding school, kept servants, and didn’t save any money for future lean times.

While the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail was successful, Mozart did little additional opera composition beyond Der Schauspieldirecktor, focusing instead on performing as a piano soloist and composer of concertos.

Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782)

• Ach, ich liebte, war so glücklich
• Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln
• Frisch zum Kampfe
• Hier soll ich dich denn sehen
• Ich baue ganz auf deine Stärke
• In Mohrenland gefangen war
• Martern aller Arten
• O wie ängstlich, o wie feurig
• O! wie will ich triumphiren
• Solche hergelaufne Laffen
• Traurigkeit ward mir zum Lose
• Welche Wonne, welche Lust
• Wenn der Freude Tränen fliessen
• Wer ein Liebchen hat gefunden

Der Schauspieldirecktor (1786)

• Bester Jüngling
• Da schlägt die Abshiedsstunde
• Ich bin die erste Sängerin
• Jeder Künstler strebt nach Ehre

In late 1786, Mozart began his collaboration with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosí fan tutte were products of this famed partnership. Read our blog post about da Ponte to learn more.

In 1787, Mozart was appointed Chamber Composer by Emperor Joseph II. Although the income was modest, it was steady and helped Mozart and his family when their finances began to dwindle. It is said that the Emperor appointed Mozart to this role in an attempt to keep him from departing Vienna.

Soon after, Mozart and his family moved to the suburb of Alsergrund. They were intending to save money by making this move, but their financial situation continued to deteriorate. Soon Mozart was borrowing money from friends, as well as traveling to locations such as Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin, and Frankfurt with the hope of earning some money to improve his family’s situation.

Last operas, last days

Slowly, Mozart’s financial situation began to improve. He began repaying debts. Work began picking up for him. Mozart composed Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) and it received a great amount of positive feedback. Mozart’s final opera was La clemenza di Tito, during which he sadly became ill with his final illness.

Die Zauberflöte (1791)

• Ach, ich fühl’s
• Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden
• Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen
• Der Hölle Rache
• Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
• Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon
• Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen
• In diesen heil’gen Hallen
• O Isis und Osiris
• O zitt’re nicht, mein lieber Sohn
• Papageno’s Suicide Scene
• Papageno-Papagena Duet

La clemenza di Tito (1791)

• Ah, se fosse intorno al trono
• Deh per questo istante solo
• Deh se piacer mi vuoi
• Del più sublime soglio
• Ma che giorno e mai questo
• Non piu di fiori
• Parto, ma tu, ben mio
• S’altro che lacrime
• Se all’impero, amici Dei
• Tardi s’avvede d’un tradimento
• Torna di Tito a lato
• Tu fosti tradito

When Mozart was gravely ill and confined to bed, he labored to complete his famous Requiem Mass. There are accounts of him dictating passages to Franz Xaver Süssmayr, but there is insufficient evidence to support this claim.

The Requiem Mass – Mozart’s Complete Text

The cause of Mozart’s death at age 35 is officially listed as “severe miliary fever,” but many of have speculated on what his final illness may have been, including strep infection, influenza, and even mercury poisoning. He was buried in a common grave, which at the time and in Vienna did not mean a mass grave but rather a commoner’s grave (as opposed to an aristocrat’s grave).

While he may have been buried as a commoner, his standing with the public was much greater. Memorial services and concerts were held and widely attended. Mozart’s music and popularity actually increased greatly in the period immediately after his death.

Did you miss the first part of this two-part series? Read part 1 here.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791), born in Salzburg, Austria, was an important and respected composer. As an adult, he referred to himself as “Wolfgang Amadè Mozart,” but it is noted that his name had many variants. As a child, his baptismal record listed his name in Latin as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. Mozart was a prolific composer; over the span of his career composing hundreds of works including sonatas, symphonies, masses, chamber music, concertos, and operas.

Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl were the only surviving children of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. Mozart’s mother came from a family of community leaders; and his father, Leopold, a successful violinist and composer, was a recognized musical talent in his own right and held the role of assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court. Not only did Leopold teach young Wolfgang, but also his older sister, Maria Anna, who was nicknamed Nannerl. When Nannerl was playing keyboard at age 7, a 3-year-old Wolfgang began imitating his sister. His early and surprising grasp of concepts of musical theory soon had his father formally instructing him.

By the time Mozart was 5 years old, he had mastered the violin and keyboard. Leopold soon began a series of tours to courts to Bavaria, Paris, London, The Hague and Zurich with Wolfgang and Nannerl, where his prodigious children performed and were exposed to other musical talents.

In December 1769, Leopold and Wolfgang made a trip to Italy so that Leopold could display young Wolfgang’s talents to additional audiences. As Nannerl was now of an age that she could marry, she did not accompany them on the trip. It was the custom that women were not permitted to show artistical talent in public once they reached marriageable age.

Early years

Mozart’s mind was truly incredible. In Rome, after hearing Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere performed twice in the Sistine Chapel, he wrote the score out from memory. In doing so, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart produced the first unauthorized copy of this closely guarded property of the Vatican. During this visit to Italy, the 14-year-old Wolfgang wrote Mitridate, re di Ponto (his fifth work for the stage!) for the court of Milan.

From the IPA Source database, Mitridate, re di Ponto (1770)

• Al destin, che la minaccia
• Già dagli occhi il velo è tolto
• Già di pietà mi spoglio
• In faccia all’oggetto
• L’odio nel cor frenate
• Lungi da te, mio bene
• Nel grave tormento
• Nel sen mi palpita
• Pallid’ombre, che scorgete
• Parto: nel gran cimento
• Quel ribelle, e quell’ingrato
• Se di lauri il crine adorno
• Se di regnar sei vago
• Se il rigor d’ingrata sorte
• So quanto a te dispiace
• Soffre il mio cor con pace
• Son reo, l’error confesso
• Tu sai per chi m’accese
• Tu, che fedel mi sei
• Va, l’error mio palesa
• Vado incontro al fato estremo
• Venga pur, minacci, e frema

Successive trips to Italy yielded two other commissioned operas, Ascanio in Alba (1771) and Lucio Silla (1772).

Ascanio in Alba

• Ah di sì nobil alma
• Al mio ben mi veggio avanti
• Dal tuo gentil sembiante
• Sì, ma d’un altro amore
• Torna mio bene, ascolta

Lucio Silla

• Il tenero momento
• Pupille amate non lagrimate
• Se lusinghiera speme
• Vieni ov’amor t’invita

In 1773, Wolfgang and Leopold returned from Italy. Archbishop von Schrattenbach, recently deceased, had been replaced by Hieronymus von Colloredo. Archbishop von Colloredo appointed Wolfgang as assistant concertmaster. During this time, Mozart composed symphonies, string quartets, sonatas, violin concertos, and operas. One of those operas was La finta giardiniera.

Here, from the IPA Source database, is La finta giardiniera (1774-1775).

La finta giardiniera

• A forza di martelli
• Appena mi vedon
• Care pupille belle
• Che beltà, che leggiadria
• Chi vuol godere il mondo
• Con un vezzo all’Italiana
• Crudeli, oh dio! fermate
• Da scirocco a tramontana
• Dentro il mio petto io sento
• Dolce d’amor compagna
• Geme la tortorella
• Già divento freddo
• Mio padrone, io dir volevo
• Mirate che contrasto
• Nach der welschen Art und Weise
• Noi donne poverine
• Se l’augellin sen fugge
• Si promette facilmente
• Un marito, oh Dio – Nardo
• Un marito, oh Dio – Serpetta
• Una damina, una nipote
• Una voce sento al core
• Va pure ad altri in braccio
• Vorrei punirti indegno

Young Mozart soon grew frustrated in Salzburg and set out to seek more lucrative employment elsewhere. After resigning his post in August 1777, he set out for Mannheim, Paris, Munich, and Augsburg. As the Archbishop would not release Leopold, Mozart’s mother Anna Maria accompanied him. Although a few opportunities sounded promising, ultimately they either fell through or weren’t to his liking. Mozart fell into debt and started pawning his belongings. Mozart’s mother became ill and died in July 1778. It is said by some that Mozart’s financial situation probably delayed the call to a doctor until it was too late.

Meanwhile, Leopold was continuing to search for more gainful employment for his son Wolfgang back in Salzburg. Mozart returned and became the court organist in Salzburg.

Ready for more? Read part two of our blog on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart here.