Review of film Amadeus Essay

Born Wofgang Amadeus Mozart in 1756, he was considered a genius when he was just a child. He taught himself how to play the violin, clarinet, and trumpet. At age nine, he composed a full symphony, and at fourteen he wrote his first opera. During his life, he accomplished and composed fifty symphonies, twenty-five piano concertos, twelve violin concertos, twenty-seven concertos arias, twenty-six string quartets, one hundred and three minuets, fifteen masses, and twenty-one works of opera. Mozart was so talented that after only hearing a piece of music once, he would be able to play it perfectly even without the music. He was able to write music before words. He was excellent in math and could speak a few languages. It would take you 1500 years to listen to all of his music if you listened to it every day for 8

Despite what many individuals know about Mozart today, he excelled in instruments other than just the piano. Due to his father’s persistent teaching and influence, Mozart was able to grasp the understandings of the viola and the organ ("Wolfgang Mozart."). However, without Mozart’s father’s persistency, Mozart may have not been able to reach his full potential as a child prodigy. From early on in Wolfgang’s life he was able to compose opera’s to be performed for the entertainment of the nobility ("Wolfgang Mozart"). In the towards the end of the 1770’s Mozart started to realize that he had far more potential and

Amadeus begins with an attempted suicide by composer Antonio Salieri, who is overcome with guilt about supposedly killing Mozart. His life is saved by his aids and he is sent to what looks like a mental hospital, where a priest is sent to council him. The whole story is told through the eyes of Salieri on his death bed, confessing to his priest.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart baptized as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart lived from January 27, 1756 to December 5, 1791. Mozart was a very influential and prolific composer of more than 600 works, including symphonies, concertante, chamber, piano, opera, and choral music. Regarded as a child prodigy, Mozart composed and performed in the European courts from the age of five, and was engaged at the Salzburg court at 17. Mozart’s musical style can be classified as Classical, although he learned from many of his contemporaries throughout his musical career. In order to better understand Mozart’s genius it is best to begin looking at his earliest contributions to the musical world as a child. From there, an exploration of his

This paper discusses Mozart's life, his compositions and his importance to the world and the world of music. It explains how Mozart's music is still some of the most popular classical music played today and his life is still studied because his music is so well known and liked.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived during a period of great change in philosophy, art, religion and music. This change was brought about by the transition from the baroque period where the Catholic Church encouraged the arts to depict religious themes and the aristocracy ruled over the artists. The populace had very little power or recognition.

Mozart was known for having an ear that would make any musician envious. From a young age he was able to listen to any piece of music and his mind would interpret all of that data with ease. While in Rome, he listened to a performance of Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere only twice at the Sistine Chapel and was able to write it down for memory when he got home (Abert 135).

Mozart was a virtuoso on the piano. A virtuoso refers to someone who is highly skilled on his or her instrument. Mozart played keyboard and violin while his sister only played the keyboard. At the early age of 3, Mozart was showing signs of being musically gifted and began composing shortly after. Both he and his sister received intense musical training which, in turn, allowed Mozart the opportunity to grow as a musician. It became certain that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy. This meant that he had a skill that was not learned. He had a natural gift for music. Their father, Leopold began teaching his children music at a young age. Because of this, both children were destined to get far in their musical careers. Over his short life, Mozart wrote several operas. His most famous operas include; The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute and La Clemenza di Tito. Operas and plays that are entirely sung. Each of Mozart’s operas have a story behind it. For example, The Marriage of Figaro is a comedy about a couple trying to get married but, a series of obstacles interferes with it. Because Mozart showed a talent for music at the young age of six, his father took him and his sister to play in from of a court and they caught the attention of important individuals. This resulted in a tour.

At the age of eight, he wrote a symphony and at eleven, he wrote an oratorio. Then, at the age of twelve he wrote a great opera. Mozart's father was Leopold Mozart, who happened to be a court musician. Both Mozart and Beethoven had help from their fathers in many different ways. Mozart's father helped him travel around as a young musician and he traveled many places and he seen many well-known people and aristocrats. Because of Mozart's early successes many challenges had become part of his life. He had very high expectations from the community and from his father. Unlike, Beethoven, Mozart was spoiled as a youth and because of this he refused to be treated as a servant. He completely relied on his father’s help and refused to work with the archbishop. This would become a problem later when Mozart did not develop enough initiative. Because of that he could not make decisions on his own.

As the son of “Maria Magdalena van Beethoven” and “Johann van Beethoven,” (Biography.com), Ludwig van Beethoven had started out his music career at a very young age. It was known that Beethoven’s grandfather “Kapellmeister Ludwig van Beethoven” (Biography.com) was “a source of endless pride for young Ludwig” (Biography.com). Although, “his first years…was not happy for him” (Masha). By seeing that Ludwig was an “extensive musical talent…his father, a music enthusiast, but an extremely crude and violent person, wanted to make him a next Mozart” (Masha). Even if Ludwig was musically talented at such a young age, being forced into becoming the “next Mozart,” (Masha) must have been such a big burden. Ludwig may have as well been stripped off of his childhood and was not able to experience what kids of his age should have. He should have been playing outside with his friends, making a mess and playing in the dirt, breaking things intentionally, making his mother worry if he will come back in time for supper. If any other kids of his age were to experience that, it would have been a pathway leading to hate music in their adolescent years, but on the contrary, Ludwig “did not come to hate music” (Masha). Despite “on a nearly basis” of being “locked in the cellar and deprived of

“The Saliere of 1781 is an honored and prolific composer in the court of Joseph II, Emperor of Austria, who he has dedicated his life and his talents to the greater honor and glory of God and has obtained fame. Salieri belongs to a clique of Italians who have culturally

     Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s style unlike anyone else. Mozart was a master of counterpoint, fugue, and the other traditional compositional points of his day. He is also considered the best melody writer the world has ever known. Wolfgang perfected the grand forms of symphony, opera string quartet, and concerto made the classical period. “Mozart’s music is characterized by lucid ease and distinction of style....”2 Wolfgang wrote over 600 works which consisted of 21 stage and opera works, 15 masses, over 50 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 12 violin concertos,27 concert arias, 17 piano sonatas, 26 string quartets, and many more. His operas range from comic baubles to tragic pieces. In his Requiem it illustrates the supreme vocal sounds in any of his work.

     Without a doubt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, was probably the greatest genius in Western musical history. His father was a noted composer, pedagogue and author of a famous treatise on violin

enlighten Despot. Another example was when Mozart was plan on doing an opera on The

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Concise Biography. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2007. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.