Biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- Part 2
-1773 Piano Concerto no. 5 (17)
Mozart created more symphonies, divertimentos, and a mass in the summer of 1773. Looking for a better position for his son than the one at Salzburg court, Leopold took Mozart to Vienna, where he was inspired to compose a set of six string quartets. Soon after their return, two of the symphonies that he composed especially showed his progress: Little G Major Symphony (KV 183) and Symphony no. 29 in A (KV 201). Also from this time was Piano Concerto no. 5 (KV 175), which was Mozart’s first serious piano concerto.
-1774 La finta giardiniera (18)
Mozart was finally a salaried Konzertmeister. The new archbishop, Colloredo, was a practical man with a dislike for lavish music, so he set a time limit on mass settings. Mozart objected to the time limit, but he had to obey it. In this year, he composed several symphonies, concertos for bassoon and for two violins, serenades, and some mass settings. At the end of the year he wrote an opera buffa, La finta giardiniera, for the Munich carnival season. That was his first comic opera since childhood, and it displayed a more powerful command of the orchestra and more real personality.
-1775 Time of Maturing while Serving the Court (19)
He worked stably at the Salzburg court, but the work did not employ his talents and was not allowing him to push to his best. He wrote only one dramatic work in two and a half years, The Shepherd King, but produced a lot of sacred music, the most notable one was the Litaniae de venerabili altaris sacramento (KV 243). Haffner (KV 250) was a piece combining the style of serenades and symphonies. His progress in piano concertos showed his improvement in techniques and expressions.
-1777 Passing of his Mother (21)
In order to explore his potentials, and live up to his full capabilities, he left the court and went out with his mother to find opportunities. First they went to Munich where the elector declined to offer Mozart a position. Then they went to Augsburg, and stayed with relatives. The next stop was Mannheim, where they remained for 4 months although still no position was offered. At Mannheim, he fell in love with Aloysia Weber, a soprano and one of the daughters of a music copyist. His correspondence with his father, during the 16 months he was away, clearly shows that he wished to be freed from the control of his father, while Leopold was anxious for their futures to remain in sync. In one of his letters, he shared with Leopold the plan of traveling to Paris with the Webers by himself, which Leopold was furious about. He thought it was naive and irresponsible, and insisted that Mozart’s mother travel along. That turned out to be a very ill-advised decision, for his mother fell seriously ill and died on July 3rd. He asked a friend to break the news to Leopold, and after a while traveled back to the Salzburg court through Mannheim and Munich in the start of 1780.
-1779 Back to Salzburg Court (23)
Back at the Salzburg court, Mozart employed his ability to compose music with international component. His most spectacular piece at the time was the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in E-flat (KV 364). It was a work characterized by the Mannheim style while remaining undoubtedly Mozartian. His other work during the period include three symphonies, a two-piano concerto, a two-piano sonata, and a number of sacred music including the famous Coronation Mass.
-1781 Marriage with Constanze (25)
The archbishop constantly hindered Mozart from opportunities; he forbade Mozart to perform at concerts, even including one that was attended by the emperor at which Mozart could have earned half a year’s salary in an evening. According to Mozart, the archbishop was especially disrespectful at one of their exchanges, consequently, Mozart requested his discharge. He officially left the Salzburg court in June, 1781. Mozart then went to live with the Webers (Aloysia was already married), determined to find a means to remain in Vienna. There were rumors in the summer of 1781 that Mozart was going to marry the third Weber daughter, Constanze, but that was firmly denied by him, and he even moved out to quiet the gossip. But in December he wrote to his father for blessings on a marriage with her. Leopold’s response was destroyed by Constanze, so one can imagine the reply being negative. They got married in 1782.
-1782 Die Entführung (26)
His opera Die Entführung reached the stage on July 16th, 1782. It was the most complicated work in the German repertory with rich textures and elaborations, and long arias. The opera was extremely successful and carried Mozart’s name throughout the German-speaking countries. However, Mozart thought the opera did not earn enough money and moved his focus to other things. He created several works heavily influenced by the Baroque style. In summer and autumn of 1783, Mozart and Constanze visited Salzburg.
