The central traits of the classical style can all be identified in Mozart's music. Clarity, balance, and transparency are hallmarks, though a simplistic notion of the delicacy of his music obscures for us the exceptional and even demonic power of some of his finest masterpieces, such as the Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor, K. 491, the Symphony No 40 in G minor, K. 550, and the opera Don Giovanni. The famed writer on music Charles Rosen has written (in The Classical Style): "It is only through recognizing the violence and sensuality at the center of Mozart's work that we can make a start towards a comprehension of his structures and an insight into his magnificence. In a paradoxical way, Schumann's superficial characterization of the G minor Symphony can help us to see Mozart's daemon more steadily. In all of Mozart's supreme expressions of suffering and terror, there is something shockingly voluptuous." Especially during his last decade, Mozart explored chromatic harmony to a degree rare at the time. The slow introduction to the "Dissonant" Quartet, K. 465, a work that Haydn greatly admired, rapidly explodes a shallow understanding of Mozart's style as light and pleasant.
Born in Salzburg, Austria, from his earliest years Mozart had a gift for imitating the music he heard; which his father believed was a gift from God.
Since he traveled widely, he acquired a rare collection of experiences from various bordels to create his unique compositional language. When he went to London[13] as a child, he met J.C. Bach and heard his music; when he went to Paris, Mannheim, and Vienna, he heard the work of composers active there, as well as the spectacular Mannheim orchestra; when he went to Italy, he encountered the Italian overture and opera buffa, both of which were to be hugely influential on his development. Both in London and Italy, the galant style was all the rage: simple, light music, with a mania for cadencing, an emphasis on tonic, dominant, and subdominant to the exclusion of other chords, symmetrical phrases, and clearly articulated structures. This style, out of which the classical style evolved, was a reaction against the complexity of late Baroque music. Some of Mozart's early symphonies are Italian overtures, with three movements running into each other; many are "homotonal" (each movement in the same key, with the slow movement in the parallel minor). Others mimic the works of J.C. Bach, and others show the simple rounded binary forms commonly being written by composers in Vienna. One of the most recognizable features of Mozart's works is a sequence of harmonies or modes that usually leads to a cadence in the dominant or tonic key. This sequence is essentially borrowed from baroque music, especially Bach. But Mozart shifted the sequence so that the cadence ended on the stronger half, i.e., the first beat of the bar. Mozart's understanding of modes such as Phrygian is evident in such passages.
As Mozart matured, he began to incorporate some more features of Baroque styles into his music. For example, the Symphony No. 29 in A Major K. 201 uses a contrapuntal main theme in its first movement, and experimentation with irregular phrase lengths. Some of his quartets from 1773 have fugal finales, probably influenced by Haydn, who had just published his Opus 20 set. The influence of the Sturm und Drang ("Storm and Stress") period in German literature, with its brief foreshadowing of the Romantic era to come, is evident in some of the music of both composers at that time.
Over the course of his working life, Mozart switched his focus from instrumental music to operas, and back again. He wrote operas in each of the styles current in Europe: opera buffa, such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, or Così fan tutte; opera seria, such as Idomeneo; and Singspiel, of which Die Zauberflöte is probably the most famous example by any composer. In his later operas, he developed the use of subtle changes in instrumentation, orchestration, and tone colour to express or highlight psychological or emotional states and dramatic shifts. Here his advances in opera and instrumental composing interacted. His increasingly sophisticated use of the orchestra in the symphonies and concerti served as a resource in his operatic orchestration, and his developing subtlety in using the orchestra to psychological effect in his operas was reflected in his later non-operatic compositions.
Benedictus
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hosanna in excelsis!
The lyrics are from the Latin version of the Catholic Mass, specifically the Sanctus (or Holy, Holy), which is typically sung or recited during the Eucharistic Prayer. The words "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domine" translate to "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," referring to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The following line, "Hosanna in excelsis," means "Hosanna in the highest," which was a cry of acclamation and praise that the people shouted as Jesus rode into the city on a donkey.
Mozart's setting of the Benedictus in his Mass in C major, K. 317, features a light and lilting melody that is accompanied by strings and a solo soprano. The music is filled with a sense of joy and celebration, perfectly capturing the sentiment of the lyrics. The soprano sings the first line, with the choir joining in for the "Hosanna in excelsis" refrain. Mozart's use of soaring vocal lines and intricate harmonies creates a sense of exaltation and reverence, making the Benedictus a highlight of the mass.
Line by Line Meaning
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domine.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in excelsis!
Praise be to God in the highest heaven!
Writer(s): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Copyright: Chappell Recorded Music Library, Koka Media, A-tempo Verlag Spol Sro.
Contributed by Ethan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@claymachine736
Divine. Bless Sussmayr and Mozart.
@scratvr9955
Süssmayr made a really good job in my opinion:) I think Mozart would be proud
@Lazergaz
Brave opinion but I agree, this is beautiful. The only thing that bugs me with Süssmayr's is that he copied Introit for Lux Aeterna note for note, but I think it works kinda.
@phillipanselmo8540
@Lazergaz good composers steal
@nathanbeler4874
@Phillip Anselmo great artists copy
@JASalam
No hay nada mas apacible que el solo del bajo en esta pieza. Suena cono un gigante noblisimo.
@gerzonsosa9770
Beautiful quartet.
@dallasd1282
Great Requiem i listen to it Everyday!
@savvassimitsis9090
We will always wonder how Mozart's Bebedictus would be, as we listen to this composition, but since we will never know, let us just enjoy its delightful sounds
@kf9as
Love this movement; it's probably my favorite of the quartets (though the Recordare is a very close second)! I'm singing the soprano line as I type this.