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.
Die Zauberflöte: Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hells Revenge cooks in my heart,
Tot und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!
Death and despair flame about me!
Fühlt nicht durch dich Sarastro
If Sarastro does not through you feel
Todesschmerzen,
The pain of death,
So bist du meine Tochter nimmermehr.
Then you will be my daughter nevermore.
Verstoßen sei auf ewig,
Disowned may you be forever,
Verlassen sei auf ewig,
Abandoned may you be forever,
Zertrümmert sei'n auf ewig
Destroyed be forever
Alle Bande der Natur
All the bonds of nature,
Wenn nicht durch dich
If not through you
Sarastro wird erblassen!
Sarastro becomes pale!
Hört, Rachegötter,
Hear, Gods of Revenge,
Hoert der Mutter Schwur!
Hear a mother's oath!
The aria "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" is sung by the character Queen of the Night as she urges her daughter Pamina to carry out her plan of murdering Sarastro. The translation of the lyrics depicts the Queen’s intense anger and her desire for revenge against Sarastro who she believes has stolen her power.
The opening line "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" means "Hell's revenge boils in my heart". The Queen of the Night talks about how death and despair surround her, and Sarastro's life will be in jeopardy if her daughter, Pamina does not kill him. She disowns Pamina if she does not help her avenge against Sarastro. The Queen of the Night swears by the gods of revenge and her love for her daughter to seek justice against Sarastro.
Line by Line Meaning
Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,
My heart is filled with the boiling revenge of Hell,
Tot und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!
Death and despair are all around me!
Fühlt nicht durch dich Sarastro
If Sarastro does not feel through you
Todesschmerzen,
The pain of death
So bist du meine Tochter nimmermehr.
Then you will never be my daughter.
Verstoßen sei auf ewig,
May you be cast out forever,
Verlassen sei auf ewig,
May you be abandoned forever,
Zertrümmert sei'n auf ewig
May you be destroyed forever
Alle Bande der Natur
All of the ties of nature
Wenn nicht durch dich
If it's not through you
Sarastro wird erblassen!
Sarastro will turn pale!
Hört, Rachegötter,
Listen, Gods of Revenge,
Hoert der Mutter Schwur!
Hear a mother's vow!
Contributed by Camilla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@robertmueller1981
this is the main translation of the text.. some parts are repeating.. but so you can understand the meaning :)
The vengeance of hell boils in my heart;
Death and despair blaze around me!
If not by you[r intercession] Sarastro feels the pains of death,
Then you will be my daughter nevermore.
Outcast be forever,
Forsaken be forever,
Shattered be forever
All the bonds of nature
If not by you[r intercession] Sarastro turns pale [in death]!
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, gods of vengeance, hear the mother's oath!
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_H%C3%B6lle_Rache_kocht_in_meinem_Herzen
@mr.grumpygrumpy2035
It's not just the spectacular singing, it's the acting too. She owns the role like no one else.
@jjh2456
Diana acts to the back of the house. On video it appears she is overacting but she isn’t. She wants to be sure the person at the top all the way in the back row can see her.
@slyph63
I think Mozart would be impressed
@hansostlund4626
Youre so right…..
@hansostlund4626
This acting and opera is just beyond belive in its beauty……..
@emkiozza2446
In my opinion, Cristina Deutekom sang this aria best. Such energy in the voice, perfect pronunciation, perfect diction, absolutely everything. Also, regarding the acting part, facial expressions, gestures, movements, she performed everything beautifully and left her heart on stage.
@darcykeeblewatson4121
In terms of costume, acting and singing, this has got to be the best version I've ever seen in my life. Those eyes! :O
@augustinecubero6011
Agree...everything outstanding. Absolutely beautiful.
@sfs5209
I totally agree!
@miriambarreras1530
Yes! And what a difference it makes when the actors actually speak German!