Born in Salzburg, then in the Holy Roman Empire and currently in Austria, Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. His father took him on a grand tour of Europe and then three trips to Italy. At 17, he was a musician at the Salzburg court but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position.
While visiting Vienna in 1781, Mozart was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He stayed in Vienna, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years there, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas. His Requiem was largely unfinished by the time of his death at the age of 35, the circumstances of which are uncertain and much mythologized.
O Fortuna
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lyrics
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velut Luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
egestatem,
potestamem
dissolvit ut glaciem.
Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbrata
et velata
michi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.
Sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine nora
cordum pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!
The lyrics to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's song O Fortuna in English translation express a sense of fate, the ever-changing nature of life, and the unpredictability of fortune. It begins with "O Fortuna" which can be translated to "O Fortune" or "O Fate", followed by a comparison to the moon which is always changing, and life is similarly depicted to be always variable - sometimes growing, sometimes decreasing. Life is described as detestable where one can be hard-hearted at one moment and caring the next.
The second stanza describes fate as immense and empty, represented by a spinning wheel that produces bad and unstable circumstances, and a false sense of salvation. The singer is also affected by this fortune which is both obscured and veiled. The singer, in the third stanza, suffers from the opposite of salvation and courage and is always oppressed and frustrated in the present moment. It concludes with a call to all to lament together.
Overall, the song is a dramatic representation of the fickleness of fortune and the unpredictability of life. It seeks to convey a sense of helplessness and impotence in the face of fate's whims.
Line by Line Meaning
O Fortuna,
Oh Fortune,
velut Luna
like the moon
statu variabilis,
you are changeable
semper crescis
always waxing
aut decrescis;
and waning;
vita detestabilis
hateful life
nunc obdurat
first oppresses
et tunc curat
and then soothes
ludo mentis aciem,
as fancy takes it;
egestatem,
poverty
potestamem
and power
dissolvit ut glaciem.
it melts them like ice.
Sors immanis
Fate - monstrous
et inanis,
and empty
rota tu volubilis,
you whirling wheel
status malus,
you are malevolent
vana salus
well-being is vain
semper dissolubilis,
and always fades to nothing
obumbrata
shadowed
et velata
and veiled
michi quoque niteris;
you plague me too;
nunc per ludum
now through the game
dorsum nudum
I bring my bare back
fero tui sceleris.
to your villainy.
Sors salutis
Fate is against me
et virtutis
in health
michi nunc contraria
and virtue
est affectus
driven on
et defectus
and weighted down,
semper in angaria.
always enslaved.
Hac in hora
So at this hour
sine nora
without delay
cordum pulsum tangite;
pluck the vibrating strings;
quod per sortem
since Fate
sternit fortem,
strikes down the strong
mecum omnes plangite!
everyone weep with me!
Contributed by Landon M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.