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.
Recordare
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
quod sum causa tuae viae,
ne me perdas illa die.
Quaerens me sedisti lassus,
redemisti crucem passus;
tantus labor non sit cassus.
donum fac remissionis ante diem rationis.
Ingemisco tanquam reus,
culpa rubet vultus meus;
supplicanti parce Deus.
Qui Mariam absolvisti,
et latronem exaudisti,
mihi quoque spem dedisti.
Preces meae non sum dignae,
sed tu, bonus, fac benigne,
ne perenni cremer igne.
Inter oves locum praesta,
et ab hoedis me sequestra,
statuens in parte dextra.
The Latin hymn "Recordare" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a prayer to Jesus asking for mercy and forgiveness. It starts with the singer addressing Jesus in a reverent manner and reminding Him that he is the reason for His sacrifice. The singer then acknowledges the toil and suffering Christ experienced to redeem humanity from sin and that such a great sacrifice should not go in vain. The hymn then implores Jesus to grant forgiveness and mercy before the day of judgment. The singer confesses his guilt and asks for clemency, just as Jesus showed mercy to Mary Magdalene and the thief on the cross. The hymn concludes with the singer acknowledging that he is not deserving of mercy, but begs God to spare him from the eternal flames of hell and grant him a place among the faithful.
Line by Line Meaning
Recordare Jesu pie,
Oh, kind Jesus, remember me,
quod sum causa tuae viae,
Since I am the cause of Your journey to the cross,
ne me perdas illa die.
Please do not forsake or lose me on that day.
Quaerens me sedisti lassus,
Weary, You sought after me,
redemisti crucem passus;
And through Your suffering on the cross, You redeemed me.
tantus labor non sit cassus.
May Your great sacrifice not be in vain.
Juste judex ultionis,
Righteous judge of vengeance,
donum fac remissionis ante diem rationis.
Grant me forgiveness before the day of judgment.
Ingemisco tanquam reus,
I groan as a guilty sinner,
culpa rubet vultus meus;
My face blushes with shame because of my sins.
supplicanti parce Deus.
Please spare me, O God, as I plead for mercy.
Qui Mariam absolvisti,
You absolved Mary,
et latronem exaudisti,
And You heard the cry of the thief,
mihi quoque spem dedisti.
And You have given me hope as well.
Preces meae non sum dignae,
My prayers are not worthy,
sed tu, bonus, fac benigne,
But You, O gracious one, show kindness,
ne perenni cremer igne.
So that I may not be burned by everlasting fire.
Inter oves locum praesta,
Grant me a place among the sheep,
et ab hoedis me sequestra,
And separate me from the goats,
statuens in parte dextra.
Placing me at Your right hand.
Contributed by Reagan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Delmonaco1969
Recordare
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lembra-te, ó Jesus piedoso,
que fui a causa de tua peregrinação,
não me perca naquele dia.
Procurando-me, ficaste exausto
me redimiste morrendo na cruz
que tanto trabalho não seja em vão.
Juiz de justo castigo,
dai-me o dom da remissão
diante do dia da razão
Choro e gemo como um réu
a culpa enrubesce meu semblante
a este suplicante poupai, ó Deus.
Tu, que absolveste a Maria,
e ao ladrão ouviste
a mim também deste esperança.
Minhas preces não são dignas
sê bondoso e faça misericórdia,
que eu não queime no fogo eterno.
Dai-me lugar entre as ovelhas
e afastai-me dos bodes
que eu me assente à Tua direita.
@Delmonaco1969
Recordare, Jesu pie
Quod sum causa tuae viae
Ne me perdas illa die
Quaerens me, sedisti lassus
Redemisti crucem passus
Tantus labor non sit cassus
Juste judex ultionis
Donum fac remissionis
Ante diem rationis
Ingemisco tamquam reus
Culpa rubet vultus meus
Supplicanti parce, Deus
Qui Mariam absolvisti
Et latronem exaudisti
Mihi quoque spem dedisti
Preces meae non sunt dignae
Sed tu bonus fac benigne
Ne perenni cremer igne
Inter oves locum praesta
Et ab haedis me sequestra
Statuens in parte dextra
@VexaS1n
Beautiful! This movement is written as a small sonata, and exemplifies Mozart's mastery of this form.
@korosilorinc6058
One of the most beautiful part of this Requiem!!
@DontfuckwithElton
My favorite movement of the whole Requiem. Absolutely heavenly. <3
@misteraustria7859
Johnny Salvesen Yeah, I'm the same opinion! Soooo emotinaly, sometimes I must cry during hearing that!
@al4381
For me, the meaning of the lyrics make it even better. It is a magnificent poem and Mozart just added more spirituality to the meaning through his composition.
@AntoniusTertius
That part was fully composed by Süssmayr... I prefer the Kyrie, fully composed by Mozart ;)
@AntoniusTertius
Not saying this part isn't good, it is. Geez, I guess it is too late. Don't be angry with me
@michelcamachomusic
@@AntoniusTertius I read time ago Mozart wrote until recordare movement, after that the rest is the sketch Sussmayer completed
@mashatheunforgiven
This piece makes me think of God blessing me with another day to live and I wake up and I'm thankful and grateful and I go in the garden and eat the freshest fruits and finest wines and live life! 😇😇😇
@TheErikRamone
My favorite of requiem
What a wonderful masterpiece