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.
Rex Tremendae
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
qui salvandos salvas gratis,
salva me, fons pietatis.
The Latin phrase "Rex Tremendae Maiestatis" means "King of Tremendous Majesty" and refers to the majesty and power of God. The lyrics continue with "Qui salvandos salvas gratis" which means "Who saves those worthy of salvation for the sake of His own mercy". This suggests that salvation is not earned or deserved but is a gift bestowed by God's mercy alone.
The final line "Salva me, fons pietatis" translates to "Save me, fount of mercy." This is a prayer for salvation and emphasizes the idea that only God's mercy can provide true salvation. The repetition of the word "salva" or "save" emphasizes the urgency of the plea for salvation.
Overall, the lyrics of "Rex Tremendae" reflect the reverence and awe that people feel towards God's immense power and mercy. It's a powerful prayer that emphasizes our need for salvation and our dependence on God's grace.
Line by Line Meaning
Rex tremandae maiestatis,
Oh, King of awesome majesty,
qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Who saves freely those who are to be saved,
salva me, fons pietatis.
Save me, O fount of mercy.
Contributed by Joshua Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@battlehard8939
Rex tremendæ maiestatis
qui salvandos salvas gratis,
salva me, fons pietatis!
Rei de tremenda majestade
que ao salvares, salvas gratuitamente,
salva-me, fonte de piedade!
King of tremendous majesty
who when saving, freely save,
save me, source of piety!
@LaidbackLost
I simply cannot believe Mozart composed this while he was dogfighting Eurasian Flankers in a F-22.
What an absolute musical prodigy
@sfs2040
I was looking for the AC4 comment. Thank you, sir.
@davlor86
this my favourite requiem part
@hibamaksoud7475
same!
@aqil12347
Same too!
@polyminutes8788
For a 11 year old comment
Same
@flashedarden1060
This is ground control to Major Tom!
@sabahghiasvand
Same …
@syluxv2398
Makes me want to destroy a giant missile launch facility taken over by young Erusean officers...
@yahboisquishy5561
Took me far too long to find an ace combat reference. So glad they took from Mozart to write music such an impactful scene