Mozart was an extremely influential composer whose breadth of musical compositions spanned various genres and took the listener on an emotional journey. He was a genius in his own right, unrecognized in his own time, and revered long after his death.
Mozart had many influences which affected his musical style. Mozart's father was a huge influence on this budding musician. He forced him to play piano from an early age and, at age 3, Mozart was playing with a perfect pitch. By the age of 5, Mozart already wrote a miniature allegro and andante. When he was 6, Leopold, his father, decided to take him and his sister, Maria Anna on tour throughout Europe. Mozart performed at royal courts where queens, emperors, and other prestigious guests were in attendance. Mozart’s popularity grew and soon they were traveling to perform in France, England, and Germany between 1763 and 1772.
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Mozart was also influenced by Franz Joseph Hayden, who wrote 104 symphonies. In 1785, he published six quartets, all of which he dedicated to Hayden. Mozart was interested with Johann Sebastian Bach and George Friedrich Handel and studied and became familiar with their work which inspired and influenced his music during the mid-1830s. In his later years, Mozart was also influenced by the concept of his own death and, as his health began to fail, he felt that he a lot more to accomplish than he had time for. It was during this time that he wrote one of his last pieces, ‘Requiem’, which he started writing in 1791, the year of his death. Mozart was also influenced by the Catholic Church as he was employed as a court organist from 1774 to 1781. He was given an environment where he could write, practice and play all he wanted. Eventually, the Archbishop, Hieronymus Colloredo, stifled Mozart’s creativity as his goal was to reduce the court’s expenditures and the use of instrumental music in mass. This forced Mozart to venture outside the church to explore his musical creativity.
In 1782, Mozart met the Italian poet and opera writer, Lorenzo da Ponte, who had an intimate knowledge of Italian literature, theatre and tradition. Da Ponte felt that opera should have frequent changes in emotion, a concept which Mozart incorporated when he produced ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’, ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘Cosi fan Tutte’, which were considered to be his greatest Italian operas. Amongst the influences on this music was the Baroque music that Mozart had become acquainted with, probably for the first time, at the house of his patron Baron Gottfried van Swieten, a music collector and antiquarian. The Baroque influence was noticeable especially in the spare textures and austere lines of certain of his solo numbers. Mozart had several influences which shaped his music and its popularity today.
Mozart had a big influence on today’s music culture with his music style and controversy. Piano concertos, symphonies, and many other compositional forms inspired and influenced Mozart’s music. An example of an influence was from a symphony of Giovanni Battista Sammartini, which was F major and significantly impacted him. This was a wonderful symphony with complexity and drama. The development of the first movement used incredibly thoughtful counterpoint which was a new and exciting compositional technique which he utilized.
Mozart was an unrecognized genius at the time with revolutionary music. He has had significant influence over the development and evolution of many aspects of music, but two of the most important areas he has influenced are piano concertos and symphonies. Mozart’s piano concertos allowed him to express his emotions and, through the works of his later years, he also expressed his feelings through symphonies. His famous piece, ‘Horn Concert no. 4 in Flat Major’, has a delicate series of melodies followed by classic slow movement which are perfectly placed and conceal an overtone of melancholy.
Mozart began a new era of music, with hints of pain and heartbreak leading to a more romantic tone, hence the name of the approaching ‘Romantic Period’, which laid the groundwork for future composers like Beethoven. Mozart’s music also became more provocative and through-provoking. ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ was a very controversial song as it addressed issues of class struggles and gender politics. It elevated the servant class above their masters and strong and daring female characters who challenged the status quo. This opened up music as a means of communication, in this case, communicating the challenging of societal norms.
There was some controversy around Mozart’s death. It has been intensely discussed for a long time whether Mozart was poisoned, whether he died from a certain illness or by self-medication. Consequently, his death caused wild speculations and erroneous assertions. Mozart was assumed to be a chronically ill man all his life. His death still remains a mystery. There was never enough evidence gathered to conclude the exact cause of death whether it be murder or a health issue, it remains undetermined.
Mozart had a unique personality. Mozart was described as having many mood swings, fluctuating between despair and elation. That said, Hueguelet and Perroud concluded with certainty that Mozart suffered from depression in his last year of life. In his letters, he discussed his experiences which included depression, sadness, tearfulness, and increasingly loss of interest in composing. He demonstrated some traits of dependent personality disorder, as he always needed to be nurtured and supported by others. For instance, his wife or his father, frequently needed to reassure him that his friends really cared about him and he found it hard to tolerate solitude. Overall, we can conclude from that the ingenious composer suffered from major depressive disorder and had traits of dependent and borderline personality disorder, something we would currently likely diagnose as personality disorder not otherwise specified.
In conclusion, Mozart was a fascinating musician from history who has had a tremendous influence on both composers of his time and modern-day composers due to the variety of venues, which highlighted his talent and the depth and complexity of his musical compositions. His music triggers our deepest emotions, challenges societal norms and, ultimately, was both intriguing and enlightening. He will always be known as one of history’s greatest composers.
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