"Celebrate
Mozart"
Program Notes
Celebrate Mozart
This is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Salzburg
1756 - Vienna 1791). Few musical composers have accomplished in a lifetime what
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had by 1774, when he wrote his Missa Brevis in F
K. 192 . By this time, at the age of 18, he had already composed 9 operas, over
40 symphonies (he was up to "26" in his 41 "numbered symphonies"),
and numerous concertos, sonatas, quartets, minuets and serenades. By the time
of his death at the age of 35, there were 626 compositions by Mozart that could
later be identified and catalogued in the Köchel List of his works.
Missa Brevis
in F K. 192 (1774)
In 1774, Mozart accepted the position of koncertmeister at the Court of Archbishop
Hieronymus von Colloredo, Prinz-Archbishop of Salzburg. At that time, Salzburg
was following the new rules for accompanied masses set forth by the Bishopric
of Vienna. Believing, with probable justification, that these musical extravaganzas
were detracting from the religious meaning of the mass, the church required
a general reduction in the complexity of the compositions, leading to a reduction
in solos and independent orchestral passages, smaller orchestras, and in particular,
shorter duration. The text of the mass is set out in the Ordinary of the Mass
and not subject to change, so brevity was further accomplished through adjustments
in tempo and in the number of repetitions.
Appropriate to a work written by one still in his teens, the Missa Brevis
in F has been described as "youthful" and "vigorous."
Mozart found the theme in the Credo powerful enough to use in one of
his last major works, Symphony #41 in C, the "Jupiter" K. 551.
Mozart made frequent use of melodic imitation, and he does so in both works
we present tonight. Challenge yourself - Listen carefully to the early phrases
of the Gloria. Who sings that phrase next, soloists, certain chorus voices or
the string section? The essence of Mozart becomes clear in his use of imitation.
Mozart’s
Return to Salzburg (1779)
In January 1779, Mozart found himself where he least wanted to be: back in Salzburg
under the control of his father, Leopold Mozart, and working again as koncertmeister
for the Archbishop of Salzburg. In due justice to Leopold, he shared and encouraged
his son's view that there should be better places for Mozart to seek his fortune
than in Salzburg.
Mozart's return to a job he disliked was almost a coda to a series of misfortunes
and personal disappointments. He had been in Paris since 1777, trying, with
little success, to secure a position as a composer. The Queen of France, Mozart's
childhood playmate, Marie Antoinette, offered him a job of Court Organist at
Versailles, a position so beneath Mozart's abilities that he was insulted. Mozart's
mother, who had accompanied him to Paris, died there. In his meandering journey
from Paris to Salzburg, he visited Munich to propose to Aloysia Weber, a young
singer with whom he'd fallen in love two years before. Mozart's plan was to
tour Italy with Aloysia singing his songs, a plan that he mentioned to his father
and that his father opposed in the letters between them. Aloysia had no such
plans and rejected Mozart's proposal.
He probably grew up as a result. In spite of, and maybe even because of his
dislike for Salzburg and the Archbishop, his composing of secular music continued.
Idomeneo K. 366, produced in Munich, assured his reputation of a composer
of serious opera. By the end of 1782, he was much more his own master than a
servant of the Archbishop. He had resigned his position in Salzburg, was composing
successfully and independently in Vienna, he had married Constanze Weber, Aloysia's
next younger sister, and he would no longer compose for the church. (A few notable
exceptions include the Mass in C Minor (the "Great Mass"),
K. 427 and the Requiem K. 626.)
Vesperae Solennes de Cofessore K. 339 (1781)
Lacking Mozart's letters home (from 1779 to 1781 he was living at home),
we also lack some of the external details about Vesperae Solennes de Cofessore
("Vespers of the Confessor - solemn"). The work was likely written
to be performed at Salzburg Cathedral in 1781, but there's no indication who
is the "Confessor" Saint in the work's title.
The Office of Vespers presents more musical latitude to the composer than the
Mass. The body of the Vespers is five Psalms. With 150 Psalms from which to
choose, the constraint of the same-text-to-new-music of the Mass isn't present.
Mozart's Vesperae uses Psalms 110, 111, 112, 113, 117, and the Magnificat.
This work is energetic and exhilarating. "Solennes" ("solemn")
refers to the composition type, not to the content, nor to the mood. In this
context, "serious" is a closer translation, and means that the work
is intended for orchestra, chorus, and soloists, not for lone piano or organ
accompaniment.
The Vesperae follows the Brevis rules still in effect in Vienna
and Salzburg in 1781. There are no orchestral movements, and there is only one
movement predominately for a soloist: the hauntingly beautiful Laudate Dominum
for soprano, often performed by itself. The soprano soloist also seems to get
some of the better lines in other movements. In the soprano's solo in Magnificat,
it's easy to hear the young Virgin Mary excitedly telling Elisabeth that Mary
is to be the Mother of God's Son. Perhaps it's fair to speculate that these
solos were earlier intended by Mozart for Aloysia to sing.
- Andrew Hadley 2006