Page 133 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

As it turns out, that is precisely what happened. Prince Nikolaus died in 1790, leaving Haydn a pension for life and freedom to travel. Heeding the call of an enterprising impresario, Johann Solomon—and the promise of a substan- tial fee—Haydn journeyed to London in 1791. For this city, then the largest and richest in Europe, Haydn wrote his last twelve symphonies. The composer him- self conducted the premieres of these fittingly named London Symphonies in a series of concerts at the Hanover Square Rooms, a new public concert hall that catered to the growing middle-class demand for classical music. By the time he returned to Vienna in 1795, Haydn had earned a total of 24,000 Austrian gulden, the equivalent of about $2.1 million today—not bad for the son of a wheelmaker. Haydn died on May 31, 1809, at the age of seventy-seven, the most respected composer in Europe.
Haydn’s long life, commitment to duty, and unflagging industry resulted in an impressive number of musical compositions: 106 symphonies, about 70 string quartets, nearly a dozen operas, 52 piano sonatas, 14 Masses, and 2 oratorios. He began composing before the death of Bach (1750) and did not put down his pen until about the time Beethoven set to work on his Symphony No. 5 (1808). Thus, Haydn not only witnessed but, more than any other composer, helped to create the mature Classical style. Yet, although keenly aware of his own musical gifts, he was quick to recognize talent in others, especially Mozart: “Friends often flat- ter me that I have some genius, but he [Mozart] stood far above me.”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Indeed who, except possibly Bach, could match Mozart’s diversity, breadth of expression, and perfect formal control? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Figure 7.11) was born in 1756 in the mountain town of Salzburg, Austria, then a city of about 20,000 residents. His father, Leopold Mozart, was a violinist in the orchestra of the ruling archbishop of Salzburg and the author of a best- selling introduction to playing the violin. Leopold was quick to recognize
the musical gifts of his son, who by the age of six was playing the piano, violin, and organ, as well as composing. In 1762, the Mozart family coached
off to Vienna, where Wolfgang and his older sister Nannerl displayed their musical wares before Empress Maria Theresa (1717–1780). They then embarked on a three-year tour of Northern Europe that included extended stops in Munich, Brussels, Paris (Figure 7.12), London, Amsterdam, and Geneva. In London, Wolfgang sat on the knee of Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782) and improvised a fugue. And here, at the age of eight, he wrote
his first two symphonies. Eventually, the Mozarts made their way back to Salzburg. But in 1768, they were off again to Vienna, where the now twelve- year-old Wolfgang staged a production of his first opera, Bastien und Bastienne, in the home of the famous Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), the inventor of the theory of animal magnetism , or hypnotism (hence, “to mesmerize”). The next year father and son visited the major cities of Italy, including Rome, where, on July 8, 1770, the pope dubbed Wolfgang a Knight of the Order of the Golden
Figure 7.11
An unfinished portrait of Mozart painted by his brother- in-law Joseph Lange during 1789–1790
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