From Galileo to Einstein, mankind is familiar with the famous child prodigies who
... of science, art, and music, prodigies have shaped the backbone of modern ...
Uncovering the Truth of Mozart Michael DeJager Sociology SOC 2001 Dr. James R. Moulton
Copyright 2010 Michael DeJager all rights reserved
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Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Chapter 1 – The Life of Mozart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chapter 2 – Mozart as a Prodigy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Chapter 3 – How Mozart viewed Himself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter 4 – Mozart’s Effects on Western Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Works Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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Introduction From Galileo to Einstein, mankind is familiar with the famous child prodigies who grew into the movers and shakers in their respective fields. Radically changing and developing fields of science, art, and music, prodigies have shaped the backbone of modern culture. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was undoubtedly one of the geniuses who revolutionized the world of music in the eighteenth century. Though relatively unappreciated for much of his life, his influence was hardly contained in his hometown of Salzburg or the city of Vienna after his death. Without his nonpareil perspective and prodigious compositions, much of modern classical music would not have developed in its current form. Despite the respect that Mozart has received for his commitment to the creation of music, there are many misconceptions surrounding Mozart and his life. Tainted perceptions of Mozart through films such as Amadeus and misconceptions in prodigy stereotypes have caused Western culture to develop a somewhat incorrect perception of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Playing piano by three, writing symphonies by eight, and composing his first opera at the age of twelve, Mozart embodies the true image of a child prodigy (Kehoe). Uncovering the true Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a tall order. Mozart’s upbringing and background assist in explaining why he had problems later in life. The idea of a “prodigy” is very vague, and it is significant to further explore the causes and perceptions of prodigies in the eighteenth century in comparison to the present. Furthermore, Mozart viewed himself through eyes of disdain. How can a prodigy expect to be successful when he is combating low selfesteem? Finally, how has Mozart played a role in impacting today’s culture, continuing to live on through his music almost three hundred years after?
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Chapter 1 – The Life of Mozart Mozart was undoubtedly a musical genius of his time. Living during the era of many significant composers, including Joseph Haydn and Johann Sebastian Bach, he nonetheless trumped the eighteenth century with some of the most powerful musical compositions and groundbreaking explorations of classical music of his time. Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg of the Habsburg Empire, which covered all the territories of Austria. He was baptized the next day “in Salzburg Cathedral with the names Joannes Chrysostomomus Wolfgangus Theophilus” (Rosselli 9). From the very beginning, Mozart’s father, Leopold, emerged as one of the most important, significant forces in Wolfgang’s life. As he was well educated, Leopold took it upon himself to become Mozart’s “teacher, collaborator, advisor, nurse, secretary, impresario, press agent and chief claquer” (Okoampa). Out of six children, Wolfgang and his sister, Marianne (nicknamed Nannerel), were the only two to survive. Leopold recognized Wolfgang’s ability when he was very young, as he wanted to participate in Nannerel’s music lessons. At the age of five he was writing short compositions. By the age of six, Wolfgang and the entire family began their European tours to show off their miracle child. From January 1762 to the summer of 1770, the Mozarts traveled all across Europe until Wolfgang’s voice broke (Rosselli 14-16). Mozart’s mother, Anna Maria, never played a direct role in his development as a musician. Leopold was so overbearing when it came to rearing the young Mozart that she usually took a back seat to her husband. “Anna Maria adapted herself to them, undoubtedly not without some resentment. While she never lost her sense of humor…she also adjusted by a kind of stoicism” (Feldman). Anna Maria died of typhus fever at the age of 57 while chaperoning Mozart on a long trip to Paris when Leopold was not able to accompany him. She had wanted to 4
return home for quite some time, but Mozart was adamant in his search for an assignment. It is likely Mozart felt much guilt over his mother’s death. She did not demand superior performance from her son at all times; she most likely represented a much warmer and unconditional love. Mozart was left with Leopold and Nannerel, both representing a different kind of love to Mozart. Leopold instilled a sense of undying respect from Wolfgang at an extremely early age with the motto “Next to God comes Papa” (Rubin). These ideals stuck with Wolfgang, as his father could always pressure him and painfully damage Wolfgang’s self-esteem. Mozart was never good enough to please his father as reflected in this excerpt of a letter to a nobleman who befriended Wolfgang. He is far too patient, or rather easygoing, too indolent, perhaps even too proud, in short, that he is the sum total of all those traits which render a man inactive; on the other hand, he is too impatient, too hasty, and will not bide his time. Two opposing elements rule his nature, I mean, there is too much or too little, never the golden mean. If he is not actually in want, then he is immediately satisfied and becomes indolent and lazy. If he has to bestir himself, then he realizes his worth and wants to make his fortune at once. (Rosselli 28-29) Leopold was well-read in the world of music “by the way of an elaborate Jesuit education.” Growing up, his life was taking him toward priesthood; however, he chose to take on the role of a musician, playing and working for the nobility. It is likely that he wanted the same for Mozart, and never truly let him spread his wings and allow him his own rite of passage. Regardless of the positive or negative repercussions of his micromanaging, it doesn’t change the fact that he played a vital role as a significant other in Mozart’s development of self. Even after Mozart became an adult, his father never let go. He wanted to take advantage of Mozart’s ability for the family’s sake. Mozart was never truly able to break away from his father’s domineering parental control.
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Leopold Mozart opposed every one of his son's love interests, from his instantly bonding friendship-romance with his high-spirited cousin who shared his penchant for scatological humor, to his eventual marriage in 1782 to Constanze Weber, the kindhearted daughter of a musical family like his own. (Rubin) Once Mozart married Constance, he probably never truly felt a sense of independence until his father died in 1787. Because his father played such a significant role in his life, it isn’t surprising that Mozart died only four years after his father. Even though Mozart died of illness, it is likely that the death of his father caused a sense of depression, contributing to a premature death at age 35 (Kehoe). Mozart avoided politics and affiliation with the church; however, he was a member of the Freemasons.
It is very plausible that he found a form of spiritual understanding through
Freemasonry. Freemasonry in the late eighteenth century was in the first place a sociable movement, a loose chain of clubs where men could meet on an equal footing even though some were nobles and others minor gentry, merchants, officials, or professionals…According to the statues of every lodge they were not to discuss politics or religion. The lodges did, however, carry on a ritual of their own in a language of symbolic words, images, and gestures, a serious matter in continental countries where both church and state claimed exclusive power. (Rosselli 112) Mozart became an apprentice member of one of the Viennese lodges named “Beneficence” on December 14, 1784. Supposedly, within only a couple months, he had worked his way up to a master. He remained a Mason for the rest of his life. This could be considered a form of social institution, particularly for Mozart, because of the role that it obviously played in his life. Mozart’s musical writing ability seemed amazingly effortless both in his mastery and speed. He was literally able to write one piece while thinking of another. His last three symphonies were completed in just six weeks. In a letter to his wife, Mozart tells her about how he wrote an aria one afternoon out of sheer boredom. Another astounding ability was that he 6
wrote in virtually every genre: concerto, symphony, sonata, opera, choral music, fugue, and canon. Through his gifts, he left a legacy as being one of the most prolific composers of all time. “Of the six to seven hundred works by Mozart which are recorded in Kochel’s catalogue, not more than seventy or so were published during the composer’s lifetime” (Anderson). The last opera he wrote, The Magic Flute, had been extremely successful; however, much of his work was still completely inaccessible to the public. It wasn’t until after he died that the true genius of his compositions were fully embraced and understood.
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Chapter 2 – Mozart as a Prodigy A prodigy is one who is endowed with special or exceptional qualities, particularly in a given field. Mozart easily falls in the category of a prodigy because of his natural abilities in the field of music. “In a sense, Mozart defines what it means to be a prodigy: Astounding talent, astonishingly early productivity at the highest levels, and a powerful personality seem to capture the essence of the prodigy” (Feldman). Prodigies can be found in every field as those who naturally have a knack for something. Understanding the characteristics of prodigies is crucial when discussing Mozart. According to David Henry Feldman, there are ten commonalities among prodigies. While not all of these may apply to every prodigy, these are good indicators to examine. Family history plays a major role in the development of a prodigy. Generally speaking, prodigies emerge from families with a family history of interest in the special field of the prodigy. It isn’t likely that an amazing artist is going to suddenly spring out of a family that has had generational scientists over the past two centuries. Mozart follows this rule to some extent because the musical genes do not root deep within his lineage. Leopold had the aspiration of becoming a court musician and, therefore became fairly adept in the musical world; however, a couple of other relatives exhibited interest in music. For some reason, prodigies tend to appear as the first-born in a family. They also tend to be of the male gender. Mozart was technically not the first-born male of the family. He was the first and only surviving male of his family. As Nannerel was four years older than Mozart, he was exposed to music as she was starting to learn. By the time Mozart was four, Leopold knew that Wolfgang had a real talent for music because of his interest in Nannerel’s lessons.
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Next, prodigies are not gifted in everything. Prodigies are exceptionally talented in very certain and specific areas. This does not mean that they don’t do well in other fields. It just means that they are not exceptional in all areas. Though Mozart was good at math and proficient in multiple languages, his abilities in those areas reflected an extremely developed mind. Those abilities nowhere compared to his abilities in music. Sufficient resources must be present in order for a potential prodigy to take root and flourish as a child. Resources do not necessarily imply monetary support; however, it may be necessary depending on the situation. In Mozart’s case, Leopold was able to facilitate an outstanding environment because of his intense schooling. Mozart never attended school, but it wasn’t necessary as his father taught him everything from a variety of languages to how to play different instruments. As the focal point of a strong support system, as well as a complete musical tour of Europe at a young age with Nannerel and his family, Mozart was provided with the resources for success. For prodigies, it takes approximately ten years, sometimes more, to develop their talent completely. If the sufficient resources do not exist to sustain this development, it is likely that prodigies will never reach their full potential. In regard to Mozart, he started his musical career at the very young age of three. By age thirteen, his abilities were almost fully developed; however, it still took most of his teenage years to develop the style and sound that he became famous for and is still known for today. Another significant quality typical of prodigies is single-mindedness. Single-mindedness pertains to one’s ability to stay focused on one thing and be driven to become the best at it. This was very much a part of Mozart’s outlook; however, he also balanced this with a strong desire for social connections. Even though he was home-schooled, he had the opportunity as a child to
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travel, showing off his natural ability. This not only helped grow the prodigy within, but it also instilled him with a strong social desire. Confidence in oneself is a significant trait of a prodigy. Mozart understood his abilities early on, even possessing the ability to assess the compositions of other composers of the time. He never appeared to doubt his ability to perform and compose. Another commonality among prodigies is something equivalent of a “midlife crisis” sometime during adolescence. They may begin to question their abilities or to have concerns facing the adult world. As a prodigy’s mind develops so quickly, it would make sense to a have a major crisis at such an early age. For Mozart, this took the form of a love relationship. He fell hopelessly in love with a young singer and wanted to pursue his relationship with her instead of pursuing his own musical career. As his father controlled him, there was no hope for Mozart to gain his father’s support of relationships in his life. Prodigies often provoke hostility and ambivalence from those with whom they interact. Usually from competitors, prodigies will face jealousy or other forms of malice toward their outstanding abilities. Mozart brought more disbelief and awe to the table than anything else, accompanied with a lot of positive reactions and genuine recognition for his abilities. The idea of a prodigy was not even looked upon as favorable during Mozart’s time. Prodigies were considered deviant entities and unique anomalies to the norms. As a result of this, Mozart was more referred to as a miracle of his time. Finally, because of the environment necessary in order to foster the development of a prodigy, they usually exhibit some adult and some childlike characteristics. All focus is put on the development of the skill in which prodigies exhibit natural talent. Because of this, other basic skills learned as a child are often thrown by the wayside such as tying your shoes or cooking a meal. For Mozart, childlike qualities were imbedded in his compositions throughout
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his life. This unique quality is one element that set his music apart from others at the time. His scatological humor, something he never grew out of, also exhibited immaturity. Besides Feldman’s interpretation of prodigious qualities, other theories have been set forth to explain the development of prodigies. William Therivel explains the GAM theory of personality. “G stands for genetic endowment, A for assistances of youth, M for misfortunes of youth.” These traits give rise to a challenged personality, therefore, having the ability to sustain high levels of creativity. “Challenged personalities have a superior potential for creativity because (a) lacking many of the common scripts, they develop many of their own scripts which constructively clash with the common scripts of society, and (b) they possess a powerful drive to accomplish” (Therivel). Mozart was endowed, for whatever reason, with an uncanny musical ability. From playing different instruments to composing music, Mozart was a natural. Next, Mozart was provided all of the assistance he needed through his main significant other: his father. As Leopold was everything from Mozart’s teacher to his business manager throughout all of his younger years, Mozart was provided with the environment to flourish as a young musician. Finally, “Mozart’s major misfortune of youth was that of paternal failure of character and profession. This is one of the most challenging misfortunes when compensated by quality assistances” (Therival). Prodigies are a phenomenon in society. It should be noted that the role of a mentor as well as a proper environment in which to flourish is understated. There are undoubtedly many more potential prodigies in the world who have never emerged due to the lack of a significant other in their life.
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Chapter 3 – How Mozart viewed Himself One would assume that prodigies live a dream life of self-confidence in their abilities. They have a natural gift and are able to develop it in order to better themselves and society. For Mozart, this was not the case. Outside of his compositions, Wolfgang did not have a positive self-image or think highly of himself. Mozart was not a handsome man. He was small, thin, pale in colour, and entirely lacking in any pretensions as to physiognomy and bodily appearance. He had a soft voice. Mozart’s sister wrote that he was handsome as a child. It was only after the small-pox (at age 11) that he became so disfigured. He [also] had a malformed left external ear. (Gelber) Even in letters to his family and friends, Mozart did not edify himself in any way, calling himself a buffoon and a fool or exposing his sensitivity about his appearance because of smallpox as a child. It was assumed that he compensated for his self-perceived flaws through his odd fetish with scatological humor. Even though it was a trend of the Mozart family, he seemed to utilize an excessive amount of it, especially when writing letters.
“Mozart writes the
following about himself in a poem from his twenty-second year: as long as he can fart, as long as he can piddle and shit it with the best, so long will he….be blest” (Gelber). Mozart further compensated for his physical shortcomings and flaws through his love for nice things. By owning nice things and wearing the finest of clothing, Mozart would somehow make up for other physical flaws that he couldn’t control. He “must have a beautiful red coat to set off some mother-of-pearl topaz buttons” (Rosselli 2). Traveling abroad with his family when he was young developed his aristocratic tastes, which manifested as a facet to improve his selfimage. Since Mozart’s income didn’t match his desired lifestyle due to the typical musician’s salary, he lived much of his life in debt or below the lifestyle he so strived to achieve.
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Chapter 4 – Mozart’s Effects on Western Culture Today more than ever, Mozart is the first composer to come to mind when one thinks of classical music. From hearing “Morning Mozart” on the local classical radio station to operas performed in theatres across the world, Mozart is still and will continue to affect people’s lives on a daily basis. The advent of the film Amadeus significantly revived Mozart to this generation. Whether the storyline truly follows Mozart’s life or not, the film did an excellent job of conveying the bigger picture of Mozart’s life: Amadeus stimulated a fresh public and professional interest in the composer. "Almost at once," claims musicologist Robert L. Marshall, "Mozart became the most popular, most well-known, most purchased and, I do believe, the most truly enjoyed of the classical composers, readily displacing Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and anyone else who, before 1980, might have disputed his claim to that position," Marshall goes so far as to claim that enrollment in college music courses nation-wide “saw an unprecedented increase.” (Tibbetts) Amadeus, shot over six months in Prague and costing $18 million, won almost every honor possible encompassing eight separate academy awards.
“A creative force radiated from
Mozart’s music which will continue from generation to generation and will be neither readily consumed nor expended” (Gruber). Mozart’s music represents an eternal component to the world of classical music. At this time, Mozart is more known and appreciated throughout the world than he has ever been. People recognize that to avoid Mozart is to avoid the very essence of the genre.
Also, authentic performers of Mozart are being challenged.
Musicians are
recognizing the unique difficulty and intricacies of Mozart’s compositions and are performing them as they should be played. Lately, psychological probing is being used to analyze the personality of Mozart.
Elements of Mozart’s life such as the “Basle Letters” (containing
scatological humor) are being analyzed in order to continue “the quest for a new image of Mozart” (Gruber).
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Only fifteen years after Mozart’s death in 1791, a court musician wrote: “He was a meteor on the musical horizon, for whose appearance we were not yet prepared.” Admired in his age and in ours, Mozart bequeathed to the ages musical riches in which everyone can delight. (Vigeland)
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Conclusion Mozart was still working on several compositions when he died on December 5, 1791, in Vienna, Austria. One of these was a Requiem Funeral Mass. Amadeus plays this coincidence up as a creative plot to murder Mozart; one of his biggest competitors, another court musician of the time, contracted him to create a funeral mass with the purpose of playing it at Mozart’s own funeral (Farlander). Although this is definitely not true, Amadeus does a good job to illustrate the bigger picture of Mozart’s life, providing a fairly accurate depiction of a prodigy who ultimately became paranoid and depressed. A final controversial issue about Mozart is where he was buried. Though there are various opinions and myths surrounding burial hypotheses, it is fairly definite that Mozart was buried in a common grave, or a grave that stockpiles four or five bodies that are later dug out and disposed of elsewhere. The common grave is thought to have been in the Saint Marx Cemetery in Vienna, where a beautiful monument stands today in remembrance of Mozart’s impact on the musical world and modern society. However one chooses to perceive Mozart, it is impossible to deny his influence on the world of classical music. Mozart was born into far from humble beginnings and trained by a father as passionate for music as he was. There is no question that Mozart was the strongest prodigy of the eighteenth century, exhibiting all of the characteristics through any prodigious theory. He may even play a more significant role in this generation than he did in his own time.
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Works Cited Anderson, Emily. The Letters of Mozart and His Family. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1989. Print. Brophy, Brigid. Mozart the Dramatist. Null: Libris, 2005. Print. Dowd, Will. “The Myth of the Mozart Effect.” Skeptic (Altadena, CA), Wntr 2008 v13 i4 p21 (3). Biography Resource Center. Gale Cengage Learning. Johnson & Wales University, Denver, CO. Farlander. "Mozart's Death - Murder, Accident or Disease?" BBC. BBC, 22 Dec. 2003. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. Gruber, Gernot. Mozart & Posterity. Boston: Northeastern UP, 1994. Print. Kehoe, John. "Lifefile." Biography 1.12 (Dec. 1997): 104. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Johnson & Wales University, Denver, CO. 23 Sep. 2009 Krafft, Barbara. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salzberg, Germany. Pleasures and perils of genius mostly Mozart. Madison, Conn: International Universities, 1993. Rubin, Merle. "A prodigy's quest for self-determination." Christian Science Monitor 87.66 (02 Mar. 1995): 11. Denver, CO. 23 Sep. 2009 Ross, Alex. “THE STORM OF STYLE.” The New Yorker, July 24, 2006 v82 i22 p66. Biography Resource Center. Gale Cengage Learning. Denver, CO. Rosselli, John. The life of Mozart. New York: Cambridge UP, 1998. Print. Therivel, William A. "Creative genius and the GAM theory of personality: Why Mozart and not Salieri?" Journal of Social Behavior & Personality 13.2 (1998): 201-34. EBSCO. Web. 15 Oct. 2009.
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Tibbetts, John C. "Faces and Masks: Peter Shaffer's Amadeus from Stage to Screen." Literature Film Quarterly 32.3 (2004): 166-174. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2009. Vigeland, Carl. The Mostly Mozart Guide to Mozart. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009. Print.
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