Happy Birthday, Wolfie!

Happy 250th Birthday to the beloved, Mozart!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (birthname - Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart) was born on January 27th, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria. He is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. His enormous output includes works that are widely acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. Many of his works are part of the standard concert repertory and are widely recognized as masterpieces of the classical style. --Wikipedia

Have a little listen in honor of the master!

Enjoy!
Fran

Comments

Clara Chandler said…
I listened to NPR's tribute to Mozart. Lovely music and such a whimsical, fun composer too! I liked how the one horn piece was written in four different colored inks as a good-natured "trick" or challenge to his horn-playing friend.

Good to know classical composers weren't all stodgy and serious!

Clara
January 28, 2006 at 2:43:00 PM EST
Fran Friel said…
In a former life, I was a classical musician, and oddly enough I was married to a french horn player. Mozart wrote LOTS of horn concerti - I heard them all at least a thousand times from the practice room in our basement. Yup, I know 'em by heart.

As for composers being stodgy - in Mozarts day, composers weren't of much higher status than house staff. Mozart was a special case in some ways but still he struggled to make ends meet. So the stoginess wasn't from high bearing...probably from hunger. ;-)

Fran
January 29, 2006 at 1:20:00 AM EST
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