Editorial de Música BOILEAU - Since 1913

MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus

1756 1791

In his short and productive life, Mozart composed 626 works, the first at the age of 5 years, the last on his deathbed. An incredible achievement, due not only to its application, but also to its capacity to compose while it was occupied with other things, like for example while playing billiards, one of its great hobbies. Mozart not only wrote a lot, he also developed his own style with a timeless character.
 
Mozart's most famous works are operas and lyrical theater. In two and a half decades he composed more than 20, of which 5 are among the best operas: "The Magic Flute" (1791), in its last year of life, "The Wedding of Figaro" (1786), "Don Juan" (1787) and "Così fan tutte" (1790), all three with a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, and the oriental-inspired lyric piece "El rapto en el Serrallo" (1782), even works less represented as "Idomeneo" ( 1781) and "The clemency of Tito" (1791) are known to the public non-specialist in music and "Bastien and Bastienne", the lyrical work composed at the age of 12, was his first masterpiece.
 
Mozart composed dozens of symphonies, of which the most represented in concert halls are the "Haffner Symphony" (KV 385), the "Prague Symphony" (KV 504) and the "Jupiter Symphony" (KV 551). Of the many works for orchestras one of the most magical and surely the best known is the serenade "Little night music." Mozart's achievements also include concerts for piano and violin and a unique, impressive concert for clarinet.
 
From the pen of Mozart came a dozen masses, among which the "Mass of coronation" and numerous songs. And until his last break he worked on "Requiem", finished by his pupil Franz Xaver Süßmayr. It is the most moving piece of Mozart, composed by order of a nobleman who wanted to pass it off as his own and who at first succeeded.
 
The first list of Mozart's works was made by himself. Ludwig von Köchel took care of making a complete list in 1862: "Chronological and thematic catalog of the complete works of WA Mozart", known as the Köchel catalog (abbreviated KV or K).