Leopold Mozart Serenad

Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.

His first classical album having been released simultaneously with his second jazz album, Think of One, the 21-year-old Wynton Marsalis found himself in the position of being the most celebrated purveyor of both the classical and jazz repertoire since Benny Goodman. His debut takes him to the core of the small solo trumpet concerto repertoire with three pieces from the classical period by Haydn, Hummel, and Leopold Mozart, and thus, directly into competition with more experienced, full-time classical trumpeters. Technically, there is nothing wanting in Marsalis' playing; he pulls off the fanciest, most difficult figurations with hardly a care. .

W.A. Mozart - Mitsuko Uchida - Das Erste KV 1
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 7 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Philips # 446 875-2 | Country/Year: Europe 1995
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School

This piece of music was probably Mozart's first ever composition. It is an extremely short piece, consisting of just 10 measures, and was notated by the composer's father, Leopold, as Wolfgang was only five years old when he composed it…

Wann haben Sie schon einmal in einem Konzert Musik von Leopold, Wolfgang Amadeus und Franz Xaver Mozart gehört? Besonders Werke von Franz Xaver – Wolfgang Amadeus’ jüngstem Sohn – sind nahezu in Vergessenheit geraten. Den diffusen Anforderungen, die sich mit dem idealisierten Bild seines Vaters verbanden, konnte er nicht gerecht werden, und mit zunehmendem Alter dürfte er immer mehr darunter gelitten haben, den gleichen Beruf wie sein Vater ergriffen zu haben. Spannend ist sein Klavierquartett in g-Moll op. 1, besonders in der Gegenüberstellung mit dem seines Vaters.

Anyone thinking of Mozart as a performer probably imagines him at a harpsichord or fortepiano, an accurate picture. Mozart was a gifted keyboard player, but not a showman of the keyboard. He detested empty virtuosity. Wolfgang, however, had been trained from his earliest years by his father Leopold as a double talent. He played both harpsichord & violin. The popularity of his sonatas, variation sets, & concerti for the piano has tended to overshadow his violin compositions, but the 1st sounds that his baby ears received probably came from his father’s violin…

L.& W. A. Mozart: From Kindersinfonie to Bauernhochzeit/Ton Koopman (2008)
EAC Rip | APE (image), cue, log, scans | RAR rec. 3% | 324 MB
Classical | Label: Challenge Records | Time: 58:46

Leopold Mozart was a composer of a entirely different calibre. His conscious aim was to write simple, undemanding music. In his time ‘the ordinary man’ had started becoming interested in composed music. Since the level of the amateurs was not such that they were able to perform the virtuosic music of the court ensembles, a demand rose for more simple music. Leopold filled this gap. Leopold often used uncommon instruments to give additional colour to his music. An example is Die Bauernhochzeit, which draws on a set of bagpipes. In addition, the musicians have to cheer and clap. Leopold also supplemented many of his scores with simple indications for performance. A typical example of the above is Cassatio ex G 'mit der Kindersinfonie'. The use of simple children’s instruments and toys that made sounds were then in fashion. Although the piece radiates a childlike simplicity, it is not so easy to play. Many of the children’s instruments are only able to produce one or two notes, and for every additional note another instrument was necessary.

Mozart, l'opéra rock ("Mozart, the rock opera") is a French musical with music by Dove Attia, Jean-Pierre Pilot, Olivier Schultheis, William Rousseau, Nicolas Luciani, Rodrigue Janois and François Castello, lyrics by Vincent Baguian and Patrice Guirao and a book by Attia and François Chouquet. The show is a dramatization of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart beginning from the age of 17 and culminating with his death in 1791 at the age of 35. It uses both original pop-rock compositions as well as pre-existing music composed by Mozart and other composers, including Antonio Salieri.