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Biography Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the city of Salzburg in the mid 1700s. Mozart was three years of age when his father, Leopold Mozart recognised his talents towards music. Wolfgang begun composing minuets in his teenage years and he became very famous for his rare musical abilities. Mozart composed 600 works throughout his life.

Characteristics of the classical period Many pieces and artists are well known from the classical period. Characteristics of the classical period include, structure, rhythm, texture, melody and dynamics. **Rhythm** adds variety to classical music. A classical composition consists of many rhythmic patterns, whereas a baroque piece contains very few patterns. A baroque work conveys a sense of continuous and constant motion, so that after the first few bars, it is easy to anticipate the rhythmic character of an entire movement. The classical style often includes unexpected pauses, syncopations and frequent changes from longer notes to shorter notes. **Texture** is accompanied by one **melody** line made up using notes of the chord, or the texture where all parts keep in step with each other. **Melody** is a short and clearly defined musical phrase with two or more contrasting themes. **Dynamics** include diminuendos and crescendos, creating character to the given piece.

Sonata form The term 'sonata form' is a type of composition that is divided into three sections; exposition, development, and a recapitulation. The three sections are usually summarised into the ABA structure. (Exposition, development and recapitulation) A sonata usually opens the piece with an exposition, in which the first main theme is presented in the tonic key, and the second main theme is presented in the dominant key. Following from the exposition is what is known to be ‘development’, in which portions of themes are presented in a diversity of keys and musical-tonal tension is brought to a tall point. In the third and final section of a sonata, the recapitulation, the exposition is presented again, often the recapitulation includes a coda or a tail. The coda must sustain an assertive endorsement of the tonic key.

Sacred music Mozart wrote many sacred pieces in his time, sonatas, vespers, litanies, exultations and masses. **Vespers** are religious services performed in the afternoon and is the sixth of the seven canonical hours, or the service for it. **Litanies** are a series of petitions for the use of church services and are often recited by the clergy. **Exultations** were pieces that reflected joy and triumphant elation, a way of rejoicing. A **Renaissance Mass** has five sections within the piece, a Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and an Ite Missa Est. A **Kyrie** is a short repeated invocation used in many christian liturgies, especially at the beginning of the Eucharist or as a response in a litany. **Gloria’s** are christian and sacred hymns. A **Credo** is a christian statement of a certain person’s beliefs. A **Sanctus** is often at the beginning of a hymn and is translated into the word ‘holy’. Sanctus’ are used in hymns, usually repeated three times, ‘Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus’ (holy, holy, holy). **Agnus Dei** is the Christian theological concept of the ‘Lamb of God’. **Ite Missa Est** are the concluding Latin words addressed to the people in the Mass of the Roman Rite.

Secular music Nothing was recorded about Mozart writing any secular music as he was employed by the church and composed a lot more sacred music instead of secular. Secular music is non-religious music. 'Secular' is defined as being separated from religion.

Choral music Choral music is music sung by a large group of people, often referred to as a choir. Each musical part is split into two sections, sung in two or more voices. The size of the choir varies between as few as a dozen singers to as many singers enough to perform Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.8 in E Flat Major also known as Symphony of a Thousand. Choral music is necessarily polyphonal, consisting of two or more autonomous vocal lines.

Instrumental music Instrumental music are pieces composed and performed with no vocal participation and is intended to be performed by a musical instrument or group of instruments. Any music that doesn’t include vocals is instrumental music. Mozart composed symphonies, which is instrumental music. A symphony is a complex musical composition for a full orchestra.