MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (full name Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) is one of the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. He wrote more than 600 compositions for symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music, and huge part of his works are the standard concert repertory and are widely recognized as masterpieces of classical music. Mozart was born in Salzburg into a musical family and from very young age he had a gift for imitating the music he heard.
Mozart‘s music, like Haydn’s, is seemed an archetypal example of the Classical style. Mozart’s works spanned the period during which classical style transformed from the style galant to one with some of the contrapuntal complexities of the late Baroque, complexities against which the galant style had been a reaction. If we look to the period of time we can see, that Mozart’s own stylistic development paralleled the development of the classical style as a whole. Clarity, balance, and transparency are hallmarks of Mozart‘s works and in the same time a simplistic notion of the delicacy of his music the listener can hear in his finest masterpieces, such as the Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor, K. 491, the Symphony No 40 in G minor, K. 550, and the opera Don Giovanni. During his working life, Mozart switched his focus from instrumental music to operas, and back again. He wrote operas in each of the styles current in Europe, for example, opera buffa, such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, or Così fan tutte; opera seria, such as Idomeneo; and Singspiel. Mozart‘s music, like Haydn’s, stands as an archetypal example of the Classical style. His works spanned the period during which that style transformed from one exemplified by the style galant to one that began to incorporate some of the contrapuntal complexities of the late Baroque, complexities against which the galant style had been a reaction. Mozart’s own stylistic development closely paralleled the development of the classical style as a whole. In addition, he was a versatile composer and wrote in almost every major genre, including symphony, opera, the solo concerto, chamber music including string quartet and string quintet, and the piano sonata. While none of these genres were new, the piano concerto was almost single-handedly developed and popularized by Mozart. He also wrote a great deal of religious music, including masses; and he composed many dances, divertimenti, serenades, and other forms of light entertainment.