邓梁
邓梁
A portrait of Austrian Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) by German painter Johann Edlinger hangs in Berlin's Gemaeldegalerie. The portrait, painted in 1790, is allegedly the last depiction of Mozart before his death. The painting was re-discovered in 1999, and has sparked controversy as not all specialists believe it depicts the Austrian composer. Photo: AFP
Today is the 260th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most prolific, influential and genius composers and pianists of all time.
He was originally baptised Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. But he liked to go by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Amadeus means love of God and is the Latin version of the Greek Theophilus. Mozart's family name (the one used at home) was 'Wolferl'.
Picture taken 20 December 2005 shows the old part of Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart with the fortress Hohensalzburg in the background. Photo: AFP
He had written eight operas by the age of 16. And performed in London at the age of 9. He played there so well for a child that everyone suspected him to be an adult dwarf.
Did you know it would take 202 hours to listen to all the music Mozart wrote in his short life?
The original violine training book of Leopold Mozart from 1769 called Violinschule seen at the special exhibition Viva!Mozart at the Salzburg Museum Carolinum Augusteum 25 January 2006 in the city of Salzburg. The exhibition went on from 27 January 2006 to 07 January 2007 and was dedicated to the genius loci Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From the stone corridors of China's Forbidden City to the iconic seaside of the Sydney Opera House, Asia was ringing with the music of Mozart on the 250th anniversary of his birth 27 January 2006. Photo: AFP
This legend was born in 1756, in Salzburg, Austria to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria. At 17, he was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court.
He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, andchoral music.
He has fair share of influence over the successive musicians. Ludwig van Beethoven composed his own early works in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Haydn wrote that "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years".
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's original Anton-Walter-piano is pictured at Mozart's former apartment in central Vienna October 25, 2012. Photo: Reuters
Le Nozze di Figaro (Figaro’s Wedding), Don Giovanni, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) are few of the greatest operas by Mozart. His finest stage works stand comparison to those of Shakespeare.
One of Mozart's 'party tricks' was to play the piano with the keys covered by a cloth. Mozart was only 8 when he wrote his first symphony. He is still counted among the greatest child prodigies in the history.
The Best of Mozart
困病交加而英年早逝
在生命最後幾年間，莫札特身體欠佳，儘管有不少酬金豐沛的成就，卻越加陷入拮据的窘境。他創作許多的奏鳴曲、協奏曲、交響曲、歌劇（例如《女人皆如此》（Così Fan Tutte，他最後的與Lorenzo da Ponte合作的作品）。1790年時值約瑟夫二世駕崩（他的繼位人利奧波德二世既不喜歡莫札特，也對共濟會不懷好感），當時他的好友交響樂之父海頓也去了倫敦，使得這段時間的莫札特意志格外消沉。
1791年一位共濟會弟兄兼維也納一個知名小劇院導演Emanuel Schikaneder託他寫一齣歌劇。他提供了一本關於這本歌劇的小冊子，而莫札特也為他譜出一折《魔笛》（德語：Die Zauberflöte），這部作品於9月30日一炮而紅，也是莫札特最後一齣歌劇。
7月，一位不知名人士要求他創作一首《安魂曲》，且必須匿名。目前已知是瓦爾塞根伯爵，人們猜想或許他想讓他的朋友們猜作者的名字，又或許想將著作權據為己有。因疾病和貧窮而衰弱的莫札特，還必須面對工作的重負，因為他在八月初收到一份關於為神聖羅馬帝國皇帝利奧波德二世的加冕創作歌劇的請求（狄托的仁慈K.621），而且必須於3周內寫完。35歲的莫札特於12月辭世，留下未完成的《安魂曲》（Requiem K.626）（受其妻子康絲坦茲之託，後來這首曲子由他的學生完成，Franz Xavier Süssmayer而後又由Sigismund von Neukomm接手）。Neukomm的集成版只於1819年在里約熱內盧演奏，之後就被人們忘記了。第二次演奏於2006年3月10日在Liévin為紀念Courrières礦難而進行。
有個傳奇故事說莫札特在《安魂曲》裡見到了自己即將死去的先兆，這個傳說被用在福爾曼的電影《阿瑪迪斯》裡，這其中浪漫的想像多過於事實。莫札特的遺體，根據利奧波德二世皇帝下達之有關葬禮的法令，最後在維也納郊區的聖馬克思墓園，葬於莫札特家族與他朋友共有的靈位。與民間相傳不同的是，莫札特其實並未被草率地葬在公共墓園的靈位。那一塊共有的靈位則是事先購得，可容納10具遺體（成人8位、小孩2位）。同年12月14日布拉格舉辦了一場追思會，參加者成千上萬。Emanuel Schikaneder則在維也納籌畫了一場《安魂曲》的首演。
（责任编辑：tiger）
（文章来源：网络转载）
