Chapter XXXIII: Mozart's Pianoforte Music (2)

The favourite pianoforte composer among lady amateurs is Kozeluch, but Pleyel is beginning to be a dangerous rival to him. Pleyel's music contains humour and more of original invention than Kozeluch's, although the latter possesses elegance, regularity of form, and a certain flow of ideas. Mozart is at present residing in Vienna as imperial kapellmeister. He is considered as a remarkable man by every philosophic lover of music. His genius was precocious, and he both composed and played in his eleventh year (even earlier) to the admiration of all who heard him. But what is truly remarkable is that this precocious child should have blossomed into maturity as an accomplished musician. We know the usual rapid course of such a prodigy by sad experience! We look in vain for its fruits, for its stability. Not so with Mozart! But now a few words on a curious phenomenon which he (or his celebrity) has brought to pass. A short time ago appeared a solitary quartet (for piano, violin, viola, and violoncello), very artistically arranged, requiring extreme accuracy of delivery in all the four parts, but even under the most favourable circumstances not likely to please any but musical connoisseurs in a _musica di camera_. The report, "Mozart has written a new and very remarkable quartet, and such or such a princess possesses it and plays it!" was soon spread abroad, excited curiosity, and caused the indiscretion of the production of this original composition at a grand noisy concert. Many pieces can sustain their reputation even under a mediocre performance; but this work of Mozart's in the hands of indifferent amateurs, carelessly rendered, is simply unendurable. It was so performed innumerable times last winter; at almost every place which I visited I was taken to a concert, and there entered a town-bred miss, or some other conceited amateur, to play this quartet to the noisy company who pretended to find it the _goût_. But it gave no real pleasure; every one gaped with _ennui_ at the long _tintamarre_ of four instruments who did not keep together for four bars, and whose contradictory _concentu_ gave no impression of unity of sentiment. The obstinacy with which it was forced down everywhere was indescribable. It is not enough to stigmatise this folly as an ephemeral _manie du jour_ for

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it lasted throughout a whole winter, and (as far as I can learn) is still only too often repeated. What a contrast if this masterpiece were to be performed by four skilful musicians, in a quiet room where the listening ear might catch the suspension of every note, in the presence of only two or three attentive listeners! But this would give no opportunity for display or the applause of the vulgar.[37]

The quintet in E flat major (452 K.) for pianoforte, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon is a composition of peculiarly charming effect; it was composed by Mozart on March 30, 1784, for a concert which he gave in the theatre, and, being excellently performed, was received with great applause. He himself considered it, as he tells his father (Vol. II., p. 287), to be the best thing he had ever written, and he selected it to play before Paesiello (Vol. II., p. 279). It must not be judged from the various arrangements which have been made of it; it is accurately and exclusively fitted for the instruments for which it was written. The sound effects produced by the well-considered combinations of the wind instruments are of surprising beauty, and the pianoforte maintains its ground against its melodious rivals by means of its power of quicker motion. The whole work is clear and easy in each of its multitudinous details, and from beginning to end it is a true triumph of the art of recognising and adapting the peculiar euphonious quality of each instrument. This harmony of sound, combined with a somewhat strongly accentuated harmonic treatment, constitutes the principal charm of the work, which is not rich in thematic invention. Here and there Italian echoes are heard in the melodies, but the German style predominates, as it does in the quartets previously noticed.[38] Beethoven is known to have emulated this work of Mozart's in his quintet (Op. 16); in no other of his works, perhaps, does he so plainly appear to have set a

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pattern before him for imitation; for once he has not succeeded in surpassing it.[39]

The pianoforte concertos, of which Mozart wrote seventeen in Vienna, must be considered from a somewhat different point of view.[40] They are as follows:--

F major, composed end of 1782 A major, composed early in 1783 C major, composed early in 1783

Op. 4

(413 K., part 12). (414 K., part 10). (415 K., part 3).

E flat major, composed February 9, 1784, Op. 23 (449 K., part 14).

B flat major, composed March 15, 1784, Op. 67 (450 K., part 14).

D major, composed March 22, 1784, Op. 18 (451 K., part 13).

G major, composed April 12, 1784, Op. 15 (453 K., part 9).

B flat major, composed September 30, 1784, Op. 21 (456 K., part 11).

F major, composed December 11, 1784, Op. 44 (459 K., part 10).

D minor, composed February ro, 1785, Op. 54 (466 K., part 8).

C major, composed March 9, 1785, Op. 82, 6 (467 K., part 1).

E flat major, composed December 16,1785, Op. 82, 4 (482 K., part 6).

A major, composed March 2, 1786, Op. 82, 5 (488 K., part 2).

C minor, composed March 2, 1786, Op. 82, 5 (491 K., part 7).

C major, composed December 4, 1786, Op. 82, 1 (503 K., part 16).

D major, composed February 4, 1788, Op. 46 (537 K., part 20), "Kronungsconcert."

B flat major, composed January 5, 1791, Op. 82, 2 (595 K., part 15).

The greater number of these were composed between 1783 and 1786, when Mozart played much at concerts, and were intended for his own use; some of them also for that of others (Vol. II., p. 294).[41] This accounts for their great diversity of character and design. Of the three first which were intended to come before the public together (Vol. II., p. 293),

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Mozart wrote to his father, while still at work upon them (December 23, 1782):--

The concertos are a happy medium between too easy and too difficult; they are very brilliant, pleasing to the ear, without, of course, being empty. Here and there are places which appeal exclusively to connoisseurs, but even ignoramuses will be pleased with them without knowing why.

It is plain that he knew what he intended. Of the later concertos he writes (May 24, 1784):--

I cannot make a choice between the two concertos in B flat and D (450, 451, K.). I consider them both tough morsels for the performers (_Concerte die schwitzen Machen_): but the one in B flat is more difficult than the one in D. I am very curious to hear which of the three concertos in B flat, D, and G major (453 K.) you and my sister like best; that in E flat does not belong to them, being quite peculiar of its kind, and written for a small rather than a large orchestra. So that we have only to do with the three concertos, and I am curious to find whether your opinion agrees with the universal one here, and with my own. They ought, it is true, to be heard with all the parts, and well played.

The emphasis which Mozart laid on the orchestra is very noticeable. The essential merit and originality of his concertos consists in his combination of the orchestra and the solo instrument into a whole, by means of the co-operation of all their separate and independent elements.[42] The prominence given to the orchestra (which, it must be remembered, owed to Mozart its richer composition, both of wind and stringed instruments) in those larger portions of the work where it occurs independent of the piano, as in the tutti of the ritornelli, gives a symphonic character to the concertos. Even in those places where the pianoforte asserts itself as the solo instrument the orchestra participates so directly in the course of the pianoforte part as to form a not disjointed whole; in fact, the concertos have been aptly designated as symphonies with a part for the pianoforte.[43] Mozart's art of blending the tone-colouring of the orchestra, which drew

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tears from his old father at the hearing of one of his new pianoforte concertos, shows his delicate sense of euphony and accurate knowledge of instrumental effects. The pianoforte, with its comparative want of sustained tone, is at a disadvantage even with solo stringed or wind instruments, far more so with a combination of them. This was still more the case at that time, in consequence of the defective mechanism of the instrument; and both art and ingenuity were required to make it at all effective. When, after an elaborate ritomello, which has given a sense of fulness and satisfaction to the hearers, the pianoforte enters, Mozart aims at producing such a contrast, either by means of extreme simplicity or of a brilliant pianoforte passage, as shall gain over the listener to the peculiar charm of the new element, and excite his attention, which is then kept up by the competition of the rival forces. The composer has no intention of confining the orchestra within the narrow limits of a modest accompaniment (for in that case why should he have appointed it so fully?); he means it to put forth its whole strength, as well as to support and raise the pianoforte part. An inexhaustible succession of fine effects is thus produced. The delivery by the orchestra of the melody in sustained chords supports, as it were, the tendrils thrown out by the pianoforte, and gives a firm basis for figures and passages containing bold harmonic successions: But while it thus seems subservient to the solo instrument, the intensive strength and the tender fragrance of its sound effects are made to form an admirable contrast to the light and brilliant versatility, the sharpness, and clearness of the pianoforte. It seems scarcely necessary to illustrate by an example the universal characteristics of the species, but I may instance the wonderfully fine andante of the Concerto in C major (467 K.) Here the orchestral part is rich in striking harmonic detail, and in fine and original sound effects, which so completely enchant and satisfy the ear as scarcely to allow of a climax. In contrast to this we have a surprisingly simple pianoforte part, displaying the distinctive properties of the instrument without effort or difficulty, and hovering, as it were, like a higher spiritual element over the

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orchestral accompaniment, with which it is nevertheless inseparably connected. Even Beethoven (who made a profound study of Mozart's pianoforte concertos) cannot be said to have surpassed him in this combination from within of different instrumental forces. The superiority of his great pianoforte concertos rests upon other grounds.

It must not be supposed, however, that Mozart had no higher qualities than a finely cultivated sense for the blending of tone colours. The invention, elaboration and distribution of the motifs were governed by the nature of the resources at his command; these had to be taken into account in the first sketch of the work, that so justice might be done them in its completed form; the germ must contain the capacity for development under the most varied conditions. There is scarcely one instance in the concertos of an important motif confided to the orchestra or the pianoforte alone; they are all shared in common. But when a subject is broadly and elaborately treated by the orchestra, it is naturally kept in the background by the pianoforte, while other motifs, merely announced by the orchestra, are rendered with their full effect and embellishments by the solo instrument. This competition of the two forces is most evident in the alternating effects given to the working-out of the different subjects, but even in the brilliant figures and passages the orchestra appears like a well-proportioned edifice, decked with a profusion of arabesque-like ornament by the pianoforte. Thus the charm of these concertos, most rightly so called, depends upon the active co-operation of the contrasted elements, by means of which the whole work is richly and brilliantly grouped, as a picture is grouped by a judicious disposition of light and shade.

The division of the concertos into three movements, as well as the formation of the movements after the analogy of the sonata, were found ready to hand, and only further developed by Mozart. The first and principal movement contains the essential ingredients of the sonata form, namely, a second well-defined subject, and the working-out division but it is freer, and, owing to its improved resources, more fully appointed. A distinct first part with a repetition does not

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exist; in its place there appears the first ritornello, with the solo movement belonging to it. The principal subjects, with their working-out, are shared between the orchestra and the piano; but the solo is no mere repetition of the orchestral part; it differs both in the grouping and treatment of the subjects, and leads up to an inevitable climax. A short ritornello brings this section to a close, and introduces the working-out part, equally shared between the pianoforte and orchestra. The severer forms of counterpoint are only sparingly used, the harmonic element being the main support of an animated figure treatment; the polyphonic and homophonie manner are so blended throughout as to display the principal subjects from ever-varying points of view, and to keep the interest alive and active from first to last. This middle movement, on which as usual the main interest is concentrated, leads back to the principal key and the introductory ritornello. The latter is generally shortened, and the first part is not literally repeated, but undergoes modifications in arrangement and elaboration. The conclusion is formed by the customary cadenza, which might also be introduced at other pauses, but was invariable here. It gave opportunity for a free improvisation, consisting of brilliant passages wrought into a sort of capriccio with the addition of an elaborate variation on one of the subjects, or of several subjects so condensed as to form a _resume_ of the whole movement.[44] The cadenza thus forms the concluding coda of the pianoforte part, and the orchestra brings the movement to an end in similar fashion by a more or less elaborate ritornello. In this way the first movements of the concertos are developed out of the general sonata form, with such a regard to the relative claims of the orchestra and the pianoforte as serves to distinguish them from corresponding movements of the quartet and the symphony.

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The two other movements are altogether simpler in design and execution. The slow movement is in song-form, its working out sometimes that of a rondo, sometimes varied, but always simple and clear, and abounding in charming detail. Here again Mozart has displayed a fund of deep and noble sentiment in its purest form, and the fantastic and romantic elements, mingled with a dreamy resignation, and an earnest endeavour after the expression of individual feeling, are more apparent in these movements than in any other of his compositions. Startling harmonic progressions, scattered touches of piquancy contrasting with vague sentimentality, and rhythmical whimsicalities, give all the greater charm that they in no way interfere with simplicity of conception or purity of form. I need only adduce by way of illustration the simple and beautiful romanze of the Concerto in G major (453 K.), or the pleasing and highly original Siciliana of the Concerto in A major (488 K.). The andante of the C major concerto already mentioned is, however, incomparably the finest (467 K.). The emotion is so pure and lofty that the sorrowful impulses which prompt it, harshly expressed though they may be in places, such as the following--[See Page Image]

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penetrate the music like memories of a long since vanquished grief that has no more power to trouble the pure serenity of a mind which has mounted from resignation to holy joy. This example, among many others, should teach us that beauty does not consist in the mere rejection of all that is harsh or keen, but in the maturity of the conception which gives birth to the work, and in the harmony of the conditions under which it is represented. Such fruits as these can only be offered by an artist who has discovered the true secret of life.

The last movement of the concertos is always the easiest; it is generally in rondo form, sometimes in variations, lively and cheerful in tone; its predominant 2-4 time preserves its original character of a dance; or sometimes it is in 6-8 time, after the fashion of a hunting song, as in the rondo of the Concerto in B flat major (450 K.) which closes in a long crescendo with a regular hunting flourish of trumpets.[45] On the whole these last movements are more

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interesting than those of the other pianoforte compositions, and full of graceful, even humorous, passages, of which the last movement of the C minor Concerto (491 K.) may serve as an illustration. The peculiar harmonic treatment gives the subject a character entirely its own, and a new transition at the close invests it with a surprising charm. The Concerto in D minor also (466 K.) confirms the oft-repeated observation that Mozart's compositions in the minor keys are his deepest and most important, for its last movement is distinguished above all others by its fire and intensity of expression.[46] On the other hand, the middle movements of these two symphonies (in E flat and B flat major), although not wanting in grace, are inferior to their other two movements in force and passion. It is true that the andante of the C minor symphony was encored cm its first performance (Vol. II., p. 288), but the effect it made depended not so much on its melodies, charming as they are, as on the obbligato treatment of the wind instruments, which was an entire novelty at that time.

There can be no doubt that Mozart's concertos afford the best standard for our judgment of him as a pianoforte composer. The majority of them, written for himself in his best days, take the highest rank among his works. The first three (413-415 K.) intended for large audiences are, as Mozart rightly indicates, light in character; so is the Concerto in E flat major (449 K.), written for Fräulein Ployer, and the Concerto in B flat major, probably intended for Fraulein Paradies (456 K.); next to these may be placed the Concertos in D major (451 K.) and F major (459 K). They are all distinct in their main characteristics; some, such as those in B flat major (450 K.), G major (453 K.), A major (414, 488 K.), are cheerful and graceful; others, as the D minor (466 K.) and C minor (491 K.), are passionately agitated; others again, serious and self-contained, as the E flat major (452 K.)

FOOTNOTES OF CHAPTER XXXIII.

[Footnote 1: Cf. A. M. Z., I., p. 157.]

[Footnote 2: So Rochlitz says (Für Freunde der Tonk., IV., p. 309), and the expression sounds very like Mozart. But when he speaks of a visit paid by Mozart to Bach in Hamburg, shortly before he went to Leipzig (1789), he forgets that Bach died in 1788, and Mozart was never in Hamburg.]

[Footnote 3: His "Versuch über die wahre Art das Klavier zu spielen" appeared first in the year 1752; his numerous and widely known pianoforte compositions aim principally at the enforcing of practical principles.]

[Footnote 4: An account of J. S. Bach's scientific method is given by Forkel (Ueb. J. S. Bach, p. 11); a notice of the system of fingering formerly in use will be found in Becker (Hausmusik in Deutschland, p. 58).]

[Footnote 5: A. E. Müller, in his "Anweisung zum genauen Vortrag der Mozartschen Klavierkonzerte" (Leipzig, 1796), has applied the principles of Bach's fingering to the more difficult passages of five concertos of Mozart.]

[Footnote 6: "Nothing made Mozart so angry as the maltreatment of his operas in public performances, principally by exaggerating the rate of the tempos," says Rochlitz (A. M. Z., I., p. 84).]

[Footnote 7: "It was his greatest and oft-lamented grievance," says Rochlitz (A. M. Z., I., p. 49), "that he was generally expected to perform mechanical juggling tricks and tight-rope antics on the instrument, which it amused people to _see_."]

[Footnote 8: "Mozart is the most finished and best pianoforte-player that I have ever heard," writes a correspondent from Vienna in 1787 (Cramer, Mag. f. Mus., II., p. 1273). "Never shall I forget the divine pleasure afforded me," says Rochlitz (A. M. Z., I., p. 113), "partly by the spirituality of his compositions, partly by the brilliancy, as well as the heart-melting tenderness of his execution." (Cf. I., p. 387).]

[Footnote 9: Frz. Lorenz, W. A. Mozart als Clavier-Componist (Breslau, 1866); a fine description, rich in characteristic traits.]

[Footnote 10: Cf. Vol. I., pp. 177, 200, 285.]

[Footnote 11: Mus. Real-Ztg., 1788, p. 49.]

[Footnote 12: In 1785 Torricella announced "Neueste Fantasie-Variationen von Mozart," as follows: "The eagerness with which the works of this famous master are everywhere looked for, and the certainty with which they command the esteem of the connoisseur by their art and elegance, and touch the hearts of all by their tender melodiousness, have induced me to publish these very beautiful variations for the benefit of the most fastidious lovers of music, to whom I offer a new work calculated to do honour to its author. I shall endeavour from time to time to place all the remaining variations of this admirable master in the hands of an appreciative public." Fräulein Aurnhammer supervised the publishing of several of Mozart's variations (Cramer, Magaz. d. Mus., II., p. 1274).]

[Footnote 13: The variations on a theme by Dittersdorf (287 Anh., K.) are by Eberl, according to his assertion in the Hamburg Correspondent (July 25, 1798, No. 118, Beil ), and his are also the variations so often printed under Mozart's name on the theme, "Zu Steffen sprach im Traume" (288 Anh., K.). The variations on a theme from Sarti's "I Finti Eredi" (289 Anh., K.) are by Forster. Mozart's widow, in letters to Hartel (May 25, June 15, 1799), appealed to well-informed friends to support her assertion that the variations "Une fièvre brûlante" (285 Anh., K.), whose genuineness had already been doubted by Siebigke (Mozart, p. 68), were not by Mozart, and she is undoubtedly right. 54 K. (after 547 K.) and 137 Anh., K. (after 581 K.) are arrangements.]

[Footnote 14: The following should certainly be placed earlier: 14, 15 (24, 25 K), composed in his ninth year. 16 (179 K.), on Fischer's minuet, composed in 1774 (Vol. I., p. 323). 17. "Mio caro Adone," from Salieri's "Fiera di Venezia" (180 K.). 18. "Je suis Lindor,"from Beaumarchais'"Barbier" (354 K.). The two latter were published in Paris (Vol. II., p. 70). In July, 1781, Mozart mentions three airs with variations, without specifying them more exactly.]

[Footnote 15: In the sonatas for piano and violin (377, 379, 481 K.), and in the trios (496, 564 K. I.]

[Footnote 16: Compare the remarks by Marx on Mozart's variations (Lehre von der Musik. Kompos., III., p. 84).]

[Footnote 17: It has been arbitrarily but not altogether unsuitably combined into one sonata with two other movements, composed on January 8, 1788 (533 K.).]

[Footnote 18: The second Rondo in F major (616 K.) was originally written for a musical box.]

[Footnote 19: Cf. Widmann, Formenlehre, p. 111.]

[Footnote 20: This Rondo is analysed by Marx (Lehre v. d. Mus. Kompos., III., p. 150).]

[Footnote 21: It was composed May 20,1785, and published by Mozart, together with the sonata in C minor (457 K.), as Op. 11.]

[Footnote 22: A poetical exposition of this fantasia is given by Kanne (Wien. Mus. Ztg., 1821, p. 386).]

[Footnote 23: Cf. Im. Faiszt, Beiträge zur Geschichte der Klaviersonate bis C. P. Em. Bach (Cäcilia, XXV., pp. 129, 201; XXVI., pp. 1, 73).]

[Footnote 24: Cf. the excellent remarks by Marx (Lehre von der Musik. Kompos., III., p. 588), and for a more profound criticism (Ibid., III., p. 215).]

[Footnote 25: Musik. Real-Ztg., 1788, p. 50.]

[Footnote 26: Ph. E. Bach says in the preface to his six sonatas for the piano with altered repetitions (Berlin, 1759): "The alteration at the repeat is in the present day indispensable. It is expected from every performer that he should change every idea in repetition, without any allowance being made for the construction of the piece or the ability of the performer."]

[Footnote 27: An analysis of them is given by Kanne (Wien. Mus. Ztg., 1821, Nos. 3-8, 19-30, 44-50). Cf. Lorenz, Deutsche Mus. Ztg., 1861, p. 321.]

[Footnote 29: The variations for four hands in G major (Oeuvr., VIII., 3) have already been noticed (Vol. II., p. 446).]

[Footnote 30: Cf. the account iû C. Pichler's Denkwürdigkeiten, I., p. 90.]

[Footnote 31: Cramer, Magaz. d. Musik, I., p. 485.]

[Footnote 32: Notes and alterations have been inserted by Mozart in red ink.]

[Footnote 33: The finale is extant in a second and unfinished arrangement.]

[Footnote 34: By way of example I may remind the reader of the tender, yearning, almost dreamlike impression made by the wonderful harmonic progression in the larghetto of the Quartet in E flat major.]

[Footnote 35: A. M. Z., III., p. 27.]

[Footnote 36: Journal des Luxus und der Moden, 1788, p. 230.]

[Footnote 37: Forkel, who otherwise takes no notice of Mozart, says of this article that it is evident that the author is a dilettante, without any knowledge of art, and therefore only capable of judging from outward appearances (Musik. Alman., 1789, p. 119).]

[Footnote 38: A second quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, basset-horn, and bassoon, was only commenced by Mozart (54 Anh., K.).]

[Footnote 39: A kind of legend has grown up among reminiscence hunters, to the effect that the few and unimportant motifs which recall Mozart, especially in the second movement, were introduced by Beethoven as a homage to Mozart. A comparison of the two quintets is given after his fashion by Lenz (Beethoven, III., p. 160).]

[Footnote 40: The most complete collection of Mozart's concertos in score, agreeing with Breitkopf and Hartel's issue of the parts, is that published in Paris by Richault; the collection begun in Offenbach by André is not finished.]

[Footnote 41: Sketches of pianoforte concertos (56-61 Anh., K.) bear further testimony to Mozart's lively interest in this species of composition. A Concerto Rondo in A major belonging to October 19, 1782, is completed, with the exception of some gaps in the instrumentation (386 K.).]

[Footnote 42: This is with justice emphasised by Rochlitz (A. M. Z., III., p. 28). Nägeli also testifies how Mozart "broke new ground for orchestral compositions with his pianoforte concertos" (Vorles., p. 159).]

[Footnote 43: Siebigke, Mozart, p. 69.]

[Footnote 44: A collection of cadenzas to several concertos (175, 271,414, 435, 449, 451, 453, 456, 459, 488, 537, 595 K.) is preserved, and partially published (624 K.). They appear to have been written down by Mozart for pupils; they are neither difficult nor elaborate, and certainly give no idea of his improvised cadenzas. Beethoven wrote cadenzas of his own to the D minor concerto (466 K.) (Wien. Modeztg., 1836, Beil., 10. Werke, 70, 11, 12).]

[Footnote 45: The last movement of the Concerto in F major (433 K.) is a rondo-like "Tempo di menuetto," after the old style (Vol. I. p. 325), similar to one in a violin sonata (377 K.).]

[Footnote 46: The sketch of the beginning of a rondo first intended for this concerto is prefixed to the Offenbach score of the Concerto in B flat major (450 K.). Mozart rightly gave the preference to the very dissimilar fiery theme of the present rondo.]

End of Project Gutenberg's Life Of Mozart, Vol. 2 (of 3), by Otto Jahn