10 Of Mozart's Compositions To Honor His Birthday

As many of you may know, yesterday was Mozart's 261st birthday. I realized this after I'd already posted, so I decided to recognize his birthday in today's post with a list of 10 Compositions by Mozart.

10. Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat major Movement III

This piece sounds triumphant, and demonstrates great skill possessed by the hornist. I actually play the French horn, which is why I decided to include this. I think often times composers neglect the French horn as an instrument, but a well rounded composer will incorporate complex horn parts to add a new dimension to their compositions. So, as you can imagine, I was very pleased to learn that Mozart wrote a series of horn concertos. This piece sounds incredibly complex for a French horn part, and demonstrates perfectly how much of a genius Mozart really was.

9. The Commendatore Scene From "Don Giovanni"

This is the scene from Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni, where Donna Anna's father, the Commendatore (who was killed by Don Giovanni) brings Giovanni to hell after he refuses to repent for what he did. It is odd, but this reminds me of the reprise of "Friends on the other side" in Disney's princess and the frog. This scene always gives me goose bumps, because of how stubborn Don Giovanni is about repenting. I think overall this is a fantastic plot, and a great scene. (This video has English subtitles. Notice how low their mouths go).

8. The Magic Flute: Overture

The beginning of this piece makes me envision floating on a clear summer's eve. As it goes on, I imagine soaring across the night sky without any sense of fear. I feel that this piece conveys joy and excitement. Mozart probably tried to get these emotions across because generally those are the emotions given when a flute plays.

7. Piano Concerto no. 9 

This piece is absolutely beautiful. I enjoy the theme he incorporates in the beginning, and when he finally develops the piano part as a solo part it is absolutely stunning. This piece is yet another example of how much of a genius Mozart was in regards to piano parts in general. I feel again excited when listening to this piece. I think it depicts the feeling of having butterflies in your stomach before events that you are nervous yet excited about. 

6. Violin Sonata K378 "Rondeau" 

During this piece, I envision waves crashing on the beach, which I feel are depicted by the strong beats. The piece flows a lot like water, and that is just the picture I got in my head. I enjoy Mozart's violin music because of how upbeat and fast it is. It is a lot like Bach, or Mendelssohn.

5. Symphony No 41 - "Jupiter"

It is pretty incredible that Mozart wrote 41 symphonies in his lifetime (he died at the age of 35). I can see why this symphony is called Jupiter, it depicts something incomprehensible, and displays the emotion of frustration that comes with this. I believe this is about the Roman God Jupiter who was the god of light. Light is something that is very hard to understand, and something that most likely flustered Mozart. 

4. Flute concerto No.2 in D major

Yet another cheerful piece by Mozart. I still stand by labeling him the hopeful composer. I don't know much about flutes, but this flute part sounds pretty difficult to play, and creates such a beautiful sounding theme. Mozart really knew how to write complicated parts for each instrument.

3. Rondo Alla Turca (The Turkish March)

I feel that this piece conveys hope to those who listen to it. The minor and major subsections depict the emotional roller coaster you have when you feel hopeful. You can feel extremely depressed and hope that things get better, or extremely joyful and hope that things never change. I believe Mozart was the composer of hope, he used this emotion often as well as joy and triumph. 

2. Lacrimosa (Requiem)

This is the last piece Mozart wrote. It is kind of ironic that it is a requiem, or death mass. He never completed it, but it was his 626th piece (that's a lot of pieces to write in 35 years of life). This is on the sadder side, but it is probably one of the only pieces I know of by Mozart that isn't happy, but I haven't listened to every single one.

1. Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Serenade)

This last piece sounds very triumphant, and was published after his death. This is probably one of his most famous works, so you will almost certainly recognize it. I enjoy the violin theme, which makes me think of running a marathon and winning (Which will almost certainly never happen). 

Thanks for reading this! Yesterday was truly important in the eyes of History, as one of the greatest composers of all time was born. Please remember to comment what your favorite piece was, and let me know any pieces you like by Mozart. See you later! 

Also remember to check for: My weekly 7 post, [Something else will eventually go into this space]!