:-/Mozart, a Romantic? :-/

[shas]

In light of a reacent documentery, the concept has been braught to my attention.
Having studied such pieces as Mozarst fantasy in D mol and looking some of his cocertos and of cours the Requiem (as well as other of his works) was mozart a romantic. If so was he the first or could there have been otheres befour him. After all even absolut music can sound very mouving, is this simply a clever accademic device or is there some more profound underlaying emotion?[shadow=red,left,300]TEXT[/shadow]

[donjuan]

In light of a reacent documentery, the concept has been braught to my attention.
Having studied such pieces as Mozarst fantasy in D mol and looking some of his cocertos and of cours the Requiem (as well as other of his works) was mozart a romantic. If so was he the first or could there have been otheres befour him. After all even absolut music can sound very mouving, is this simply a clever accademic device or is there some more profound underlaying emotion?[shadow=red,left,300]TEXT[/shadow]

Hi Shas,
You need to work at spelling things correctly- afterall, you ARE from England and have no excuse for spelling things so badly.
..
sorry about that... about the romantic mozart thing...  I have also played Mozart Fantasy in D minor.  It seems very romanitic indeed.  However, Mozart lived long before the Romantic period.  Only after Beethoven would the music change over.  

Mozart's music has very little, if any, rubato - which is a key in all Romantic music.  When I listen to Mozart, I don't feel very "Romantic", if that makes any sense...  I can feel happy, sad, angry, what have you- but never..in touch with my deepest emotions.  I feel, when I listen to Mozart, like I am in a strange dream with music getting pumped out with Japanese assembly-line efficiency.  Mozart's music just doesn't sound similar to any of the Romantic composers.
donjuan

[Antnee]

I agree Donjuan...

Mozart's music is almost always steady in tempo. I think it is because of this that his music has that wierd hypnotic effect to it. Along with his beautiful melodies of course. What do you think?

-Tony-

[donjuan]

Oh yes Tony, I can especially feel it when I listen to the Operas - My favorite Opera of Mozart is Don Giovanni.  The steady rhythm sure captures the attention of any audience.  But it still doesn't seem very Romantic.  The dynamics are quite predictable and bravura is at an all-time low. (which is good in some cases)
donjuan

[Antnee]

No he doesn't.

Shas I understand where you're coming from. Many composers have a few works that foreshadow future music. This would be an example of Mozart's. That doesn't change the fact that Mozart was a classical composer.

-Tony-

[Clare]

I always thought Mozart's piano works were lacking in something until I heard Rudolf Serkin play. Then I realised it wasn't Mozart's fault. It was everyone else who played his music's fault.
Sometimes the way people play Mozart's music is so terribly unbearably dry.

[shas]

Alright. First sorry about my spelling. I know it's bad I a bit Dislexic.

I know that Mozarts from the classical era and is often very classical in the way he writes although also having studied his life to some extent (and I'm not just talking about stuff from Amudeous cos thats obviously not accurat) I have often found that significant works have been writen after very devistating or mouving events. I heve found that often, allthough it may not directly be his intention (like beethoven or romantics), alot of emotion reflecting these events can be found in them. You have to look under the surface of the cheerfull, classical sounding music.

[shas]

what about his sonata in A min. listen to the second mouvment especially, theres a real sens of unease in it. as if he feals traped or resttricted in some way

[etuden88]

I agree...maybe some of Mozart's music does present a sense of 'confinement.' We have to consider that Mozart's music more or less was confined not only to the musical language of the period, but also the societal norms placed on music. However, I dare anyone to argue that Mozart's music isn't in a constant state of evolution--as his own artistic 'brashness' grows with age--you can find some of the most strangely chromatic and dissonant passages in some of Mozart's later works. I'll pretentiously quote Adorno and Horkheimer from the 'Culture Industry':

“Those very art forms which are known as classical, such as Mozart’s music, contain objective trends which represent something different to the style which they incarnate.”

So...music is always about growth beyond the 'style'--there are those who stagnate within a set style and those whose music evolves the style. One might say that Clementi beat Mozart in the race to expand music harmonically and emotionally before Beethoven--but Mozart always wins in his ability to perfect the finished product of his craft--despite how 'romantic' his music becomes in his later period.