Amadeus Mozart

Mozart Piano Concerto # 23

If one wished to learn everything there is to know about Mozart, but could only study a single type of composition, the best choice would be the piano concerto. In this one area, Mozart produced twenty-seven pieces, more piano concerti than any other important composer. Additionally, the concerti span his entire career. The first was written when he was only eleven; the last appeared less than a year before his death. Considering the entire range of these works shows how Mozart's style developed, and it shows how the Classical style as a whole came into being, for his earliest piano concerti are close adaptations of Baroque sonatas, whereas his final few works in the genre hint at the passion and power that would become popular at the turn of the century. As Mozart and his concerti matured, so did music history reach a new stage of development.

Mozart's fascination with the piano concerto parallels Europe's interest in the piano itself. In the composer's early years, pianos were still regarded as new inventions. Harpsichords, which had been the stars of the Baroque era, were as yet highly regarded. Gradually, though, the greater power and versatility of the piano gave it precedence over its predecessor. Demand soared for compositions suited to this new instrument, and a fine pianist (Mozart was acclaimed as one of the best ever) could earn a good living playing such concerti for appreciative audiences, especially if one could do so in Vienna, where appetites for new piano concerti seemed insatiable. For this reason, among others, Mozart abandoned his native Salzburg. He settled in the imperial capital in the summer of 1781. In the decade that remained of his life, he would produce seventeen piano concerti, many of which now number among the masterpieces of the repertoire.

According to the date that the composer himself noted on the score, the Twenty-third Piano Concerto was completed March 2, 1786, only three weeks before the Concerto no. 24. Mozart typically produced several piano concerti at the end of each winter. The previous year, he had written another pair of concerti in February and March; in 1784, he wrote four such works in a similar time span. At first glance, the timing of such productivity might seem to be due to a burst of spring fever. However, the actual explanation has less to do with weather than with religion. These numerous concerti were all written during or just before Lent, the six weeks of reflection that precede Easter each year. In Vienna, at the time a very Catholic city, the dramatic theatres usually closed during Lent, depriving the Viennese of a favored source of entertainment. Lacking competition from theatres, concert attendance soared, and musicians capitalized on the demand by presenting even more concerts. Mozart's own letters, as well as contemporary accounts, attest that during Lent he frequently gave three or four concerts each week. As a pianist, he would want some new music to perform on these concerts, hence the series of concerti.

Although the Twenty-third Concerto is famed for its graceful melodies and elegant structure, it was not published during Mozart's lifetime. This fact might lead one to imagine that Viennese publishers were seriously short-sighted, which in some instances they certainly were, but in this case, they seem to be blameless, for apparently Mozart himself withheld the piece from publication. In a letter to his father, he cites it as being amongst "the compositions that I keep for myself or for a small circle of music-lovers and connoisseurs, who promise not to let them out of their hands." This special concerto was not a piece that he was willing to trade for mere money. Even when his finances were at their worst, he would not sell this score, but rather retained it as a personal treasure. It was music that had, for him, a deeper meaning, yet behind his decision might have lurked a measure of the showman's judgement. Four decades later, Paganini would also withhold works from publication, lest other violinists start performing his own trademark compositions. Like his later colleague, Mozart might have thought to keep this wonderful work from the hands of his competitors. If you wanted to hear this concerto, you had to attend a concert by its creator.

Amadeus Mozart

Mozart Piano Concerto # 23

If one wished to learn everything there is to know about Mozart, but could only study a single type of composition, the best choice would be the piano concerto. In this one area, Mozart produced twenty-seven pieces, more piano concerti than any other important composer. Additionally, the concerti span his entire career. The first was written when he was only eleven; the last appeared less than a year before his death. Considering the entire range of these works shows how Mozart's style developed, and it shows how the Classical style as a whole came into being, for his earliest piano concerti are close adaptations of Baroque sonatas, whereas his final few works in the genre hint at the passion and power that would become popular at the turn of the century. As Mozart and his concerti matured, so did music history reach a new stage of development.

Mozart's fascination with the piano concerto parallels Europe's interest in the piano itself. In the composer's early years, pianos were still regarded as new inventions. Harpsichords, which had been the stars of the Baroque era, were as yet highly regarded. Gradually, though, the greater power and versatility of the piano gave it precedence over its predecessor. Demand soared for compositions suited to this new instrument, and a fine pianist (Mozart was acclaimed as one of the best ever) could earn a good living playing such concerti for appreciative audiences, especially if one could do so in Vienna, where appetites for new piano concerti seemed insatiable. For this reason, among others, Mozart abandoned his native Salzburg. He settled in the imperial capital in the summer of 1781. In the decade that remained of his life, he would produce seventeen piano concerti, many of which now number among the masterpieces of the repertoire.

According to the date that the composer himself noted on the score, the Twenty-third Piano Concerto was completed March 2, 1786, only three weeks before the Concerto no. 24. Mozart typically produced several piano concerti at the end of each winter. The previous year, he had written another pair of concerti in February and March; in 1784, he wrote four such works in a similar time span. At first glance, the timing of such productivity might seem to be due to a burst of spring fever. However, the actual explanation has less to do with weather than with religion. These numerous concerti were all written during or just before Lent, the six weeks of reflection that precede Easter each year. In Vienna, at the time a very Catholic city, the dramatic theatres usually closed during Lent, depriving the Viennese of a favored source of entertainment. Lacking competition from theatres, concert attendance soared, and musicians capitalized on the demand by presenting even more concerts. Mozart's own letters, as well as contemporary accounts, attest that during Lent he frequently gave three or four concerts each week. As a pianist, he would want some new music to perform on these concerts, hence the series of concerti.

Although the Twenty-third Concerto is famed for its graceful melodies and elegant structure, it was not published during Mozart's lifetime. This fact might lead one to imagine that Viennese publishers were seriously short-sighted, which in some instances they certainly were, but in this case, they seem to be blameless, for apparently Mozart himself withheld the piece from publication. In a letter to his father, he cites it as being amongst "the compositions that I keep for myself or for a small circle of music-lovers and connoisseurs, who promise not to let them out of their hands." This special concerto was not a piece that he was willing to trade for mere money. Even when his finances were at their worst, he would not sell this score, but rather retained it as a personal treasure. It was music that had, for him, a deeper meaning, yet behind his decision might have lurked a measure of the showman's judgement. Four decades later, Paganini would also withhold works from publication, lest other violinists start performing his own trademark compositions. Like his later colleague, Mozart might have thought to keep this wonderful work from the hands of his competitors. If you wanted to hear this concerto, you had to attend a concert by its creator.