Mozart's work in song composition spanned almost his entire life, from age twelve in 1768 until his death in 1791.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mozart's songs offer a more intimate and domestic side of the composer, encompassing pathos, comedy, homespun piety, and heartfelt tenderness.
Compositional Technique
The piano accompaniments in Mozart's Lieder range from rudimentary unfigured bass lines, allowing improvisation, to highly sophisticated and richly textured partnerships.
Historical Context
Several of Mozart's songs, including the imposing "Die ihr des unermesslichen Weltalls," have Masonic implications, with the latter being the first section of a six-movement cantata for Masonic use.
Composer Biography
Mozart added his own tailpiece to Goethe's poem "Das Veilchen," demonstrating his unabashed empathy, similar to how he notated his pet starling's song.
Compositional Technique
Mozart's song "Die Alte" includes the unusual performance instruction 'to be sung a little through the nose,' possibly foreshadowing a character in his opera "Così fan tutte."
Critical Reception
Commentators have often given scant consideration to Mozart's songs; for example, the 1956 "The Mozart Companion" failed to include Lieder in its chapter headings.
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