Mozart Essay, Research Paper

Final Project

5-2-00

10-10:50

Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik

The Classical period started with the Industrial Revolution. Machinery was being

invented, for this reason the middle class was rising faster and faster. It was their turn to

rule and set the trends. They saw the time of the Greeks and Romans as a perfect model

for them to strive for. They desired the balance and elegance of the Greeks. They

showed their need for balance and elegance in their artwork. The music of the Classical

period emphasized on elegance, grace, and balance. The middle class strived for

perfectionism in a time when they finally ruled.

One type of music that ruled the Classical period was chamber music. It is a

ensemble of two to eight players who function as part of a team (Enjoyment of Music, p

214). The most influential chamber music was the string quartet, which was composed

of four instruments, a cello, a viola, and two violins. The string quartet expressed the

private thoughts and emotions of the composer through the music. One composer who

favored the string quartet was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was a musical

genius. By the age of four, he could play the violin and he had already written music by

the age of nine. Mozart always had a bad temper and was a little crazy and rebellious.

People never really appreciated his music until he died. He was just too creative for the

people of his time. One of his most famous pieces is Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

Eine kleine Nachtmusik is chamber music that was written for a string quartet,

for public entertainment. It follows the Greek theme of balance, each of the four parts

are perfectly proportioned (Enjoyment of Music, p. 220). The first movement is in

sonata-allegro form in G major and is very fast paced. The first theme starts out like a

march and rises then falls at a rapid rate. The second theme opposes the first, and starts

off with a downward curve. Then comes the recapitulation (restatement of the first

theme) which ends with a coda (brings the piece to a close). The second movement is in

the form of ABCA. The first theme starts off slow and delicate, then moves to a

relatively faster paced second theme. It then moves onto a more dreary third theme, and

finally back to the first theme. The third movement is very happy and trilly. Finally, the

fourth movement is brisk and quick paced in G major (Enjoyment of Music).

Machlis, Joseph and Kristine Forney. The Enjoyment of Music. W.W. Norton &

Company. New York, N.Y. 1995. pp.216-222.