IULIA MOGOȘAN - Divertimenti for Special Occasions by Leopold Mozart. Music “von vielen Witz und Klugheit“
Abstract
Before Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born, Leopold Mozart was an active musician preoccupied with his career advancement, supporting musical life in Salzburg, and in particular promoting his own (compositional and theoretical) works. Considering musical practices of the time, as well as biographical, analytical and aesthetic information, this study presents the divertimento for special occasions as a genre through two relevant musical works in Leopold’s oeuvre: Die Bauernhochzeit (The Peasant Wedding) and Die musikalische Schlittenfahrt (Musical Sleigh Ride). Composed for the Collegium Musicum ensemble in Augsburg, these divertimenti stand out due to the existence of a written programme assembled by the composer, which was intended as a guide for an inexperienced audience. We find in this music another side of the composer Leopold, quite unlike the recognised specialist in sacred music more generally known. In these divertimenti, Leopold conceived music “von vielen Witz”; free of prejudice, written for the taste of an average audience who finds satisfaction in such genres.
Keywords
Leopold Mozart, divertimenti for special occasions, Peasant Wedding, Musical Sleigh Ride