WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (2)

            Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756. From the very beginning of his life in Salzburg, Austria, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a master of music. His father, Leopold Mozart, sacrificed his own career as a respected composer and theorist so he could concentrate on fostering his prodigy son’s talents. He taught Mozart the violin, piano and musical theo­ry, all of which Mozart excelled at. At the age of four, Mozart was writing piano concerts and he completed his first opera, when he was eleven.

            Mozart spent most of his childhood touring Europe with his sister and he got his first job at the age thirteen for the Archbishop of Salzburg. He worked here for twelve years un­til the archbishop dismissed him. Mozart moved to Vienna, the musical capital of the world at the time. He had been success­ful there, as a child prodigy but as an adult had difficulty in finding work.

            It was in Vienna that Mozart met Haydn, who took Mozart under his wing and nurtured Mozart’ talents like a second fa­ther. To make a living, Mozart wrote operas which were be­coming very popular. Musical ideas sprang from Mozart’s mind. His only task in composing was actually writing the music down on paper. Around this time he fell in love with a woman called Aloysia Weber. He asked her to marry him but she declined and so he married her sister Constanze instead. For their wedding, Mozart wrote his great С-minor composi­tion.

            Mozart had more success as a composer when he visited Prague. He was commissioned to write several operas and he enjoyed a successful career.

            Mozart was convinced while he was writing Requiem com­missioned by an unnamed stranger that it was his own requi­em and he was right. He raced to finish it but in the end only completed a few movements and a sketchy outline of the rest of the piece. He died probably from poor health when he was just thirty five years old. The Requiem was completed by one of Mozart’s pupils, Sussmayr.

           Mozart was apolitical. He was very classical. He apprecia­ted Bach and had a large output: 49 symphonies and 18 operas.

QUESTIONS:

1. When was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born?

2. Did his father help him with music?

3. What was Mozart taught by his father?

4. When did Mozart get his first job?

5. Did he travel a lot in his childhood?

6. What was the musical capital of the world at the time of Mozart?

7. Whom was Haydn for Mozart?

8. Did Haydn help Mozart?

9. What was Aloysia Weber?

10. Who became the wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

11. What was the last composition of the great composer?

12. When did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart die?

VOCABULARY:

to sacrifice — жертвовать

respected — уважаемый, почтенный; глубокоуважае­мый, достопочтенный,

foster — воспитывать, обучать, растить, проявлять ро­дительскую заботу о ком-л.

prodigy — одаренный человек (чаще о ребенке)

to teach (past taught, p.p. taught) — учить, обучать

violin — скрипка (инструмент)

to excel — превосходить, превышать; отличаться, выде­ляться

to tour — совершать путешествие, путешествовать в, со­вершать гастрольное турне, гастролировать

Archbishop — архиепископ

to dismiss — увольнять за что-л.

to meet (past met, p.p. met) — встретить

to nurture — учить, обучать; воспитывать (детей)

to spring (past sprang, p. p. sprung) — отскакивать

to decline — отклонять, давать отказ, отказываться; уменьшаться

wedding — свадьба; венчание, бракосочетание

to convince — убеждать, уверять в чем-л.

to commission — поручать, давать, делать заказ

requiem — реквием, заупокойная месса

to race — очень спешить,

sketchy — схематичный (дающий общее представление о чем-л., без деталей)

outline — план, схема; краткое содержание

poor health — слабое здоровье

apolitical — аполитичный, политически пассивный; не влияющий на политику

to appreciate — оценивать, (высоко) ценить