Analysis of Advanced Higher Music
Analysis of Advanced Higher Music
The classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, is probably the greatest composer in Western musical history. He began composing when he was five, and when he was six he performed in concerts in numerous courts with his older sister. He composed his first opera 'La Finta Semplice' at the age of twelve. In 1779 he was given the position of court organist, then two years later he was summoned to Vienna where he lived until he died in 1791, leaving a requiem which he had started writing unfinished. Among his numerous concertos, Mozart composed four horn concertos. In this essay I will be writing about the third movement, a fast and spirited rondo, of Mozart's fourth Concerto for horn and orchestra, kochel no.495.
In my opinion, Mozart's horn concertos have similarities with certain works by the early 20th century composer Ronald Binge, who was one of the most successful of his generation. As he came from a poor family, they didn't have the money to pay for Binge to go to music college, so he became a cinema organist, where he learnt a lot of light repertoire and developed his skills as an arranger. In 1935, when he was in London, Binge's breakthrough arrived when he became an arranger for Mantovani, subsequently reorganising the orchestra to create it's distinctive sound. One of Binge's most significant works is his Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, which he wrote in 1956. This consists of three movements, the second being a slow and sorrowful 'romance'. In this essay I am also going to write about the Romance by Binge, which is a complete contrast to the third movement of Mozart's Concerto for horn and Orchestra, which I previously mentioned.
Mozart's rondo is in 6/8 time and in the key of E flat major. It begins with the lively 'signature tune' which recurs throughout the movement, thus making it a rondo. The accompaniment to this melody is fairly bare, the strings play crotchets simultaneously on the first and fourth beats of the bar which gives a marching feel to the music. This fast and lively melody is then repeated on the strings, with added grace notes, which give it even more energy.
The first episode begins at bar...