Has anyone else noticed this about Mozart ....


My introduction to Mozart was through the Clarinet concerto (I'm a clarinet player, or at least was), the Clarinet and Oboe quartets or quintets (I forget which) and the Horn Concerto. It left me with the impression that Mozart's music was rather emotionally shallow, and altogether too "happy" for my tastes. Dare I say ... elevator music. I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about.
Then several years later I discover the Requiem Mass, Ave Verum Corpus, and several piano concertos, my favourite being No23, and it's almost like I'm listening to a completely different composer ... one who rivals Beethoven for sheer depth of feeling.
I cannot think of any other composer that seems to have two such distinct styles, though I am not very well versed in classical music, and have a limited music selection. Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach etc etc all are quite easily identifiable to me, but Mozart really seems to have two sides to him.

Has anyone else noticed this about Mozart ? Am I alone or am I nuts .. I've never heard anyone comment on this, and I'd be interested to hear opinions from this knowledgable board.
seandtaylor99

Showing 2 responses by bomarc

Sean: This has nothing to do with Mozart; it has to do with your tastes in music, to which you are fully entitled, of course. For myself, I prefer Beethoven the classicist to Beethoven the romantic, but I wouldn't disparage the latter. (Mendelssohn, on the other hand...)
Maybe, Sean, or maybe your like/dislike boundary just happens to lie smack in the middle of his oeuvre!

Like Pragmatist, I thought of the major/minor distinction. It may be that Mozart's style, done in a major key, sounds very light to you (an admitted Romantic fan), while the same style done in a minor key sounds deeper and darker and more like what you like about 19th century music. Just a thought.

Also, remember that all composers--at least those who are trying to make a living at it--have to please an audience. That tends to be more true of younger artists, and Mozart was always a young artist. Perhaps you don't like him when he's playing most directly and obviously to his public.