TTC - The chamber music of mozart

Music That Is Great by any Standard

Although he was coddled and inhibited as a child by his manipulative father, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's enormous musical ability allowed him to live his adult life in a manner that was fearless. He considered himself the equal of any man, his confidence rooted in the belief that, as Franz Liszt said of himself, "My talent ennobles me."

In this course, you will come to understand Mozart's full impact on the chamber music genre. He changed forever the nature of the violin and piano sonata. He essentially invented the piano trio, piano quartet, and string quintet as we understand them today. His Haydn Quartets reached a range and intensity of expression that would not be achieved again until Beethoven 20 years later.

Mozart's chamber music, Professor Greenberg asserts, is that rare music that is "great by whatever standards we choose to apply: aesthetic, technical, or intellectual." It has left "a vision that should give us all joy and hope for our species."