Mozart: Violin Sonatas, Vol. 5

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Violin Sonatas 5Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg in1756, the son of a court musician who, in the year of hisyoungest child's birth, published an influential book onviolin-playing. Leopold Mozart rose to occupy theposition of Vice-Kapellmeister to the Archbishop ofSalzburg, but sacrificed his own creative career to thatof his son, in whom he detected early signs of precociousgenius. With the indulgence of his patron, he was able toundertake extended concert tours of Europe in which hisson and elder daughter Nannerl were able to astonishaudiences. The boy played both the keyboard and theviolin and could improvise and soon write down hisown compositions.Childhood that had brought Mozart signal successwas followed by a less satisfactory period of adolescencelargely in Salzburg under the patronage of a new andless sympathetic Archbishop. Like his father, Mozartfound opportunities far too limited at home, whilechances of travel were now restricted. In 1777, whenleave of absence was not granted, he gave upemployment in Salzburg to seek a future elsewhere, butneither Mannheim nor Paris, both musical centres ofsome importance, had anything for him. His Mannheimconnections, however, brought a commission for anopera in Munich in 1781, but after its successful staginghe was summoned by his patron to Vienna. ThereMozart's dissatisfaction with his position resulted in aquarrel with the Archbishop and dismissal from hisservice.The last ten years of Mozart's life were spent inVienna in precarious independence of both patron andimmediate paternal advice, a situation aggravated by animprudent marriage. Initial success in the opera-houseand as a performer was followed, as the decade went on,by increasing financial difficulties. By the time of hisdeath in December 1791, however, his fortunes seemedabout to change for the better, with the success of theGerman opera The Magic Flute, and the possibility ofincreased patronage.Mozart's sonatas for violin and keyboard span aperiod of some twenty-five years. His earliest attemptsat the form were made during his first extended tour ofEurope. Four of these early sonatas were published inParis in 1764, two as Opus 1 and two as Opus 2, and afurther set of six, Opus 3, was published in London thefollowing year. There followed another set of sixsonatas, Opus 4, written in The Hague in 1766 andpublished there and in Amsterdam in the same year.Mozart only returned to the form twelve years later.During his stay in Mannheim in 1777 and 1778 hecompleted four sonatas, to which he added a further twoin Paris in the early summer of the latter year,publishing the set in Paris as Opus 1. Another group ofsix sonatas was published in Vienna in 1781. Thisincluded a sonata written in Mannheim and anotherperhaps written in Salzburg. The other four of the set,which was published as Opus 2, were written in thesummer of 1781 in Vienna. The four remainingcompleted sonatas were written in Vienna bet