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The Life and Music of Mozart

1 day, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm, or 4 sessions

Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote some of the most-loved pieces in the classical repertoire, including the Clarinet Concerto, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, The Marriage of Figaro, and many others. Mozart’s life is a fascinating tale, from his beginnings as a child prodigy, through challenges and triumphs to fame and (sometimes) fortune. In this music appreciation course, we will examine the life and music of Mozart, richly illustrated with many musical examples, portraits, and readings from Mozart’s letters. No prior musical knowledge is necessary.

Course Outline

Session 1

  • What do we think of when we think of Mozart?
  • Mozart’s Place in Music History
  • Europe in Mozart’s time
  • Mozart’s Musical Style
  • The Clarinet Concerto

Session 2

  • The Early Years
  • Mozart as a child
  • Early compositions
  • The Mozart family travelling
  • The Salzburg Years
  • First love

Session 3

  • The Vienna Years Part 1
  • Constanze Weber
  • Mozart's Concertos
  • Mozart's piano music

Session 4

  • The Vienna Years Part 2
  • Mozart’s symphonies
  • The Marriage of Figaro
  • The Magic Flute
  • The Requiem

Music we will listen to includes:

  • The Requiem
  • Symphony No. 40
  • Symphony No. 41 (‘Jupiter’)
  • The Marriage of Figaro
  • The Magic Flute
  • Don Giovanni
  • The Clarinet Concerto
  • Rondo ‘Alla Turca’
  • Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
  • The Violet
  • The Coronation Mass
  • The Haydn String Quartets (composed by Mozart, dedicated to Haydn)
  • Piano Sonatas
Book cover The Miracle of Mozart

Buy the course notes for this class

In hard copy book form, through Lulu Press
$22 + postage

Comments

“Presenter charming and delightful and so enthusiastic about her subject that she conveyed that enthusiasm and interest to the audience who clearly all were fascinated, entertained and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Also very down to earth. Well done”

“Very well prepared. Excellent integration of audio-visual materials. Excellent handouts for class members to pursue Mozart further”

“I v. v. v. much enjoyed learning a very great deal about Mozart – and Susan’s elegant humorous teaching style”

“Very comprehensive – well presented with lots of musical interaction. Truly inspired. My first course in music appreciation but definitely not the last”

“Susan is a wonderful communicator. I left this course feeling I had absorbed all the information – presented brilliantly with visuals and music. One of the very best of the many WEA courses I have done!”

About Susan Deas

Susan Deas is a professional musician, lecturer and teacher. She has been teaching music appreciation courses for more than twenty years, through Sydney University's Centre for Continuing Education, WEA Sydney and at other venues. Her training includes a Bachelor of Music with a major in Performance (Piano) and Musicology, a Master of Music Studies (Studio Pedagogy), a Bachelor of Arts (Communications), and an A.Mus.A in Musicianship. Susan teaches piano and music theory to adults and children, and plays piano and organ at various venues around Sydney. Susan is an Accredited Member of the Music Teachers’ Association of NSW.

More about Susan’s qualifications

Read what people have said about Susan’s other courses

Susan’s other music courses