Mozart's First Three Pieces - KVs 1a, 1b and 1c

These are Mozart's first three pieces, written at the age of four. Even the first shows more than the 'normal' abilities of a four year old, with cogent harmony and a sense of structure, even if of course it does not compare to later works.

It is also fascinating to watch Mozart's rapid progression - by the time we get to KV 1c, just two works later and probably only a week or two after the first, at the most, already Mozart gives us a proper melody or 'tune' with a complimentary bass line. Child prodigies do of course show such precocious abilities, but Mozart is one of those few who later in life showed true genius, through his continued improvement in composition (rather than staying advanced but always average) and innovation.

Here history is born! Just one of the many facts and statistics about Mozart that fascinate us; written at the age of four - the glimpse of the greatness to come.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Wolfgang
• Amadeus
• Mozart
• early
• first
• pieces
• KV
• aged
• four
• harpsichord
• piano
• clavier
• child
• prodigy
• andante
• allegro

[frogbuster20]

the thrid piece was already a whole musical unit, and what??? composed at five?

[thelightisahead]

Haha, yes, and the B section even develops out of th A section! This being before he had any real training, it just shows what musical instinct he had! A better melody than many adults could write :O

[HighNortherner]

25 years ago, while a teenager, I heard Mozart. He made me love classical music and opera...about 200 years after he expired from earth.

That, my friends, is a powerful legacy. I cannot imagine what he could have done in another decade or two of life.

Death of such talent at the tender age of 35. Sad because he was so young--glorious for how much he gave us in just three decades of composing.

[thelightisahead]

I agree entirely... Mozart was one of the first composers I got into, just around 3 years ago, though I had always had a dormant interest in classical. His heavenly adagio for violin and orchestra in E was the first piece I got to know, and I still love it just as much to this day... and it's true what you say about his early death. Consider the absolute magic of the Queen of the Night's aria from The Magic Flute - what could have followed that?

[jvandle]

Glenn Gould didn't like Beethoven either, he was just a Bach whore.

[metroboy777]

@adamworth1979 First, a lot of kids do it nowadays because they have parents with different nationalities. Second, there's something you haven't learned yet, and you will probably never do: use your brain before opening the mouth.

[3530JC]

And just to think this is where it all started from .....

31 years later - with 625 more of some of the world's greatest works, from the world's greatest composer! Mozart Lives On Forever!!

[polymath7]

The second composition sounds quite a bit like Leopold's 'Peasant weading".

[communityband1]

There are a lot of similarities between this and what we see Emily Bear doing now - not in musical style, but in how they start. These first songs show that Mozart had picked up on certain basic chord progressions, melodic motion and song form that was common in music of his day, and he started out by experimenting with those conventions. He then progressed on to be more and more inventive. We see Emily following a similar path today. Both progressed at an extremely accelerated rate.

[fol8]

@awesomerepublican

...Well said. 

[adamworth1979]

@TestovironRevenge I learned English, German and Spanish at the age of 3 so what's your point?

[wcr4]

Y U No in C???

[lousantos123]

this was used in Die Zauberflote (0:43) Papageno!

[TigerAmongstMen]

@TestovironRevenge Oh, shut up! Enjoy the bloody music!

[TrgdyAnn]

I Can't believe Mozart's B'day is NOT a #TT, *sigh* Oh well, Happy Birthday Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-1756-1791