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Mozart’s Party by Alison Shearer |
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Home > What's New > Caramoor Blog > Mozart’s Party by Alison Shearer
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December 3, 2010
The season to celebrate is finally here! The holidays are a time to come together—we eat, we drink, we laugh, we dance. Then, we eat some more, we drink some more, we drink even some more and we laugh again. Repeat. It’s truly a glorious season.
Adding to the festive spirit each year is a wealth of holiday music that brings a sense of jubilee and excitement to all. Every genre has its own holiday hits, and here at Caramoor we are ushering in the holidays with some of the most joyous classical music ever written. The program this Sunday features three of Mozart’s larger wind ensemble works including the Gran Partita, which is written for two corni, two oboi, two fagotti, two clarinetti, two basset corni, a contre violin. This is PARTY music written to provide entertainment at large gatherings and banquets. The instrumentation of these pieces is ideal for a party setting in that the sound can carry in any space and can easily be heard over conversation and the clatter of eating utensils. Mozart reflects the holiday spirit most magnificently in his writing. The instruments are constantly pairing up in new combinations; the chords provide a diversity of sonorities throughout each movement; and the last movement, a rondo, puts people in the mood to dance. Throughout the entire piece, a listener gains greater appreciation for each of the wind instruments, which can often be overshadowed when heard amidst an entire orchestra.
It is no secret that the men and women of Mozart’s time enjoyed their holiday celebrations. Complete with grand musical accompaniment, the eighteenth century holiday celebrations would surely have rivaled any of today’s most decadent parties. Sadly, we’ll never know exactly how the parties of Mozart’s time measure up to those of today; but we can still appreciate the fabulous music that was produced in the eighteenth century spirit of jubilee. Perhaps we might even be moved to drink some eggnog and find some mistletoe.
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