Quote:
|
I love what you are saying, but this is complete opinion, as is the question.
|
No, it's not opinion. Consider that Beethoven wrote only one opera, for example; Mozart wrote 14. Beethoven's is a fine example, but it doesn't come close to any of Mozart's last five operas in quality. Not only do most musicologists agree on this, Beethoven himself would have agreed.
Mozart also wrote better music for the Church than Beethoven ever attempted. If you're looking at Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" or "Mass in C," these were not works practical for use in actual liturgies and were not intended as such. Mozart managed to crank out masterpiece after masterpiece intended for actual use in religious services. Beethoven wrote few of these...he couldn't rein himself in enough. There is something to be said for the kind of discipline Mozart was able to muster while creating deathlessly great music.
Beethoven's symphonies and concerti were logical progressions from what Mozart had already accomplished. Mozart's symphonic work was only rivaled by Haydn's in his own time, and his concerted works had no rival at all until Beethoven picked up the baton and moved on, practically a generation later. Not to lessen Beethoven's contributions, but without Mozart, Beethoven would have had nothing upon which to build. Let's not forget that when Beethoven went to Vienna the first time when was 17, he wanted nothing more than to study with Mozart.
Mozart wrote in a number of other genres Beethoven never attempted, and he mastered everything he ever tried - something Beethoven couldn't say.
Shall I go on?
And I still submit altogether reasonably that if Mozart had lived until 1820, we would barely know who Beethoven is now, and the whole world of art music would be completely different now. Mozart would have ended up doing what Beethoven did - only probably a lot better.