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Mozart the Popular Artist


aspenlover

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Does anyone else think that Mozart might be a pop music composer if he lived today? In both "Amadeus" and a few biographies I've read, one specifically interesting entitled "1791," his character is made out to be quite childish, lighthearted, humorous, and focused on sex and money. Also his Singspiel opera "The Magic Flute," which premiered in the public opera house Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden, gained Mozart much fame among common people and a lot of money, which he evidently liked a lot.

Of course, Mozart is the scraggy - but in the same conversation, "would Brahms be a 12-tone composer if he lived in mid 20th century," it seems Mozart would take the other route. He obviously loved being a celebrity and wanted to make as much money as possible, and I think he would achieve that today by writing hooks for pop bands, or at least in musical theatre.

Any comments?

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I think there is little point in wondering about these things - what if Schoenberg had lived in Mozart's time? Would he be a jazz player? Or maybe a hairdresser. Or a cross-dresser. Who knows.

Ligeti was quite lghthearted and humourous, and he wasn't a pop composer. Britney, on the other hand, is neither childish, lighthearted or humourous, but she is a pop star. So...

Also, Gorecki's 3rd Symphony (I think) knocked Madonna off the charts when it was released.

John Adams is a composer very muchly focused on money and publicity, and he is not a pop star.

:whistling:

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I doubt it (back on topic), because being the greatest musical prodigy in history, Mozart had ideas and genius that simply don't apply to pop music.

So let's see how he popped out, in 2006, as a hiphop rapper. (For better understanding you might profit from some knowledge of the Viennese idiom of Austrian German).

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One could argue that these days Mozart is considered top 40. Though I rarely listen to our classical radio here, on those occasions that I do I find the programming to be absolutely riddled with Herr Mozart's works.

EDIT: or at least the same several works repeated endlessly.

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One could argue that these days Mozart is considered top 40. Though I rarely listen to our classical radio here, on those occasions that I do I find the programming to be absolutely riddled with Herr Mozart's works.

EDIT: or at least the same several works repeated endlessly.

wow really? I really like our classical radio station, I only heard two or three songs repeat in the past year, although I don't listen to it 24/7, it's not like out rap station where you'll hear the same some 4 or 5 times in the same day. And Mozart is also not played any more or less than any other composer... and there's a lot in their library.

I would think that there would be news of Mozart around, but definatley not a pop star... it's not like everyone listens to classical music. When was the time you've had a friend (not in band) come up and say "Hey man have you heard Beethoven's 6th? Awww man I love that song!" 'cause i don't.

That is, of course, unless not only Mozart, but others like Beethoven, Bach, Handel, etc. also lived in our time, they might "bring back" classical music and it would be an amazing popular thing, where that's all you hear on Top 40 stations

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I think with Mozart, one thing people need to realize when they read biographies or see fictionalized movies of his life (Amadeus), is he was very young. Today, most don't stop studying formally until well in the early 30s (mozart died in his early 30s.) That being said, I think if he were around today (and i've heard this said by many music historians) he would've been well at home on Broadway. Pop music, maybe he would've had a hand in...but his work is far more structured and serious in nature (compared to most pop songs written over the last 50 years.) I found Mozartiana to be a good book of quips that gives a nice view of Mozart's life outside the often confounded claims made in many 'authentic' biographies of the master.

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