Understanding Mozart

The 6th grade chorus has begun learning Lacrymosa. This is the last piece Mozart ever wrote. Infact, we learned that he did not even get to finish the piece because he fell too ill and died before it was complete. We watched a video which explored Mozart's life. We learned that even though he is known to us as a music genius with so many famous pieces, he had to work very hard to achieve such status. He also was not so lucky throughout his life. He lost his mother early and did not have a good relationship with his father. He died in poverty and was not well liked beyond his childhood. So we see that even though Mozart is a celebrated composer today, he had many struggles and obstacles to overcome in his life. This is also reflected in the tone of his pieces. His childhood pieces were fun and light while the pieces after his mother died became much more dramatic and sad sounding.