Mozart, the work beyond the myth

The physicist Albert Einstein is the one to whom the phrase is attributed “As an artist and as a musician, Mozart was not a man of this world.”
It is hardly understandable the admiration that throughout the world, during the last centuries, has generated the Austrian composer who, in just over 30 years, wrote dozens of works - many of them having transcended symphonic music to become part of culture. popular-

It is, therefore, inevitable that in this movement Mozart will cease to be a man and become a myth. But, as happens with legends, this leads to a number of theories and rumors whose veracity is difficult, if not impossible, to verify.

With more than 600 compositions to his credit, Mozart, who died when he was barely 35 years old, has been considered one of the most, if not the most, prolific composer. A characteristic given by the speed with which he produced his works: it has been said that the opera La clemencia de Tito took him barely 18 days and that for the Linz Symphony he barely needed five days—including the opening night. It has even been calculated that transcribing all of his work, working at a rate of ten hours each day, would require 25 years.

However, there are those who, without wanting to doubt Mozart's talent, have questioned such myths. For example, in 2006, Phil Grabsky released his documentary In Search of Mozart. Regarding the Austrian, without questioning his talent, the English filmmaker stated: “The characters we sometimes call geniuses have in common their courage and determination, good parents, and the fact that they are products of the social conditions of their time. All this was true for Mozart. “His talent was not simply a gift from God, but the result of his hard work.”.

Why does a K accompany Mozart's works?

Between 1761 (approx.) and 1791, Mozart wrote 623 works, including operas, symphonies and concertos. As time went by—and with the consolidation of Mozart as a genius—it became necessary to have a record of his work. Then, in 1862, the German Ludwig von Köchel designed a catalog in which he organized his compositions chronologically. Over time, this catalog had to be reissued, since the first edition included works that belonged to other authors and several were missing that, for decades, remained hidden. Despite this, the K—in reference to Köchel's surname—remained next to the works.