12 Tremendous Composers 12 Composers    

Lesson 10: Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major, K. 467 - II. Andante

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Performer: Markus Staab

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Listen to the music daily.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

The next tremendous composer for study is the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the title of his story is 'The Story of a Little Boy and His Sister Who Gave Concerts.' The featured composition for this lesson, 'Piano Concerto no. 21 in C major, K. 467 - II. Andante,' is one of Mozart's best known.

Vocabulary

Harpsichord: A musical instrument with a keyboard that produces sound through a mechanical process. When the performer presses a key, a corresponding plectrum plucks a tuned string.
Concerto: A piece of music for one or more solo instruments and orchestra.
Andante: A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo.

Composer

1. The composer whom we call Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was called Wolferl when he was a little boy. This is Mozart as a little boy of age 6.

2. Mozart was born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. Here is a picture of the lovely city of Salzburg, Austria in modern times.

3. Mozart had a sister, Maria Anna, who was called Nannerl. Nannerl was five years older than her brother. This is Wolfgang's sister Nannerl.

4. Nannerl had lessons from her father on a kind of piano called a harpsichord. When Wolferl was three years old he used to listen to Nannerl's playing. He always watched and listened when Papa Mozart gave her a harpsichord lesson. Here is a picture of a harpsichord.

5. Little as he was, he would often go to the harpsichord and try to pick out tunes with his chubby fingers. His father noticed that Wolferl could remember quite a little of the music that Nannerl was practicing. And here is a picture of Wolferl trying to reach the keys so as to play the melody of his sister's lesson.

6. When Wolferl was four years old he began to take lessons. While he practiced no one ever spoke to him because he was so serious about it. If other children came to play with Nannerl he would make music for their games and marching; playing in strict time all the while.
7. Here is Nannerl's picture when she grew up to be a lady.

8. Papa Leopold Mozart loved both of his children deeply and often played with them. The violin was the instrument he liked best and little Mozart had daily lessons in his home. Here we see him playing while his sister sings.

9. In this picture we see Papa Leopold Mozart, who was a very fine player on the violin. Wolferl and Nannerl are playing the piano.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Composition Information

• Recite the name of the composer and the composition.

Activity 2: Study the Music Timeline

Examine the music timeline to answer the following questions.

• What is the year of birth of the lesson composer?
• What is the year of death of the featured composer?
• How old was the composer upon death?
• Which composer (if any) directly precedes the studied composer by date of birth?
• Which composer (if any) directly succeeds the lesson composer by date of birth?
• Which other timeline composers were alive at the same time as the studied composer?

Activity 3: Map the Music

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria.
• Find Austria of the maps of Europe and the World.

Activity 4: Study Facts About Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Read these facts about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

• Full name: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• Born Jan. 27, 1756; died Dec. 5, 1791 at the young age of 35.
• The sister's name was Maria Anna.
• Maria Anna was five years older than Wolfgang.
• The pet names of the children were Wolferl and Nannerl.
• Little Mozart loved to hear his sister play.
• He started to study when he was four.
• Mozart went on a concert tour with his sister when he was six years old.
• When he was a child, he visited many great cities, among them Paris, London and Vienna.
• Handel and Haydn were living when Mozart was born.
• Benjamin Franklin (US Founding Father and Inventor), George Washington (1st US President), Patrick Henry (US Founding Father), Thomas Jefferson (3rd US President), and Sir Walter Scott (Novelist and Poet) were all alive during the time of Mozart.
• Mozart was five years old when he wrote his first piece.

Review

Question 1

In which year was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born and in which year did he die?

1 / 5

Answer 1

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and died in 1791.

1 / 5

Question 2

How old was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he died?

2 / 5

Answer 2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died when he was only 35 years old.

2 / 5

Question 3

In which country was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born?

3 / 5

Answer 3

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the country of Austria.

3 / 5

Question 4

In which city was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born?

4 / 5

Answer 4

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the city of Salzburg.

4 / 5

Question 5

With whom did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart play music as a child?

5 / 5

Answer 5

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played music with his father, Leopold, and his sister, Nannerl.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. In which year was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born and in which year did he die? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and died in 1791.
2. How old was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he died? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died when he was only 35 years old.
3. In which country was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the country of Austria.
4. In which city was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the city of Salzburg.
5. With whom did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart play music as a child? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played music with his father, Leopold, and his sister, Nannerl.

References

Tapper, Thomas. The Story of a Little Boy and His Sister Who Gave Concerts. Philadelphia, PA. Theodore Presser Co., 1915.

'Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.