Mozart and the Piano
Robert Silverman
(or, "Silverman, you're playing Mozart piano sonatas on WHAT???")
Mozart’s piano sonatas are not commonly believed to be representative of his finest work. I disagree. Admittedly, they are not as central to his oeuvre as Beethoven's. Beethoven's sonatas provide a unique view into his development from work to work, whereas Mozart's offer snapshots of possibly the greatest musical talent of all time, taken from his teen-aged years until 1789, two years before his death. Far from being relatively weak, they are remarkably representative of his better efforts at the time of their composition. We must not forget that even he had to undergo an extended learning curve. He started composing at the age of five, but with a few exceptions, the great works all bear a Köchel number above 350, when he was about 22, and it was only during the last decade of his life that he turned out masterpieces one after another. In other words, even a prodigious talent like Mozart required a 15-year "apprenticeship" in order to hit his stride. A full one third of his sonatas (those he performed on his tours, and referred to as his "difficult" ones) were written during that period. Furthermore, the remaining dozen are consistently superb.
He had another obstacle to overcome: he began writing sonatas at a time when both the mature classical language and the instrument itself were so new that thus far no composer had yet created a solo piano masterpiece. Inevitably, Mozart and Haydn, the two greatest composers of the era, had to figure out for themselves how to write for the piano, and they did so in diametrically opposed ways. Josef Haydn experimented far more with the keyboard's possibilities, but did not often achieve results comparable to the quality found in his quartets and symphonies. In contrast, Mozart, by treating the instrument conservatively and thinning out his textures, was more able to apply his masterful, recognizable hand to his piano music. Moreover, it is fascinating to witness his continuous efforts to transfer his incomparable achievements in the fields of opera and concerto to the piano.
The score of a Mozart sonata is often analogous to the tip of an iceberg. What is not written down is as important as the notes that are present. Whenever I hear or play a Mozart sonata, I always find myself filling in other, unwritten parts in my head. When teaching these pieces, I sit at a second piano, and play what I can of those "un-composed" parts, so that my students can comprehend the piece in its larger dimensions. Interestingly, Grieg used to employ that practice with his own students (albeit in an ultra-romantic manner), and even published some of those accompaniments.
Mozart's famous statement about his delight with the Stein fortepiano notwithstanding, the transitional instrument for which he wrote was changing from year to year during his lifetime. Moreover, differences among products from various piano makers at any given moment were enormous. It is undeniably enlightening to hear Mozart sonatas performed on instruments that he would have recognized, and there are--finally--a few fortepianists around with enough chops and musicality to give us a fair picture of what good performances may have sounded like in the late 18th century. That said, demanding that one perform Mozart solely on the fortepiano is tantamount to insisting that one use a Commodore 64 to perform tasks that home computers of twenty-five years ago could accomplish, and reserve a Pentium PC or PowerMac solely for such activities as video editing and internet browsing. Mozart only knew the inferior pianos that preceded his discovery of Stein's instrument, so of course he sang of its delights. Still, I suspect he would have killed to have a modern piano at his disposal. Fortunately, many wonderful pianists today have no problem performing Mozart on a contemporary instrument. However, a major reconfiguring of technique is in order for any traditionally-trained pianist wishing to seriously explore that repertoire. The late nineteenth century "competition" pianism so favored by today's younger keyboard athletes and their coaches runs absolutely contrary to what is required for this music.
Mozart was consistently praised for his even technique and his musical taste, not to mention his improvisatory and memory skills. He complains in one of his letters about a pianist who lacked a cultivated legato, so he obviously paid attention to that aspect of keyboard performance as well. Nonetheless, for Mozart legato was a special effect, not a standard modus operandi, and even during his lifetime, that style of detached playing was fast becoming old-fashioned. Beethoven, who heard Mozart perform in 1787, later referred to his pianism as "finger-dancing," although he also defended Mozart by saying "of course, he always had terrible pianos to deal with in those days." In the well-documented contest between Mozart and Clementi shortly after the former's arrival in Vienna in 1781, the outcome was decidedly mixed, and may even have been in Clementi's favour. According to some reports, Mozart was clearly the more tasteful player, but Clementi used his impressive virtuosity and pervasive legato touch to great effect. Mozart spoke disrespectfully of Clementi's playing, and possibly would not have thought much of Beethoven's either, had he lived to hear it. Nonetheless, the newer style undeniably pointed to the direction pianism was headed in the near future.
Although Mozart used performing directions relatively sparingly, enough of them exist to give us a fair idea of what he may or may not have approved. Those pervasive staccatos and inflective phrase-marks over two or three notes are an important element of the classical music language, and must be observed. However, these were never intended by the composer as a substitute for larger-scale harmonic and melodic organization, which also must be delineated with clarity. Observing ONLY the former results in the musical equivalent of a bird picking erratically at its food. Similarly, with a handful of exceptions, forte and piano are the sole dynamic markings Mozart employed, so more than minimal intelligence and insight are required to determine how loud and soft the music should be at any given time and how to effect a change from one to another; the slavish observance of such markings without regard to musical context is no key to authenticity in performance.
Above all, Mozart was an opera composer, even when not composing operas. All Mozart's world is a stage. That stage must at all times be populated with interesting characters who interact with each other. Each sonata has its own story to tell. Dialogue, aria, and ensembles abound. Steinway or Stein, Mozart's piano must sing; it must speak; it must dance.
The four programmes
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Programme No. 1 Sonata No. 1 in C, K. 279 (189d) Munich, 1775 |
Programme No. 2 Sonata No. 8 in D, K. 311 (284c) Mannheim, 1777 |
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Programme No. 3 Sonata No. 2 in F, K. 280 (189e) Munich, 1775 |
Programme No. 4 Fantasy & Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K. 475/457 Vienna, 1785/1784 |
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