THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSICIANS OF ALL TIME

7 The 100 Most Influential Musicians of All Time 7

was given on Dec. 26, 1772, and after a difficult premiere it
proved highly successful.
The instrumental music of the period around the
Italian journeys includes several symphonies (a few of
them are done in a light, Italianate style), but others tread
new ground in form, orchestration, and scale. There are
also six string quartets and three divertimentos.

Early Maturity

Leopold took Mozart to Vienna in 1773, where the newest
Viennese music had a considerable effect on the young
composer; he produced a set of six string quartets showing
fuller textures and a more intellectual approach to the
medium. Soon after his return to Salzburg he wrote a
group of symphonies, including, most notably, the “Little”
G Minor (K 183) and the A Major (K 201).
The year 1774 saw the composition of more symphonies,
concertos for bassoon and for two violins, serenades, and
several sacred works. At the end of the year Mozart was
commissioned to write an opera buffa, La finta giardiniera
(“The Feigned Gardener Girl”), for the Munich carnival
season, where it was duly successful.
A period of two and a half years (from March 1775)
began in which Mozart worked steadily in his Salzburg
post, now as a salaried Konzertmeister. During this period
he wrote only one dramatic work, but he was productive in
sacred and lighter instrumental music. His most impressive
piece for the church was the Litaniae de venerabili altaris
sacramento (K 243), which embraces a wide range of styles
(fugues, choruses of considerable dramatic force, florid
arias, and a plainchant setting). The instrumental works
included divertimentos, concertos, and serenades, notably
the Haffner (K 250).