Limelight — May 2017

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au

1791:RIGHTS OF MAN ENTER THE

WORLDASMOZARTMAKESANEXIT

Inothernews,FranceandHaitihoveronthebrinkofrespective

revolutionswhileMethodism’sJohnWesleybidsfarewelltolife

1000 YEARS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

I

n1791,theworldteetersonthebrinkof

seismicchange:theFrenchRevolution–

thefirstinaseriesofEuropeanpolitical

upheavals – is underway; and the Industrial

Revolution is changing the working

practices and living conditions of millions.

Asanoptimisticantidote,inBerlina new

monument is completed: the

Brandenburg Gate, modeled on

theentrancetotheAcropolis

inAthens,istopped

by Eirene, the goddess

of peace, and named

Friedenstor–PeaceGate.

Forsome,though,Europe’s

increasingturmoilisnecessary

to progress. In 1791, Thomas

Paine publishesRights of Man,a

collection of articles that defends the French

Revolutionasatimelyreactiontodespotism.

Rights,heargues,arenotgrantedby

government:theyaregrantedbynature,

anditistheresponsibilityofrulerstoprotect

them, something the French monarchy

hadnotachieved.Paine’sthinkingstrikes

achord,andhisworkgoesontosellover

one million copies. In Haiti, meanwhile,

people are taking umbrage with the French

more directly: the slaves of Saint-Domingue

beginacivilwar,whichwillendin1803

withthedefeatofNapoleon’sforcesandthe

establishmentofHaitiasasovereignnation.

Social revolution accompanies political

revolution, not least in the way that millions

of people interact with the church. John

Wesley, founder of Methodism

alongside his brother Charles,

dies in 1791, leaving a church

with a unique engagement

withkeysocialissuesofthe

day including prison reform

andtheabolitionofslavery.

John Wesley began his time

as a minister by preaching to

informal, outdoor congregations,

establishinggrass-rootsconnectionwith

his new ways of worship. In 2002, a BBC

poll would place John Wesley as the 50th

Greatest Briton of all time.

In1791,WolfgangAmadeusMozart

isalsointhelastyearofhislife,buthe

seemstohavebusinesstofinishbefore

hisuntimelydeathattheageof35.Inhis

finalmonths,hebeginsoneofthemost

extraordinary creative outpourings in all

art, writingThe Magic Flute,hisfinalpiano

concerto, the motetAve Verum Corpus,the

Requiem, and his Clarinet Concerto.

TheclarinetwasanewarrivalinMozart’s

day. Instrument-makers had made some

improvementstothedesign,whichgave

theclarinetamoreattractivesoundacross

itswholeregister,fromthelowestnotesto

the highest, and also made the fingering

easier.Mozartlovedthemellowsoundof

theinstrument–forhim,itwastheclosest

to the sound of the human voice – and he

hadamonghisfriendsoneofthegreatest

clarinetistsoftheage,AntonStadler.This

inspiredhimtofeaturetheclarinetinsome

of his most sublime creations, culminating

intheClarinetConcerto,whichStadler

premieredinOctober1791,alasjusttwo

monthsbeforethecomposer’sdeath.

Visit 1000YearsofClassicalMusic.com to

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ABBCpollwould

place John Wesley

as the 50th Greatest

Briton of all times

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