Clarinet Concerto in A Major A大调单簧管协奏曲

When a person is face to face with severe ailments or even death, how would they respond? Some people might turn paranoid; some might lie back and give up on life; Some few, however, use the remaining short time to follow their passion or try their best to contribute to the world. Mozart is one of the few. Towards the last stages of his dramatic life, he suffered seriously from fever. Yet it was precisely during this period of suffering that he composed one of the most well-known pieces of classical music - "Clarinet Concerto in A Major." This piece, especially the most renowned second movement, can perfectly showcase the attitude of a great musician towards the end of his life. From my point of view, in the second movement, one can still, touchingly, perceive the warming optimism and positivity present in almost all of Mozart's compositions. Yet, I believe this movement, probably influenced by his health status and surrounding environment, contains deeper flows of emotion, or even philosophical thoughts, that makes it unique among his other pieces. 

Although Mozart was severely ill at the time, one can hardly hear desperation or even pessimism in this piece. The tonality of the entire concerto, including the second movement, is A major, which delivers an uplifting, warm sensation. Although the tempo of the second movement is not relatively brisk, the slower tempo does successfully create a more peaceful, warmer atmosphere. Another element to note that might help deliver positive feelings is the articulation. Through most of the piece, "legato" is consistently heard. "Legato" has a different effect compared to "staccato." Legato prolongs the impact of each note and phrase and thus allows them to convey emotions more effectively and thoroughly. Shockingly, Mozart kept this positivity in his pieces towards his death. Although he was in a poor and battered state, his heart never was deprived of hope. This positivity, this naiveness, demonstrated in his last fully-finished piece, is genuinely touching.

But is it only simple optimism or positivity that we hear from this piece? I think not. A person must examine the impacts of imminent death on the individual to comprehend anything more profound in the music of Mozart. For anyone, knowing that potentially the Grim Reaper will appear is enough to make that person reflect and contemplate on their life, their decisions, and their relationship with the world around them. For Mozart, knowing that the persistent fever could take his life, he probably spent some time looking back on his life and looking at the surrounding world. This observation would have caused him to gain a more profound understanding of his life. As a result, in this movement, we can perceive peacefulness and open-mindedness in the music, a kind of peacefulness and open-mindedness that we would typically expect a wise elder that has experienced a lot in life to demonstrate. If Mozart were not in that state of health and in that stage of his life, he would not have been able to display this peaceful, almost philosophical disposition in the music because he would not have the incentive to reflect upon his journey full-heartedly. This philosophical disposition makes this movement unique and touching, as we hear from such a talented composer's last, rich expression of thoughts and emotions. 

Overall, in the second movement of the "Clarinet Concerto in A Major," we can enjoy the naïve, confident, optimistic spirits of Mozart again. But what sets this movement apart from his other pieces is probably that this piece contains more profound thoughts and feelings towards his life and the world. Legend has it that when Mozart was fervently writing this concerto down in an ill state, he would sometimes faint and drop to the ground. Yet despite being tormented by his ailments, Mozart followed where his heart, his talent led him to and refused to give up. This last, glorious, open-minded stand in front of fate, and this last sincere embracement of life, portrayed movingly in this movement, in particular, are the actual reasons behind the solid emotional impact this piece brings to the audience.

WORKS CITED

"Sabine Meyer, Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major KV 622." YouTube, 
     HarpsichordA6, 14 June 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVgdHjL4a-4&t=469s. 
     Accessed 18 Feb. 2022.

PICTURES CITED

https://www.musicshopeurope.com/mozart-clarinet-concerto-in-a-major-k-622-hl00400047

当一个人面对严重的疾病甚至是死亡时，他们会如何应对？有些人可能会变成偏执狂；有些人可能会屈服，放弃生命；但也有少数人利用剩下的短暂时间来追寻自己的激情，或尽力为世界作出贡献。莫扎特无疑是这少数人中的一个。在他戏剧性生活的最后阶段，他被发烧严重折磨。然而，正是在这段痛苦的时期，他创作了最著名的古典音乐作品之一 "A大调单簧管协奏曲"。这首曲子，尤其是最著名的第二乐章，可以完美地展示出一位伟大的音乐家在其生命末期的态度。在我看来，在第二乐章中，人们仍然可以感性地感知到莫扎特几乎所有作品中存在的令人温暖的乐观主义和积极性。然而，我认为这个乐章，可能受到他的健康状况和周围环境的影响，包含了更深层次的情感流露，甚至是哲学思想，这使得它在他的所有作品中显得与众不同。

尽管莫扎特当时身患重病，但在这首曲子中，人们几乎听不到绝望甚至悲观的情绪。整首协奏曲的调性，包括第二乐章，都是A大调，给人以振奋、温暖的感觉。尽管第二乐章的节奏并不相对轻快，但较慢的节奏确实成功地创造了一种更平和、更温暖的气氛。另一个需要注意的可能有助于传递积极情感的因素是连奏。在这首曲子的大部分时间里，连奏一直被听到。与断奏比，连奏有着不同的效果。连奏延长了每个音符和乐句的效果，从而使它们能更有效、更彻底地传达情感。令人震惊的是，甚至当他直面死亡时，莫扎特在他的作品中仍保持这种积极向上或乐观性。虽然他时常处于贫穷和受各种健康问题打击的状态，但他的心从未被剥夺过希望。这种积极性、这种天真在他最后一首完整的作品中被淋漓尽致地表现出来，令人感动。

但是，我们从这篇作品中听到的仅仅是简单的乐观或积极的态度吗？我认为不是。一个人必须体悟死亡对个体的影响，才能理解莫扎特音乐中更深层次的情感或思想。对任何人来说，知道 "死神 "可能会出现，就足以让这个人思考他的生活、他的决定，以及他与周围世界的关系。对莫扎特来说，知道持续的、不明原因的发烧可能夺走他的生命，他一定花了一些时间回顾自己的生活，并观察环绕他的世界。这种观察会使他对自己的生活和生命有更深刻的理解。因此，在这一乐章中，我们可以在音乐中察觉到一种更加平和与豁达的情绪，一种我们通常期望一个在生活中经历过很多事情的明智的长者所表现出来的平和与豁达。我相信，如果莫扎特不是处于那种健康状态和生命的那个阶段，他就不可能在音乐中表现出这种平和的、近乎哲学的性情，因为他不会有动力去全心全意地思考他一生的旅程。这种哲学的性情又一次使这一乐章独特而感人，我们听到了这样一位天才作曲家最后丰富、深刻的思想和情感表达。

总的来说，在 "A大调单簧管协奏曲 "的第二乐章中，我们可以再次享受到莫扎特的天真、自信、乐观的精神。但这一乐章与他的其他作品不同的是，这首曲子可能包含了对他的生活和世界更深刻的思考和感受。传说莫扎特在病中狂热地写下这首协奏曲时，有时会突然晕倒在地。然而，尽管被病痛折磨着，莫扎特还是追随他的心，他的天性，跟随着它们的引导，拒绝放弃。第二乐章中所描绘的这种最后的、光荣的、豁达面对命运并真诚热爱生活的立场，是这首曲子能够给听众带来强烈情感冲击的真正原因。