Mozart, Phi, and Brown's Da Vinci Code

Mozart and Brown's Da Vinci Code in Phi

This is a very interesting topic that Terry brought up in a discussion from one of my Mozart groups.

For anyone familiar with Dan Brown's controversial bestseller The Da Vinci Code, we come across a reference in page 134, well, in Terry's copy and in mine. Robert Langdon the professor is talking to his students about PHI, which he calls the Divine Proportion or 1.618. He says it occurs in nature, in art, in architecture, and "appeared in the organizational structure of Mozart's sonatas."

Constanze Mozart and Photo

27 July 2006

This post by Mrs. Selby is a reaction to my earlier post "Photo of Mozart's Widow Found."  Refer to the link of the photo in question. 26 July, 2006 )

Photo Claimed to be that of Constanze Mozart's, Wife of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

By Agnes Selby, Guest Writer

I wish I could agree with the newspapers which seem to have found it newsworthy to publish a photograph of Constanze Mozart. No research into this matter has been done either by the Press nor the authorities in Altotting. (Or Altottingen, which ever you prefer).

The photo surfaced a long time ago but it has been found that the claim that this is Constanze Mozart cannot be supported and it was placed in the files at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. For some reason it has surfaced, again without any substantiation.

Mozart and the Order of the Golden Spur

MOZART / Order of Golden Spur

"On 26 June 1770, Mozart was awarded the Order of the Golden Spur by pope Pope Clement XIV. By receiving this honor, Mozart was appointed Comes palatinus Lateranus, i.e. Papal Count Palatine who in his home country had the right to use the predicate of nobility and to claim the social status that was connected with knighthood. Being a recipient of the first grade of the Papal Order, Mozart had more right to consider himself a nobleman than his colleague Gluck who had only received the second grade of that order. During his later life, Mozart never claimed his status as nobleman. A trace of his title only appears in his signature which he graced with the syllable "Ca" for the Italian word "Cavaliere"." - from "Wolfgang von Mozart" by Dr. Michael Lorenz.

Excerpts: 
(From Accademia Filarmonica Di Bologna, shared by Gerhard Spitz, Admin of our Facebook group, European Mozart Ways.)

"June 26, 1770. Just 27 hours of travel back to Rome: ′′ We really flew!", Leopold writes. We have often told about Amadeo's travel conditions, but during this relocation an accident occurs and to protect his son during the crash, Leopold injured his foot. It will be the beginning of a long recovery for the travelling musician, a recurring topic (with annexed complaints) in many of the remaining letters of these summer months. But at least now father and son are back in Rome."

"July 5, 1770. Clement XIV awarded Amadeo of the Order of the Golden Speron. Not the first musician to receive it, but definitely the youngest. And at such a solemn moment, Leopold can't help but commenting with his wife: ′′ You can imagine how much I laugh when I hear everyone call him Mr. Cavalier ", besides, the guy is just 14 years old and waving his signature sister : Cavalier de Mozart!"

Order of the Golden Spur

The Order of the Golden Militia / Order of the Golder Spur is a Papal order of knighthood conferred upon those who have rendered distinguished service in propagating the Catholic Faith, or who have contributed to the glory of the Church, either by feat of arms, writings, or other illustrious acts. It is one of the oldest papal orders, and its membership is restricted to one hundred throughout the world.

In 1841 it was absorbed into the Order of Saint Sylvester but Pius X restored it to the status of a separate order and placed it under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin.

Nota Bene from Mozart Friends

Acknowledging with gratitude and delight immediate responses of my invitation from friends and colleagues to visit my first website, Classical Music Lounge. Here are some stimulating comments, in parts:

Prof. Dr. Hans Ueckert:
"Dear Tel,
Looks great, your Classical Music Lounge! Since I'm an absolute "blog innocent" I just played a little around at your website. Most interesting by-product of doing so was that many pages turn out to be in German, particularly help pages and headings of info pages (e.g. at your "View my complete profile" page)..."

(Note: I'll be announcing Hans's project 'due opere buffe', in particular, its advance performance in a separate entry. Everyone's welcome to discuss interesting points of the Mozart project.

Ben Santillan:
"... thanks for sharing your knowledge, tel. where do you get all the time and energy to do everything you're doing. I'd be very interested to know what you learn about mozart's use of PHI...

The best book I've read about the esoteric sciences and secret societies is Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, and he's a real semiotic professor. Semiotics, as you may well know, is the study of signs. There is no such study as symbology, or if there is, it is to semiotics what astrology is to astronomy..."

Maureen Allen (another dear friend, former host of Classical Music at Bella Online):
"Dear Tel, what a great idea! Leave it to you to come up with a way for classical music lovers to share their interest as well as their opinions, etc. After I finish this, I'll go on over and see your new site..."

Daisy Brambletoes: (artist, writer, critic, support, friend ...)
"... Oh, that's really nice, Tel! I like that quite a lot. How do you contribute to it?"

Wim vingerhoed: My roving friend-photographer of Mozart, classical music, and many more ... for all the images and support through the years.

Liz Ringrose: "This is a lovely site. Well done. I keep dipping into it between chunks of re-writing my novel. Did Giacomo Casanova really receive the Golden Spur??? Whatever did he do to promote Catholicism? Fascinating."

Terry McIntee: "Just popped into Classical Music Lounge for a brief visit. What a great idea. It looks fantastic."


(c)  July 2006. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Photo found: Mozart's Widow Constanze Mozart

26 July 2006

Earlier, a friend Amarnath, from one of my Mozart groups sent this info to me:  "Tel, I saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you should see it. This may be an interesting item for your Classical Music Lounge."

I hastened to BBC News website.

Amarnath thinks that there seems to be some mistake in the narrative about the position of Contanze in the picture. It came to mind immediately the one person I know who would be able and delighted to enlighten me on this, none other than dear friend Agnes Selby, author of Constanze, Mozart's Beloved.

** Photo of Mozart's widow found **
A copy of the only photo of Mozart's widow Constanze Weber is found in a Bavarian town.

Quotes, Anecdotes, and Notes: On Mozart and By Mozart.

Quotes by famous composers about Mozart. There are lots more quotes proliferating around, including those from my Mozart and classical music groups, but these are amongst favourites, and speaking of a favourite book of quotations about this wunderkind, I find Mozartiana by Joseph Solman the best.

To Mozart lovers and enthusiasts, it is always fascinating to know what other composers say about him. Sometimes, one reads or hears about the quotes but is unable to identify the famous composer who said it.  Mozart was Tchaikovsky's hero, who described his attitude to the wunderkind as one of "passionate worship." Here are some of these familiar quotations, reflective of how they relate to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

One of Mozart's most popular works, A Little Night Music (Eine kleine nachmusik), is a serenade of the 18th century which he wrote during a fateful year in his life. This was in 1787 when his father died in Salzburg, but Mozart was in Vienna and was too ill to attend it. This was also the same year that one of Mozart's greatest admirers, the 16-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven visited him, however, there is no evidence on this meeting. 


Quote by Mozart: 

"It is a mistake to think that the practice of my art has became easy to me.
I assure you, dear friend, no one has given so much care to the study of composition as I. There is scarcely a famous master in music whose works I have not frequently and diligently studied ".

(Spoken by Mozart in Prague 1787, to conductor Kucharz, who led rehearsals for Mozart's famous opera DON GIOVANNI. Mozart the Man and the Artist, by Friedrich Kerst, p.17. Honestly, it doesn't sound like Mozart to me. Any comments from a Mozartian is welcome.)

Quotes on Mozart

"The marvelous beauty of his quartets and quintets, and of some of his sonatas, first converted me to this celestial genius, whom whence forth I worshipped." ~ Hector Berlioz, Memoirs

"It is hard to think of another composer who so perfectly marries form and passion." ~ Leonard Bernstein

Classical Music

What do I mean by classical music for this site? It is a broad term. In this website, it has two meanings: first, I refer it to the music of the Classical period, circa 1750-1830, as personified by Franz Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven, and second, I refer classical to 'art' music, as opposed to popular, jazz or folk music.

As interest dictates, my scope mainly covers the earliest music chants to late Romantic Periods. And who can discount J.S. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi in Baroque, or the madrigals of the Renaissance?

The Classical period has been called the Golden Age of Music for it was this time that the major forms of classical music were fully developed. These forms are the symphony, concerto, sonata and string quartet.

With classical music, the importance of formal structure in the arts - symmetry and form - was stressed, as against the elaborate ornamentation of the Baroque, giving way to new simplicity and elegance. This does not mean that the emotional content of Baroque was dispensed with, for it was ever present, but was never allowed to block the clarity and formal structure in Classical music.

I'm not after a scholarly pursuit or a dissertation of the life, times and music of a maestro being mentioned or discussed, although it's fine by me too, personally. But I'd like a lighter treatment of entries as we go along.  A stimulating discussion is splendid. Above all, I want my friends and interested visitors to enjoy and have fun.

Viva musica!

Regards, Tel
26 July 2006

Joyous Enthusiasm Continues

Joyous Enthusiasm

  Classical Music Lounge  is an offshoot of my earliest Inspired Pen website that included expression of my diverse interests. The site spotlights classical music, and aims to share insights about classical music in general, composers, their lives and their music. And what is classical music without my lifelong favourite composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

Quality music deserves more than just casual listening, it is a language of subtlety. Hearing the flow of a concerto or the intensity of a swelling orchestra can create different moods - serenity, excitement and perhaps cataclysm. Such is the power of music.

With joyous enthusiasm, along with my musings and reflections, I will endeavour to integrate the lives and music of these greatest composers and their gift of music.


Tel / 26 July 2006