The Wind Band in Mozart's Operas - Origins, Function, and Legacy

This dissertation investigates the use of wind
instruments in Mozart's operas. Where are the
origins of Mozart s wind band ? What
are the innovative ways in which he uses wind
instruments? Why did he employ such full orchestral
forces in his later operas and not in his symphonies
and concertos? What was the legacy prompted by
Mozart s use of wind instruments and how did his
innovations influence the next generation of
composers? The genesis of the classical symphony
orchestra is to be found in the Viennese and
Bohemian wind bands of the time, combined with the
Italian style opera orchestra. This is nowhere more
apparent than in the stage works of Mozart. It is
Mozart, by virtue of the fact that he was a composer
of symphonies, concertos and operas, who was at the
forefront of this development. The origins of
the high-Classical orchestra are to be found, more
than anywhere else, in Mozart s mature operas. The
synthesis of German symphonic style and the more
string dominated Italian operatic style is at the
core of this development, and the Viennese and
Bohemian fondness for wind instruments was a key
factor in this evolution.

Autorentext
William Halpin is on the faculty of DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, Ireland. He studied conducting at the University of Connecticut with Jeffrey Renshaw where he became interested in the wind music of Mozart and this inspired him to write his dissertation, The Wind Band in Mozart's Operas - Origins, Function, and Legacy.

Klappentext
This dissertation investigates the use of wind instruments in Mozart's operas. Where are the origins of Mozart's "wind band"? What are the innovative ways in which he uses wind instruments? Why did he employ such full orchestral forces in his later operas and not in his symphonies and concertos? What was the legacy prompted by Mozart's use of wind instruments and how did his innovations influence the next generation of composers? The genesis of the classical symphony orchestra is to be found in the Viennese and Bohemian wind bands of the time, combined with the Italian style opera orchestra. This is nowhere more apparent than in the stage works of Mozart. It is Mozart, by virtue of the fact that he was a composer of symphonies, concertos and operas, who was at the forefront of this development. The origins of the "high-Classical" orchestra are to be found, more than anywhere else, in Mozart's mature operas. The synthesis of German symphonic style and the more string dominated Italian operatic style is at the core of this development, and the Viennese and Bohemian fondness for wind instruments was a key factor in this evolution.