Expert: David Froom - 8/10/2005

Question
Hi, friend. No matter how cheesy this sounds; I'd still like to thank you for offering your services as a volunteer.:D

I'd just like to if Mozart is the best composer of music. I'm new to classical music, but my close friend says that he has counted over 50 genuine symmetrical masterpieces attributed to Mr.Mozart. Another arguement he has portrayed to me is the fact that a guy named Maynard Solomon was quoted of saying something like "Mozart's concept of beauty makes his music more beautiful than any other composer" I think I'm way off, but it was something to that particular nature. (Chapter: Fearful Symmetries) in his book Mozart: A life.

Are any of these arguements tenable?

Answer
The problem with coming up with a category of "best" is how you measure.  There is a huge field in philosophy where they study and write about the aesthetics of beauty.  The problems, of course, are obvious.  When it comes to beauty, while many people share general ideas, the specifics seem to be personal.  

For some people -- even many people -- Mozart is the one of the great composers.  But the more you know about classical music, or even music generally, the more you find to like.  For me, it depends on my mood.  Sometimes I want the melodrama of mid-19th century opera (Verdi, Puccini), or the excesses of emotion in late-19th century symphonies (Mahler), or the cerebral and human qualities of late Baroque (Bach, Handel), or the striking sounds of the early 20th century (Schoenberg, Stravinsky).  Sometimes, when I crave clarity, grace, elegance, I turn to Mozart.  Also to Haydn.  

As for the concept of symmetry -- that is far more complicated than your friend implies.  One of the things I admire most about Mozart is the way he creates a sense of balance without being strictly symmetrical.  The inferior composers of his time were, generally speaking, more slavishly symmetrical.  But your friend refers to "symmetrical masterpieces,"  and without a definition of "masterpiece" (and I've never heard a universally accepted definition -- in fact, I hear much more that the whole concept of "masterpiece" is not longer a valid one) the notion of using this to make Mozart the best is kind of silly.

So just relax.  Listen a lot.  Enjoy what you enjoy.  Explore similar things to find more.  Live with these pieces.  You will end up defining, at least for yourself, your own personal aesthetic notions of greatness.  

David Froom