"The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves." -- John Adams

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution." -- Indiana Constitution Article 1, Section 6.

"...no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." – Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Musical Interlude: 260 years of Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg Austria on July 27, 1756. Today is his 260th birthday.

Mozart had composed over 600 works by the time he died at the early age of 35. He wrote his first piano piece at the age of 5, his first symphony at age 8, and his first opera when he was 11.

The three pieces below written over a period of 6 years (from age 5 to 11) show an amazing growth and maturity for someone so young.

The Allegro in C, written by a five year old...




...and an entire symphony, albeit a short one, written by an 8 year old...




I'm not a big fan of opera, but this short piece about the recording of Mozart's first opera, Apollo and Hyacinth, gives some interesting facts and displays the beauty of Mozart's music.





Further Reading
Postscript
  • I wonder how Mozart would have done on his state achievement test...


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