Musical Terms

Below are definitions for the musical terms used in the play. The terms are followed by the page number where they can be found in the script. Please contact me if you have questions that are not answered here.

Adagio Movement (5)—Slow Section. Adagio means slow; it is slower than Andante but faster than Largo. A Movement is a self-contained part of a composition. Symphonies are often divided into movements. Etiquette note: at a concert, one should not applaud at the end of a movement but rather save your applause until the end of the composition, which may have several movements.

Clavichord (6)—a musical instrument much like a piano, but smaller. One distinctive feature of the sound of the clavichord is that this instrument is often "double-strung," in other words, there are two strings struck for each note. Below is a photo of a contemporary Clavichord and a link to some of Mozart's music played on a clavichord.

German Words and Phrases

Here is a list of the German words and phrases that you will find in the play. The page number where they appear in the script is listed after each word.

Click on the link for pronunciations for the most basic phrases in German. The words followed by an asterisk(*), below are included on this page. Click on a word to hear it pronounced by a very upbeat German guy.

auf Wiedersehen* (5, 16, 38)—the most formal way of saying Goodbye.

Ja* (6, 9)—Yes

Liebchen (6, 18)—Sweetheart or Dear. Mein Liebchen: My dear

Kappelmeister (6)—Literally Chapel-Master, or Choir-Master. The person in charge of music and/or the leader of an orchestra or choir.

Herr (13, 17, 20)—Mister, a term of address for a man or young man.

Wunderkind (16)—wonderkid

guten Morgen* (16)—Good Morning

Wunderbar (17, 18)—Wonderful!

Schatzi (17, 19)—Little Treasure, Darling

Fraulein (18)—Miss, a term of address for an unmarried young woman.

Danke* (19)—Thank you

Projection Design Process--Basic Images

The Projection Designer is Dominic Abbenante. He will be working with a range of images to help create the variety of locations that our characters visit in the play. The images in these posts are the result of his early research into the world of Mozart and Symphony of Clouds. His work involves both researching and finding the best images to help tell the story and altering or combining those images to create original blends that best reflect the world of our play. He will work with up to three projectors at a time, projecting onto the set and two large drops (specialized cloths) to create the images the audience will see. Dom is a student in the SDSU MFA in Design and Technical Theatre. His adviser is faculty member Craig Wolf.

Projection Design Process--Basic Images, Clouds 1

Projection Design Process--Basic Images, Clouds 2

Projection Design Process--Basic Images, Salzburg 1

Projection Design Process--Basic Images, Salzburg 2

Images of the home of the Mozart family, Salzburg, Austria.

Lighting Design Process--Inspiration

The Lighting Designer is Eben Alguire. He is a graduate student in the SDSU MFA in Design and Technical Theatre. His adviser is faculty member Craig Wolf. Lighting design is an important part of any production, as it can help create a mood and atmosphere on the stage. Lighting designers often start by collecting images that embody an aspect that they would like to bring to the stage; it may be a color or a quality of light, or the way that the light falls on the subjects in the image. For Symphony of Clouds, Eben collected these images in his first round of research.

Lighting Design Process--Inspiration Part I

Lighting Design Process--Inspiration Part II

Preliminary Designs for Costumes, Part IV

Below are preliminary costume design renderings by designer Jonathan Southwell. These preliminary renderings came out of a two-pronged research process. Jonathan was inspired by clothing from the time period in which Mozart lived (especially for the members of Mozart's family) as well as a more fantastical version of elements of clothes from the period for the Cloud Chorus characters. These preliminary design ideas were shared on November 10, 2010.
Preliminary design rendering for Mozart.
Preliminary design rendering for Wagenseil, the Court Composer.
Preliminary design rendering of the three Musicians, Maestro Staccato, Maestro Legato, and Maestro Fortissimo. See below for a colored rendering of Maestro Fortissimo.
Preliminary design rendering for the Cloud Chorus, emphasizing the ease of movement needed for these characters.

Preliminary Designs for Costumes, Part III

Preliminary costume design renderings by Jonathan Southwell. Here are the designs for Mozart's family.
Preliminary design rendering for Mozart's father, Leopold.Preliminary design rendering for Mozart's mother, Anna Maria. Note the fabric swatches that give a sense of the colors and textures envisioned for these costumes.
Preliminary design rendering for Mozart's sister, Nannerl.
Preliminary design rendering for the character Constanza.

Preliminary Designs for Costumes, Part II

Here are preliminary designs for the costumes, designed by Jonathan Southwell.

A rendering of the costume for Maestro Fortissimo, one of the 3 Musician characters.
Preliminary design renderings for the women in the Cloud Chorus.
A preliminary design rendering for part of the Cloud Piano Trio, the Candelabra.
Preliminary design rendering for the Hairdresser characters. Note the exciting hair!

Preliminary Designs for Costumes, Part I

Here you can see the preliminary designs for the costumes. Jonathan Southwell is the designer. Costume designers use inspirational images as a way to brainstorm the style of clothing, the colors, and the textures they will use as they create a look for each of the characters. A next step in the process is to create renderings, or drawings of the costumes, as you see below.
Preliminary renderings of the Cloud Queen and King.
A preliminary design for the Empress.
A preliminary design for the Emperor.
Design ideas for characters who make a brief appearance on stage, such as the Palace Physician.
Preliminary design renderings of the men in the Cloud Chorus.