Some of Western civilization's greatest musical figures are household names. Everyone knows them - by name, at least - and acclaims them as "great." But what makes them great? In any era, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of good composers. But only a few are great.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart undeniably was great. Can Mozart's greatness, or at least some of it, be explained to a person interested in knowing how he was great? Of course. Mozart's genius was astonishing, but not supernatural. His music is right there on paper. One can see, surprisingly clearly, a near-perfect unification of profound expressiveness and impeccable craftsmanship. We'll explore several representative instances from Mozart's oeuvre. The question we'll attempt to answer is, "What makes Mozart great?"

Instructor Bio: Martin J. Bergee is a professor emeritus of music education at the University of Kansas. Prior to his appointment at KU, he taught at the University of Missouri. Before his years at MU, Dr. Bergee taught high school and middle school band in St. Joseph, Missouri. In higher education, he has taught undergraduate courses in instructional methods and graduate courses in educational foundations and research techniques. Dr. Bergee's research interests include the history of instrumental music in schools and music performance assessment.