Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Biography

Austrian Composer of Die Zauberflöte and Così Fan Tutte

Apr 22, 2007

Life and Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - child prodigy, musical genius, and arguably, the greatest composer.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer of the Classical Era, was born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756. His parents were Leopold Mozart, a composer himself and brilliant violinist, and mother, Maria Anna Pertl. Of the seven children, only Mozart and his older sister, Maria Anna or "Nannerl" as family called her, survived infancy.

Early Training and First European Tour

Early on in their childhood, Nannerl and Wolfgang showed musical promise. An excellent teacher, it was natural that Leopold Mozart became the children's first teacher. At that time, he was a court musician of the Salzburg archbishop, and author of a well-known book on violin-playing. Wolfgang Mozart was an amazing infant prodigy who began to play the harpsichord at the age of three, compose at the age of five, and wrote his first minuet at six. At seven, he went on his First European Tour with his family.

The Wonder Years: More Travels and Early Compositions

The family lived for years touring and playing over Europe. Before his ninth birthday, Mozart composed his first symphony, wrote his first oratorio at age eleven, and his first opera the following year. His teenage years were productive years as he forged more travels, compositions and early performances.

Mozart the Man

As a young man, while in one of his European travels in Mannheim, Mozart fell in love with a young soprano, Aloysia Weber, a cousin of composer Carl Maria von Weber. His love was not reciprocated. A year later, in 1778, his beloved mother died in Paris. With double heartache of his mother and first love, he returned to Salzburg. He found work at the court but unhappy with its restrictions. Mozart left Salzburg for Vienna in 1781, and decided to go solo, a freelance musician.

Marriage to Constanze Weber

He married Constanze Weber, Aloysia's younger sister, on August 4, 1782. Mozart and his wife Constanze Weber seemingly always lacked money, probably because he also gambled. He didn't have a good health, and his life was filled with difficulties. Yet we rarely see evidence of these hardships in his music, but rather, we hear a lively disposition and graceful spirit, credit to his mother. Mozart and constanze had four sons and two daughters but only two sons outlived their father, Karl Thomas Mozart the older one, and Franz Xavier Wolfgang Mozart.

Friendship with Haydn

Mozart also met the older Joseph Haydn he called 'Papa Haydn,' and a lasting friendship developed. Haydn's works had a strong influence on Wolfgang Mozart. In gratitude, Mozart dedicated six string quartets to him, the six Haydn Quartets.

The play and film Amadeus certainly advertised Mozart, but immensely misrepresented his life and work. The myth depicting him as simple-minded with a miraculous gift of music is far from the complicated truth.

Final Years and Requiem

While working on his "Requiem," he died at the young age of 35, on December 5, 1791. He believed even as he wrote it that it would be his own requiem. The opening theme of the "Kyrie" is one used by both Bach and Handel. This is not surprising, as the influence of these Baroque masters, especially the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, was deep and lasting on Mozart.

Musical Genius

Mozart was a comprehensively gifted musician. He belonged to the classical period of the second half of the 18th century, the "Age of Enlightenment", the complex movement involving the revolt of the spirit. Towards the end of his life Mozart turned from formal religion to Freemasonry. This period was also the "Age of Elegance."

This musical genius, from age three until he died at thirty-five, scarcely had a day's rest. His thoughts were always occupied with music. No other prodigy has approached Mozart's ability to combine a musical imagination with a total mastery of style and form, a perfect blending of the French elegance, German knowledge and Italian art.

The Viennese Classics

Arguably, in the era of Viennese classicism there are masters of the highest caliber like Haydn, Gluck, Beethoven and Schubert, to name a few, (the last two as transition composers to the Romantic era), but no other classical music composer has ever written in the great range of genres at the same time excelled in all of them as Mozart. A prolific composer, Mozart's major works include more than 20 piano concerti, 24 string quartets, 35 violin sonatas, 5 violin concerti, concerti for clarinet and other wind instruments, chamber music, masses, and more than 45 symphonies.

Mozart's Milestones

Mozart's Four Famous Operas

Mozart's Other Most Popular Works