Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart (1756-1791)
Mozart was born on January 27th, 1756 into an extremely musically gifted family. By the age of 6 he was writing his first compositions. Leopold Mozart was his Father. He was an instructor, composer and author of a violin playing book which is still in use today. He was employed by the archbishop of Salzburg. Leopold and Anna Maria, emphasized the importance of music in the lives of all their children. Mozart began performing alongside his older sister, Nannerl, who was also musically gifted, but could not take her talents as far as a woman. Mozart was a rare child prodigy and he studied composers like Hadyn and Bach. When he was 26, he married Constanze Weber in August of 1782. They had a successful marriage and had six children, although only two of them survived. Mozart was his most prolific and successful following his marriage. He composed the Haffner and Linze symphonies and five string quartets. Between the years 1784 and 1786, he composed nine piano concertos and three of them are in the opera The Marriage of Figaro. His second opera, Don Giovanni, came out in the year 1787. He created the bulk of his works in his final years. His most famous pieces from this time are Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and the Clarinet Quintet in A. He also wrote three of his 41 sympnoies: Cosi fan Tutte, three piano trios, two piano sonatas, three string quartets, and the Coronation piano concerto. As his health declined in 1790, his work began to slow as well. In 1791, he composed The Magic Flute, the Clarinet Concerto, and the Requiem. Unfortunately, Requiem remained unfinished, because he died in Vienna in 1791, just before his 36th birthday. (292)
Biography. “Wolfgang Mozart.” Biography, 13 Aug. 2020, www.biography.com/musician/wolfgang-mozart.
“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Biography, Music, The Magic Flute, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Mar. 2022, www.britannica.com/biography/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart.
“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) | Composer | Biography, Music and Facts.” Classic FM, www.classicfm.com/composers/mozart. Accessed 24 Apr. 2022.
