Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart- Chosen Composer

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27th 1756 to a musical family and passed away on December 5th 1791 in Vienna.

Mozart’s family background:

His father, Leopold (born November 14th 1719), was a local musician and teacher who started Wolfgang. Leopold attended Salzburg Benedictine University and studied philosophy, but later was expelled due to poor attendance. Leopold however became proficient in violin and organ. He married Anna Maria Perti on November 21, 1747. Of the 7 children they had, only two survived: Maria Anna (1751) and Wolfgang Amadeus (1756). His older sister was nicknamed Nannerl, on their musical paths at young ages. By the end of his first decade, Mozart started touring with Nannerl throughout Europe, both billed as child prodigies on piano and violin.

Mozart’s childhood:

When Mozart was 4 years old, he was playing the same pieces as his sister who was 5 years older. At the age of 5, he wrote a miniature andante and allegro. In 1762, when Mozart was 6 years old, Leopold took Mozart and Maria Anna on tour throughout Vienna performing for nobles and ambassadors. Later when he was 7 years old, they began a 3 and a half years tour throughout Germany, France, England, Switzerland and other several countries.

Mozart’s teenage and early adult years:

Amid the many tours, Mozart wrote music for a number of occasions. In 1770, Mozart (only 14) was commissioned to write an opera (Mitridate, re di Ponto) by that December. He began work on the opera in October, and by December 26, after eight rehearsals, the show was performed. In 1777, Mozart left Salzburg with his mother to search for a high paying job, His travels lead him to Paris, where unfortunately, his mother became deathly ill. Mozart’s efforts to find a better job were unfruitful. He returned home two years later and continued working in the court as an organist with accompanying duties rather than a violinist. Mozart was offered an increase in salary and generous leave.

Mozart’s mid adult and late adult years:

After the successful premier of the opera Idomée in Munich in 1781, Mozart returned to Salzburg. Wanting to be released from his job as court organist, Mozart met with the archbishop. In March of 1781, Mozart was finally released from his duties and began working freelance. A year later, Mozart gave his first public concert consisting entirely of his own compositions. Mozart married Constanze Weber in July of 1782, despite his father's constant disapproval. As Mozart's compositions flourished, his debts did too; money always seemed a bit tight for him. In 1787, Mozart's father died. Mozart was deeply affected by the passing of his father, which can be seen in a lull in new compositions. Less than four years later, Mozart died of miliary fever in 1791.

As he developed his instrumental skills, Mozart also began composing music. He had already written large works by his early teenage years and studied with several established composers, such as Johann Christian Bach (Johann Sebastian's youngest son). As his career flourished and grew, Mozart became well-versed at composing music in a wide variety of genres, including opera, chamber music, masses, and large orchestral works. He died in 1791 at the young age of 35, but his music and life story still captivate audiences today.

How has Mozart influenced music?

Many important composers since Mozart's time have expressed profound appreciation of Mozart. Rossini averred, "He is the only musician who had as much knowledge as genius, and as much genius as knowledge." Beethoven used Mozart as a model a number of times: for example, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major demonstrates a debt to Mozart's Piano Concerto in C major, K. 503. Mozart has remained an influence in popular contemporary music in varying genres ranging from Jazz to modern Rock. For purposes of careful identification of any work by Mozart, the Köchel catalogue number is used. This is a unique number assigned (on a chronological basis) to every known work by Mozart. Ludwig von Köchel completed the first edition of the Köchel catalogue in 1862. It has repeatedly been updated since then, as scholarly research improves our knowledge of the dates and authenticity of individual works.

References: 

• http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/classicalperiod/tp/Top-Classical-Period-Composers.htm
• http://www.biography.com/people/wolfgang-mozart-9417115
• http://global.britannica.com/biography/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart
• http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/clas/mozart.html