Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on 27 January 1756 in Salzburg, then the capital of an independent archbishopric within the Holy Roman Empire. He was the youngest of seven children, only two of whom survived infancy: Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna, nicknamed Nannerl. His father, Leopold Mozart, was a violinist and composer in the court orchestra of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, and he quickly recognized the extraordinary talents of his children. By the age of three, Wolfgang was picking out chords on the harpsichord; by four, he began playing short pieces; and at five, he composed his first minuets. Leopold, ever the ambitious father, embarked on a series of European tours with Wolfgang and Nannerl from 1762 onward, showcasing the young prodigies to royal courts and noble patrons across Munich, Vienna, Paris, London, and the Hague. These journeys exposed Mozart to a vast array of musical styles and influential musicians, including Johann Christian Bach in London, whose galant style left a lasting impression. Mozart’s childhood was thus an accelerated education in international musical taste, and he absorbed everything with astonishing speed.

During his teenage years, Mozart made several journeys to Italy, the heartland of opera and sacred music. Between 1769 and 1773, he traveled there three times, visiting major cities like Rome, Naples, Milan, and Bologna. In Rome, he famously transcribed Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere from memory after a single hearing; in Bologna, he studied counterpoint with Padre Giovanni Battista Martini; and in Milan, he premiered his first opera seria, Mitridate, re di Ponto (1770), to great acclaim. By the time he returned to Salzburg, Mozart had already composed a large number of symphonies, string quartets, and sacred pieces. However, Salzburg offered limited opportunities for the ambitious composer. The new Prince-Archbishop, Hieronymus von Colloredo, was less indulgent than his predecessor, and Mozart’s role as a court musician chafed against his desire for independence. In 1777, he set out on a journey with his mother to Mannheim and Paris, seeking a more prestigious post. The trip was a failure: the Mannheim orchestra was impressive but could not offer him a permanent position, and his mother died suddenly in Paris in 1778. Disheartened, Mozart returned to Salzburg, where he grudgingly resumed his duties.

The turning point came in 1781 when Mozart’s opera Idomeneo premiered in Munich with great success. He then traveled to Vienna in the entourage of Archbishop Colloredo, who was attending the accession of Joseph II. A clash of wills led to Mozart’s dramatic resignation from the archbishop’s service, and he decided to settle in Vienna as a freelance musician. Vienna was the imperial capital and a thriving musical center, and Mozart initially enjoyed considerable success as a composer, pianist, and teacher. His early years in Vienna saw the composition of the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782), which established him as a leading composer of Singspiel. That same year, he married Constanze Weber, a young singer, against the initial opposition of his father.

The mid‑1780s marked the peak of Mozart’s popularity and his most productive period. He collaborated with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte on three of the greatest operas in the repertoire: The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Così fan tutte (1790). These works transcended the conventions of opera buffa and dramma giocoso, combining sublime music with piercing psychological insight and social commentary. At the same time, Mozart wrote a remarkable series of piano concertos, often for his own subscription concerts, including the lyrical Concerto No. 21 in C major and the dramatic No. 20 in D minor. His six string quartets dedicated to Joseph Haydn, whom he respected deeply, are masterpieces of the genre and reflect the influence of the older composer’s recent opus 33 quartets. Haydn famously told Leopold Mozart, “I tell you before God, and as an honest man, your son is the greatest composer known to me by person and repute.”

Despite these artistic triumphs, Mozart’s financial situation became increasingly precarious. The Viennese public’s fickle tastes shifted, and his income from concerts and commissions dwindled. His position as a court chamber musician to Emperor Joseph II, granted in 1787, provided a modest salary but insufficient security. Mozart and Constanze moved to cheaper lodgings, and he borrowed money from friends. Nevertheless, his creative powers never waned. The final year of his life, 1791, was especially productive. He composed two of his most beloved works: the opera The Magic Flute, a Masonic allegory of Enlightenment ideals, and the unfinished Requiem, commissioned anonymously by Count Franz von Walsegg. The opera The Clemenza di Tito, written for the coronation of Leopold II in Prague, also dates from this year. Mozart fell ill in the autumn of 1791 while completing The Magic Flute and died on 5 December, aged only 35. The cause of death has been much debated—rheumatic fever, streptococcal infection, and other theories have been proposed—but the exact illness remains uncertain.

Mozart was buried in a common grave in Vienna’s St. Marx Cemetery, in keeping with contemporary custom for all but the aristocracy. The legend that he was a pauper, however, is exaggerated; his financial troubles were episodic, and his final illness prevented him from completing several lucrative commissions. His posthumous reputation grew steadily throughout the 19th century. The early Romantic generation, including Beethoven, Schubert, and Chopin, revered his music and studied his scores. The Köchel catalogue of his works, first compiled in 1862 by Ludwig von Köchel, solidified his oeuvre in the public consciousness. Today, Mozart is celebrated not only for the sheer quantity of his output—over 600 compositions—but for its unfailing melodic beauty, formal perfection, and emotional depth. His operas remain central to the international repertoire; his symphonies, concertos, and chamber music are touchstones of Western classical music. Mozart’s influence on subsequent composers is incalculable, and his name is synonymous with musical genius.