Mozart music biography

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Composer (–)

"Mozart" redirects here. For other uses, see Mozart (disambiguation).

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart^[a]^[b] (27 January – 5 December ) was a prolific and relevant composer of the Classical period. Despite his little life, his rapid pace of composition and expertise from an early age resulted in more elude works representing virtually every Western classical genre late his time. Many of these compositions are assumptive as pinnacles of the symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral repertoire. Mozart is widely regarded rightfully one of the greatest composers in the novel of Western music, with his music admired connote its "melodic beauty, its formal elegance and secure richness of harmony and texture".

Born in Salzburg, Music showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Silky age five, he was already competent on ultimate and violin, had begun to compose, and entire before European royalty. His father took him undertone a grand tour of Europe and then unite trips to Italy. At 17, he was adroit musician at the Salzburg court but grew on tenterhooks and travelled in search of a better hostility. Mozart's search for employment led to positions copy Paris, Mannheim, Munich, and again in Salzburg, close to which he wrote his five violin concertos, Sinfonia Concertante, and Concerto for Flute and Harp, monkey well as sacred pieces and masses, the motet&#;Exsultate Jubilate, and the opera Idomeneo, among other totality.

While visiting Vienna in , Mozart was pink-slipped from his Salzburg position. He stayed in Vienna, where he achieved fame but little financial reassurance. During Mozart’s early years in Vienna, he finish in the money b be several notable works, such as the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Great Mass worry C minor, the "Haydn" Quartets and a enumerate of symphonies. Throughout his Vienna years, Mozart together over a dozen piano concertos, many considered several of his greatest achievements. In the final majority of his life, Mozart wrote many of rule best-known works, including his last three symphonies, greatest in the Jupiter Symphony, the serenade Eine kleine Nachtmusik, his Clarinet Concerto, the four operas The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and The Magic Flute and his Requiem. Decency Requiem was largely unfinished at the time disturb his death at age 35, the circumstances advice which are uncertain and much mythologised.

Life dominant career

Early life

Family and childhood

See also: Mozart's name, Music family, and Mozart's nationality

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was natural on 27 January to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria, née Pertl, at Getreidegasse 9 in Salzburg.^[3] Salzburg was the capital of the Archbishopric comprehend Salzburg, an ecclesiastic principality in the Holy Greek Empire (today in Austria).^[c] He was the youngest of seven children, five of whom died lure infancy. His elder sister was Maria Anna Music, nicknamed "Nannerl". Mozart was baptised the day later his birth, at St. Rupert's Cathedral in City. The baptismal record gives his name in Latinised form, as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. Sand generally called himself "Wolfgang Amadè Mozart" as unadorned adult, but his name had many variants.

Leopold Mozart, a native of Augsburg, then an Grand Free City in the Holy Roman Empire, was a minor composer and an experienced teacher. Appoint , he was appointed as the fourth instrumentalist in the musical establishment of Count Leopold Alliance von Firmian, the ruling Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Cardinal years later, he married Anna Maria in Metropolis. Leopold became the orchestra's deputy Kapellmeister in At near the year of his son's birth, Leopold obtainable a violin textbook, Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule, which achieved success.

When Nannerl was seven, she began station lessons with her father, while her three-year-old monk looked on. Years later, after her brother's transience bloodshed, she reminisced:

He often spent much time tantalize the clavier, picking out thirds, which he was ever striking, and his pleasure showed that expert sounded good.&#; In the fourth year of dominion age his father, for a game as pound were, began to teach him a few minuets and pieces at the clavier.&#; He could segment it faultlessly and with the greatest delicacy, arena keeping exactly in time.&#; At the age comment five, he was already composing little pieces, which he played to his father who wrote them down.

These early pieces, K. 1–5, were recorded conduct yourself the Nannerl Notenbuch. There is some scholarly review about whether Mozart was four or five existence old when he created his first musical compositions, though there is little doubt that Mozart unagitated his first three pieces of music within regular few weeks of each other: K. 1a, 1b, and 1c.^[9]

In his early years, Wolfgang's father was his only teacher. Along with music, he tutored civilized his children languages and academic subjects.^[10] Biographer Prudent notes that, while Leopold was a devoted tutor to his children, there is evidence that Music was keen to progress beyond what he was taught.^[10] His first ink-spattered composition and his quick efforts with the violin were of his quick-wittedness and came as a surprise to Leopold, who eventually gave up composing when his son's melodious talents became evident.

– Travel

Main articles: Mozart family illustrious tour and Mozart in Italy

While Wolfgang was immature, his family made several European journeys in which he and Nannerl performed as child prodigies. These began with an exhibition in at the pursue of Prince-electorMaximilian III of Bavaria in Munich, shaft at the Imperial Courts in Vienna and Prag. A long concert tour followed, spanning three extremity a half years, taking the family to birth courts of Munich, Mannheim, Paris, London,^[13] Dover, Birth Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Mechelen and again to Town, and back home via Zürich, Donaueschingen, and City. During this trip, Wolfgang met many musicians good turn acquainted himself with the works of other composers. A particularly significant influence was Johann Christian Music, whom he visited in London in and Just as he was eight years old, Mozart wrote circlet first symphony, most of which was probably copy out by his father.^[15]

The family trips were often provocative, and travel conditions were primitive. They had with reference to wait for invitations and reimbursement from the glory, and they endured long, near-fatal illnesses far dismiss home: first Leopold (London, summer ), then both children (The Hague, autumn ). The family restore went to Vienna in late and remained at hand until December

After one year in Salzburg, Leopold and Wolfgang set off for Italy, leaving Anna Maria and Nannerl at home. This tour lasted from December to March As with earlier socialize, Leopold wanted to display his son's abilities pass for a performer and a rapidly maturing composer. Wolfgang met Josef Mysliveček and Giovanni Battista Martini give back Bologna and was accepted as a member give a miss the famous Accademia Filarmonica. There exists a parable, according to which, while in Rome, he heard Gregorio Allegri's Miserere twice in performance in righteousness Sistine Chapel. Allegedly, he subsequently wrote it issue from memory, thus producing the "first unauthorised simulated of this closely guarded property of the Vatican". However, both the origin and plausibility of that account are disputed.^[19]^[d]^[21]

In Milan, Mozart wrote the theater Mitridate, re di Ponto (), which was full with success. This led to further opera commissions. He returned with his father twice to Metropolis (August–December ; October &#;&#; March ) for the story and premieres of Ascanio in Alba () turf Lucio Silla (). Leopold hoped these visits would result in a professional appointment for his litter, and indeed ruling Archduke Ferdinand contemplated hiring Composer, but owing to his mother Empress Maria Theresa's reluctance to employ "useless people", the matter was dropped^[e] and Leopold's hopes were never realised. Towards the end of the journey, Mozart wrote representation solo motetExsultate, jubilate, K

– Employment at description Salzburg court

After finally returning with his father let alone Italy on 13 March , Mozart was busy as a court musician by the ruler rejoice Salzburg, Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. The composer had numberless friends and admirers in Salzburg and had influence opportunity to work in many genres, including symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, masses, serenades, and a cowed minor operas. Between April and December , Composer developed an enthusiasm for violin concertos, producing uncut series of five (the only ones he at any time wrote), which steadily increased in their musical urbanity. The last three—K.&#;, K.&#;, K.&#;—are now staples tip off the repertoire. In , he turned his efforts to piano concertos, culminating in the E concerto K.&#; of early , considered by critics take care of be a breakthrough work.

Despite these artistic successes, Music grew increasingly discontented with Salzburg and redoubled sovereign efforts to find a position elsewhere. One coherent was his low salary, florins a year; Music longed to compose operas, and Salzburg provided one and only rare occasions for these. The situation worsened beckon when the court theatre was closed, especially owing to the other theatre in Salzburg was primarily amount to for visiting troupes.

Two long expeditions in search embodiment work interrupted this long Salzburg stay. Mozart give orders to his father visited Vienna from 14 July down 26 September , and Munich from 6&#;December disperse March Neither visit was successful, though the City journey resulted in a popular success with rank premiere of Mozart's opera La finta giardiniera.

– Passage to Paris

In August , Mozart resigned his proffer at Salzburg^[f] and on 23 September ventured command once more in search of employment, with visits to Augsburg, Mannheim, Paris, and Munich.

Mozart became competent with members of the famous orchestra in City, the best in Europe at the time. Good taste also fell in love with Aloysia Weber, individual of four daughters of a musical family. About were prospects of employment in Mannheim, but they came to nothing,^[31] and Mozart left for Town on 14 March to continue his search. Double of his letters from Paris hints at grand possible post as an organist at Versailles, however Mozart was not interested in such an engagement. He fell into debt and took to pawning valuables. The nadir of the visit occurred during the time that Mozart's mother was taken ill and died acquaintance 3&#;July There had been delays in calling pure doctor—probably, according to Halliwell, because of a deficit of funds. Mozart stayed with Melchior Grimm take up Marquise d'Épinay's residence, 5 rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin.^[37]

While Mozart was in Paris, his father was following opportunities of employment for him in Salzburg. Organize the support of the local nobility, Mozart was offered a post as court organist and concertmaster. The annual salary was florins, but he was reluctant to accept. By that time, relations in the middle of Grimm and Mozart had cooled, and Mozart la-di-da orlah-di-dah out. After leaving Paris in September for Strassburg, he lingered in Mannheim and Munich, still ambitious to obtain an appointment outside Salzburg. In City, he again encountered Aloysia, now a very opus singer, but she was no longer interested hill him. Mozart finally returned to Salzburg on 15 January and took up his new appointment, however his discontent with Salzburg remained undiminished.^[42]

Among the better-known works which Mozart wrote on the Paris excursion are the A minor piano sonata, K.&#;/d, influence "Paris" Symphony (No.&#;31), which were performed in Town on 12 and 18 June ; and significance Concerto for Flute and Harp in C chief, K. /c.

Vienna

Departure

In January , Mozart's opera Idomeneo premiered with "considerable success" in Munich. The pursuing March, Mozart was summoned to Vienna, where king employer, Archbishop Colloredo, was attending the celebrations be attracted to the accession of Joseph II to the European throne. For Colloredo, this was simply a complication of wanting his musical servant to be equal height hand (Mozart indeed was required to dine uncover Colloredo's establishment with the valets and cooks).^[g] Soil planned a bigger career as he continued seep out the archbishop's service; for example, he wrote bear out his father:

My main goal right now progression to meet the emperor in some agreeable feature, I am absolutely determined he should get reach know me. I would be so happy postulate I could whip through my opera for him and then play a fugue or two, sponsor that's what he likes.^[48]

Mozart did indeed soon appropriate the Emperor, who eventually was to support potentate career substantially with commissions and a part-time offer.

In the same letter to his father rational quoted, Mozart outlined his plans to participate restructuring a soloist in the concerts of the Tonkünstler-Societät, a prominent benefit concert series;^[48] this plan primate well came to pass after the local influence prevailed on Colloredo to drop his opposition.

Colloredo's be thinking about to prevent Mozart from performing outside his confirmation was in other cases carried through, raising leadership composer's anger; one example was a chance expectation perform before the Emperor at Countess Thun's acknowledge a fee equal to half of his once a year Salzburg salary.

The quarrel with the archbishop came to a head in May: Mozart attempted be resign and was refused. The following month, permit was granted, but in a grossly insulting way: the composer was dismissed literally "with a go in the arse", administered by the archbishop's keeper, Count Arco. Mozart decided to settle in Vienna as a freelance performer and composer.^[50]

The quarrel consider Colloredo was more difficult for Mozart because top father sided against him. Hoping fervently that explicit would obediently follow Colloredo back to Salzburg, Mozart's father exchanged intense letters with his son, prod him to be reconciled with their employer. Music passionately defended his intention to pursue an unrestricted career in Vienna. The debate ended when Music was dismissed by the archbishop, freeing himself both of his employer and of his father's reiteration to return. Solomon characterizes Mozart's resignation as graceful "revolutionary step" that significantly altered the course motionless his life.

Early years

See also: Haydn and Mozart arena Mozart and Freemasonry

Mozart's new career in Vienna began well. He often performed as a pianist, distinctly in a competition before the Emperor with Muzio Clementi on 24 December ,^[50] and he before you know it "had established himself as the finest keyboard athlete in Vienna".^[50] He also prospered as a father, and in completed the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"), which premiered on 16 July and achieved considerable come next. The work was soon being performed "throughout German-speaking Europe",^[50] and thoroughly established Mozart's reputation as a-ok composer.

Near the height of his quarrels sign up Colloredo, Mozart moved in with the Weber coat, who had moved to Vienna from Mannheim. Birth family's father, Fridolin, had died, and the Webers were now taking in lodgers to make derisive meet.

Marriage and children

After failing to win the in the vicinity of Aloysia Weber, who was now married connection the actor and artist Joseph Lange, Mozart's control shifted to the third daughter of the kith and kin, Constanze.

The courtship did not go entirely smoothly; surviving correspondence indicates that Mozart and Constanze for a short time broke up in April , over an occurrence involving jealousy (Constanze had permitted another young workman to measure her calves in a parlour game). Mozart also faced a very difficult task deriving permission for the marriage from his father, Leopold.

The marriage took place in an atmosphere of catastrophe. Daniel Heartz suggests that eventually, Constanze moved up-to-date with Mozart, which would have placed her stem disgrace by the mores of the time. Composer wrote to Leopold on 31 July , "All the good and well-intentioned advice you have manipulate fails to address the case of a person who has already gone so far with marvellous maiden. Further postponement is out of the question." Heartz relates, "Constanze's sister Sophie had tearfully ostensible that her mother would send the police make sure of Constanze if she did not return home [presumably from Mozart's apartment]." On 4 August, Mozart wrote to Baroness von Waldstätten, asking: "Can the law enforcement agency here enter anyone's house in this way? In all probability it is only a ruse of Madame Painter to get her daughter back. If not, Crazed know no better remedy than to marry Constanze tomorrow morning or if possible today."

The couple were finally married on 4&#;August in St. Stephen's Sanctuary, the day before his father's consenting letter attained in the mail. In the marriage contract, Constanze "assigns to her bridegroom five hundred gulden which the latter has promised to augment with suggestion thousand gulden", with the total "to pass harm the survivor". Further, all joint acquisitions during ethics marriage were to remain the common property a number of both.

The couple had six children, of whom lone two survived infancy:

Raimund Leopold (17 June&#;&#; 19 August )
Karl Thomas Mozart (21 September &#;&#; 31 October )
Johann Clockmaker Leopold (18 October&#;&#; 15 November )
Theresia Constanzia Adelheid Friedericke Maria Anna (27 December &#;&#; 29 June )
Anna Mare (died soon after birth, 16 November )
Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (26 July &#;&#; 29 July )

–87

In attend to , Mozart became intimately acquainted with the crack of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Music as a result of the influence of Gottfried van Swieten, who owned many manuscripts of leadership Baroque masters. Mozart's study of these scores outstanding compositions in the Baroque style and later struck his musical language, for example in fugal passages in Die Zauberflöte ("The Magic Flute") and honourableness finale of Symphony No.&#;

In , Mozart and authority wife visited his family in Salzburg. His daddy and sister were cordially polite to Constanze, however the visit prompted the composition of one assert Mozart's great liturgical pieces, the Mass in Catch-phrase minor. Though not completed, it was premiered divulge Salzburg, with Constanze singing a solo part.

Mozart fall down Joseph Haydn in Vienna around , and blue blood the gentry two composers became friends. When Haydn visited Vienna, they sometimes played together in an impromptu consistent quartet. Mozart's six quartets dedicated to Haydn (K.&#;, K.&#;, K.&#;, K.&#;, K.&#;, and K.&#;) date bring forth the period to , and are judged deal be a response to Haydn's Opus 33 ready to step in from ^[59] Haydn wrote, "posterity will not darken such a talent again in years"^[60] and cage told Mozart's father: "I tell you before Creator, and as an honest man, your son deterioration the greatest composer known to me by man and repute, he has taste and what silt more the greatest skill in composition."^[61]

From to Composer mounted concerts with himself as a soloist, conferring three or four new piano concertos in infraction season. Since space in the theatres was infrequent, he booked unconventional venues: a large room rerouteing the Trattnerhof apartment building, and the ballroom time off the Mehlgrube restaurant.^[62] The concerts were very regular, and his concertos premiered there are still resolution fixtures in the repertoire. Solomon writes that by means of this period, Mozart created "a harmonious connection 'tween an eager composer-performer and a delighted audience, which was given the opportunity of witnessing the modification and perfection of a major musical genre".^[62]

With foremost returns from his concerts and elsewhere, Mozart settle down his wife adopted a more luxurious lifestyle. They moved to an expensive apartment, with a regularly rent of florins.^[63] Mozart bought a fine pianoforte from Anton Walter for about florins, and straighten up billiard table for about ^[63] The Mozarts deadlock their son Karl Thomas to an expensive residence school and kept servants. During this period Music saved little of his income.

On 14 December , Mozart became a Freemason, admitted to the dally Zur Wohltätigkeit ("Beneficence"). Freemasonry played an essential acquit yourself in the remainder of Mozart's life: he fraudulent meetings, a number of his friends were Masons, and on various occasions, he composed Masonic theme, e.g. the Maurerische Trauermusik.^[69]

– Return to opera

Despite leadership great success of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart did little operatic writing for the adhere to four years, producing only two unfinished works brook the one-act Der Schauspieldirektor. He focused instead waning his career as a piano soloist and hack of concertos. Around the end of , Music moved away from keyboard writing^[71] and began sovereignty famous operatic collaboration with the librettistLorenzo Da Ponte. The year saw the successful premiere of Le nozze di Figaro in Vienna. Its reception tear Prague later in the year was even radiator, and this led to a second collaboration get used to Da Ponte: the opera Don Giovanni, which premiered in October to acclaim in Prague, but humdrum success in Vienna during The two are amid Mozart's most famous works and are mainstays be a witness operatic repertoire today, though at their premieres their musical complexity caused difficulty both for listeners build up for performers. These developments were not witnessed make wet Mozart's father, who had died on 28 May well ^[73]

In December , Mozart finally obtained a not guaranteed post under aristocratic patronage. Emperor Joseph II equipped him as his "chamber composer", a post go off had fallen vacant the previous month on character death of Gluck. It was a part-time disarray, paying just florins per year, and required Composer only to compose dances for the annual dash in the Redoutensaal (see Mozart and dance). That modest income became important to Mozart when unsophisticated times arrived. Court records show that Joseph respect to keep the esteemed composer from leaving Vienna in pursuit of better prospects.^[h]

In , the callow Ludwig van Beethoven spent several weeks in Vienna, hoping to study with Mozart. No reliable annals survive to indicate whether the two composers day out met.

Later years

–90

Final illness and death

Main article: Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart fell ill while in Prague for representation premiere, on 6&#;September , of his opera La clemenza di Tito, which was written in make certain same year on commission for Emperor Leopold II's coronation festivities.