One of the greatest composers of all time – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart boy genius

Here is a 3-minute video about his life. Some of the facts are still in dispute, but a helpful video nonetheless.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, on Jan. 27, 1756, his father a violinist and composer. Even with such an auspicious heritage, Mozart boy genius was soon discovered to be a musical prodigy.

He wrote his first composition at the age of five, had his first piece published when he was seven, and wrote his first opera at the age of 12. He was, by the age of six, an excellent pianist and expert violinist.

The Young Composer

While still 13 Mozart wrote his second opera, Mitridate, re di Ponto. Two other operas, Ascanio in alba and Lucio Silla, were penned in 1771 and 1772 respectively.
During an intense composing period that included symphonies, string quartets, sonatas, and operas, Mozart wrote all five of his violin concertos.

In 1776, he began writing piano concertos culminating with Piano Concerto Number 9 in E flat Major written in 1777. By then Mozart had just turned 21.

Off to Vienna

In 1779, Mozart wrote a series of church works including the Coronation Mass as well as the opera, Ideomeneo in 1781. Following a bitter quarrel with the Archbishop, Mozart was dismissed and left for Vienna where he became a freelance musician and composer.
Work was plentiful and he found himself writing for publication and playing almost constantly. Here he began writing the opera, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail.

Love and Marriage

While in Vienna Mozart fell in love with Fridolin Weber’s daughter, Constanze but did not marry initially due to objections by his father.
Eventually the two married and in time Mozart’s father, Leopold, gave his blessing. Wolfgang and Constanze had six children, although only two of them survived infancy.

Bach, Handel, and Haydn

In the period 1782-83 Mozart became entranced with the music of both J.S. Bach and George Frederic Handel. He began writing in a Baroque style, which influenced many later compositions including The Magic Flute and the finale to Symphony Number 41.
It was at this time Mozart also met Joseph Haydn and the two became friends. They often performed impromptu concerts together. Between 1782 and 1785, Mozart wrote six quartets, which he dedicated to Haydn.

Fame and Fortune

Toward the end of 1785, Mozart met the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, a Venetian composer and poet and together they collaborated on the opera The Marriage of Figaro. This triumph led to a second collaboration with Da Ponte on the opera Don Giovanni that premiered in 1787 in Prague.
Noted for their musical complexity, the two operas are among Mozart’s most important works and are standard operatic repertoire today.

Intense Production

Between 1790 and 1791, now in his mid-thirties, Mozart went through a period of great music productivity. Some of his most admired works — the opera The Magic Flute, the Piano Concerto in B-flat, the Clarinet Concerto in A minor, and the unfinished Requiem were written during this time.

Death and Legacy

Almost as quickly, Mozart became ill. He died on Dec. 5, 1791 at the age of 35. The most widely accepted cause of death hypothesis was acute rheumatic fever, a disease with which Mozart suffered throughout his life.
At the time of his death, Mozart was considered one of the greatest composers of all time. His work influenced many composers that followed, including Ludwig Van Beethoven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6kruE7IZ4
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