Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27th, 1756. He was the leading composer of the Classical Age. He wrote many different types of music. He was born to Leopold and Anna Maria Pertl. His father, Leopold, was a very successful composer, violinist, and the assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg court.
Mozart showed musical talent at a very young age. By age five he was composing minuets, and at age six he played before the Bavarian Elector and the Austrian Empress. In 1763 Wolfgang's father took him and his sister, Maria Anna, on a concert tour of Europe. The children performed in many courts and large cities including Paris, London, and Germany. In London Wolfgang wrote his first symphonies and met Johann Christian Brahm, who had a very large influence on him. In Paris Wolfgang published his first works, four sonatas and in 1768 he composed his first opera, La Finta Semplice.
Mozart, about 1780. Detail of Mozart family portra...
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's compositions characteriz...
The above is regarded by historians as the most ac...His opera was presented for the first time a year later in his hometown of Salzburg.
In 1769 Wolfgang and his father set out on another tour of Italy. Wolfgang wrote a new opera, Mitridate ri de Ponto. He also wrote two more operas for Milan.
Three years later, in 1772, Wolfgang was appointed concertmaster to the archbishop of Salzburg. This job was not good for him and he did not get along with most of the people so he soon quit to travel to Paris with his mother. Maria Anna, Wolfgang's mother, died in 1778 in Paris, France. This upset Wolfgang very much and he returned to Salzburg in 1779 and was made the court organist. In Salzburg he wrote many church works including the famous Coronation Mass. He was supposed to write a new opera for Munich, Idomeneo.
In 1781, Von Colloredo...