Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. His first two names (Johannes Chrysostomus) belonged to a saint and Theophilus was given to him by his godfather and changed to Amade or Amadeus later in his life. Mozart was born to Leopold and Anna Maria Pertl Mozart, and his only sibling was an older sister called Maria Anna. Mozart's father Leopold Mozart was one of Europe's leading musical teachers, a composer and a violinist but he gave up all of these when his son's outstanding musical talents became evident. Mozart's talents started to become evident when he was 3 years old and his father was his only teacher at those times. By the time he was 5, Mozart had started to compose music.

In 1762 Mozart started to travel across Europe with his father. They gave concerts and traveled for three and a half years. During these trips Mozart met a great number of musicians and acquainted himself with the works of other great composers, but the most influencing composer he is believed to meet was Johann Christian Bach. After this Mozart went to Vienna and stayed for a while, then while traveling to Europe again in 1777 he fell in love with Aloysia Weber. This relationship was ended by A. Weber and four years later, Mozart married her sister, Constanze.

1n 1781, Mozart's first great opera, Idomeneo was premiered in Munich. On August 4, 1782 he married Constanze Weber. The year 1782 was an auspicious one for Mozart's career: his opera Die EntfÑŒhrung aus dem Serail ("The Abduction from the Seraglio") was a great success. During the years 1782-1785, Mozart put on a series of concerts in which he appeared as soloist in his piano concertos, widely considered among his greatest works. These concerts were financially successful. After 1785 Mozart performed far less and wrote only a few concertos. Mozart was influenced by the ideas of the eighteenth-century European Enlightenment as an adult, and became a Freemason in 1784; in his second opera, Masonic themes can be seen very dominantly.

Mozart died at approximately 1 a.m. on December 5, 1791 in Vienna. The cause of Mozart's death is a matter of conjecture. His death record listed "severe military

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