Life and Music of Mozart

     Of all the classical composers who hold a special place in music history, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is perhaps the most famous, and certainly one of the most accomplished. Today, his compositions have taken a firm hold in the world of classical music, and his pieces are often heard throughout concerts in the world. Although Mozart died at the young age of 35, he left behind a legacy of works that are now regarded as masterpieces. However, his accomplishments were not just the work of a musical genius; Mozart worked and studied hard throughout his lifetime, putting his heart and soul into the music he composed. It is for these reasons that Mozart is perhaps the most respected classical composer in history.

Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. His father, a skilled violinist and music teacher himself, encouraged his young son to play many instruments from the tender age of three; instruments ranging from the violin to the organ and beyond. By the age of five, Mozart had started composing music for himself.

As a young man, Mozart travelled extensively throughout Europe, with his time spent in Vienna in the early 1770s being particularly rewarding; it was here that he composed two operas, ‘Mitridate’ and ‘Lucio Silla’. Later during this decade, Mozart’s first operas began to be performed in Germany, and he found employment from 1774 to 1777 at the court of the Prince Archbishop in his hometown of Salzburg. During this period, the classical composer completed his complete violin concertos, along with various symphonies and masses, and six piano sonatas amongst other pieces.

The next few years saw Mozart searching for further success as a classical composer, his travels taking him from Paris to Munich and back to Vienna. Mozart supplemented his music-composing income by teaching and playing either privately or in public. The composer married Constanze Weber in 1782 and decided to devote his time to writing piano concertos; he had created fifteen by the end of 1786.

The year 1786 saw Mozart team up with respected librettist Lorenzo da Ponte for the comic operas that were to become his most famous works; these included ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and ‘Don Giovanni’. However, these years also saw a substantial decline in health for the classical composer, and he died on December 5th, 1791. The attendant physician recorded Mozart’s death as fever, a somewhat vague notion that led to widespread speculation as to the real cause behind the composer’s demise; some attributed it to rheumatic fever, whilst others believed (and some still do believe) that Mozart had been poisoned.

Mozart’s status as an innovative classical composer stems from his ceaseless exploration and experimentation with musical genres. He developed his style throughout his lifetime and did not simply stick to the major trends of the Baroque period; in particular, he made the piano concerto his own, bringing it to popularity through sheer hard work. Mozart’s music can best be described as containing natural order and balance (a typical by-product of his Enlightenment, or rational, beliefs), and having a focus on harmony and uncomplicated-yet-unforgettable melody. His later works concentrate on expressing human emotion and psychology through music and to this end, he developed a degree of subtlety rarely found in any classical composer.

Indeed, Mozart’s eventful life and fortunes – the subject of much debate amongst scholars and researchers – and the sheer amount of compositions he left behind have given the classical composer something of a legendary status. Today, he is more popular than ever, often ranked alongside Beethoven and Bach as one of the three top composers of all time.Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Born 250 years ago, 6 years after Bach's death 14 year before Beethoven's birth.
(Some favorite pieces:
Operas: Don Giovanni (Donna Anna's aria and Don Giovanni's death are the best parts according to mozart.biz),
Marriage of Figaro, Escape from Seraglio, Cosi Fan Tutte, Magic Flute
Concertos (27 for piano, 5 or 6 for violin, 2 for flute, one for clarinet..):
20th piano concerto, 5th Violin concerto (turkish), Flute & harp concerto
Piano sonatas K310 K457, All Turca-Turkish March of K331 sonata ,..
Symphonies 40 41 (Jupiter, last movement is good) 39 38 (Prague) 25 26 31 (Paris)
Some people including Karajan, Mozart himself like 35th also.
Great Mass, Requiem, Coronation.. Chamber Music K478 K526
Light music: A little night music (Eine Kleine Nacht Musik); among many others.)



Have you heard of young genius pianist Fazil Say (who also has many compositions). If you are a musician
probably your answer would be yes. He is a very active musician who plays at hundreds of concerts and recitals
every year year. Because of Mozart year, you can hear him play Mozart's music quite often. Go to his concerts
and buy his CD's.

Check out famous violinist Anne Sophie Mutter's Mozart page
Offical Austrian Mozart site: www.mozart.at

This year 2009 is 253rd birth year of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Wikipedia page about Mozart
Biography by Mozart project
You may see a more professional looking site at this adress one day.
When editing this page I saw Mozart Composer as title. I don't really remember adding
the word Composer in page title. It was indeed the editor's name.

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