Quick answerWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was an Austrian composer. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is best known for More than 600 works, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Symphony No. 40. Born in Salzburg, Archbishopric of Salzburg. A child prodigy, he became one of the greatest composers in Western music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was an Austrian composer who, in a life of only thirty-five years, wrote more than 600 works, from symphonies and operas to the Requiem he left unfinished. A child prodigy who toured Europe at six, he became one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music.
Key facts
| Born | 1756 in Salzburg, Archbishopric of Salzburg |
|---|---|
| Died | 1791 |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Field | Music |
| Known for | More than 600 works, The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Symphony No. 40, Requiem |
Overview
Mozart was born in Salzburg, the son of Leopold Mozart, a court violinist and composer who taught him music almost from infancy. His father published a famous treatise on violin playing in the year of his birth. By the age of five he was composing, and at six he was touring the courts of Europe with his sister Maria Anna, astonishing audiences with his playing. He wrote his first symphony at eight and his first opera at twelve, and by his teens he was employed at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg.
In 1781 he broke with the Archbishop and settled in Vienna as a freelance composer, the first great musician to try to live by his art alone. There he wrote his greatest operas, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute, and his last symphonies and piano concertos. He married Constanze Weber in 1782, and two of their six children survived infancy. He died in Vienna in December 1791, aged thirty-five, leaving his Requiem unfinished, and the exact cause of his death remains uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
When was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born?
Mozart was born on 27 January 1756 in Salzburg, then the capital of an independent prince-archbishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, now in Austria. He was baptised the next day as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, and was the youngest of seven children, of whom only he and his sister survived.
What did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart compose?
Mozart composed more than 600 works, including 41 symphonies, 27 piano concertos, 22 operas, string quartets, masses and the unfinished Requiem. His best-known works include The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Eine kleine Nachtmusik and his Symphony No. 40.
How did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart die?
Mozart died in Vienna on 5 December 1791, aged 35, after about two weeks of fever, swelling and pain. The exact cause has never been established: later writers have suggested rheumatic fever, kidney failure and other illnesses, but the surviving accounts do not allow a firm diagnosis.
Where was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born?
Mozart was born at Getreidegasse 9 in Salzburg, the house where his family lived, which is now the Mozart Birthplace museum. Salzburg was then the capital of a prince-archbishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, and today it is a city in Austria.
What is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart famous for?
Mozart is famous as one of the greatest composers in Western music, a child prodigy who wrote more than 600 works in thirty years. His operas, symphonies and concertos are performed more than those of almost any other composer, and his music is known for its melody, clarity and emotional range.
Related people
- Ludwig van Beethoven — Beethoven admired his music
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Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.