Download Samantha Little November, 2016 Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Samantha Little
November, 2016
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, in the small city-state of Salzburg,
Austria. He was tutored and taught music by his father, who was a composer, violinist, and an assistant
concert master at the Salzburg court. Wolfgang excelled at music at an early age; he began playing on
the keyboard at the age of three years old and began to play various instruments in public at the age of
six. When he was six, his father took him and his sister, who also excelled at music, on several “tours” to
various courts, including the courts of Paris, The Hague, and London to perform as child prodigies. While
on these “tours”, Wolfgang met several accomplished musicians who would later influence his work.
Wolfgang’s name really began to spread throughout Europe when he wrote ‘Idomeneo’(1781)
and ‘Singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail’(1782). These two operas were the beginning the most
successful decade of his career, it would also be his last. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on December
5, 1791, at the age of thirty-six. When he died, he left behind his wife, Constanze, and their two children.
In his lifetime, he wrote over six hundred masterpieces, many of which are still heard and played today.
In his career, he wrote church music, vocal/choral music, symphonies, serenades, dance music,
concertos, chamber music, and piano and organ music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered one of the greatest composers of his time. He wrote
over six hundred pieces, including 21 opera works, 15 masses, over 50 symphonies, 25 piano concertos,
12 violin concertos, 27 concert arias, 17 piano sonatas, 26 string quartets, and more. His music is
featured on many classical music records, movie and television show soundtracks, and his music is
played by music students all over the world. He created so many beautiful masterpieces in his short life
of only 36 years and has greatly influenced and inspired the music world.
Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/wolfgang-mozart-9417115#european-fame
http://www.naxos.com/person/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart/15934.htm
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~tan/Mozartreq/main.html