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Mozart
Miss B. Eldridge
© 2003
Some say that W.A. Mozart is a
Prodigy
Wünderkind
Genius
To many he is
known as:
Wolfgang
Amadeus
Mozart
Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
was born on
January 27, 1756
to Leopold and
Maria Anna
Mozart.
…in
Salzburg,
Vienna.
His real name
was Johannes
Chrysostomus
Wolfgangus
Theophilus.
Which translates:
“Loved
of
God.”
Mozart also had
a sister whose
name was
Nannerl. She was
older than
Mozart and was
talented also.
Mozart began to
play the
harpsichord
around age 3. He
was able to pick
out melodies on
the keyboard.
He began to
compose
around age
5.
His father,
Leopold, took
him on a
concert tour to
London and
Paris around
1762.
Leopold felt
that he could
make money by
having his
children play
for the people
in position.
In 1769,
Mozart visited
Italy. It was
there that his
love for opera
developed.
At age 15, he
served the
Archbishop of
Salzburg. This
was a very
prestigious job.
Unfortunately,
Mozart’s
mother died in
1778 while
touring (Paris)
with Mozart.
Mozart’s Adult Life
• By age 16, he had written over
150 pieces.
• At one point, he was kicked
out of the Archbishop’s
chambers. Mozart blew it!
• He fell in love with a pretty
girl named Aloysia Weber.
• By the time he returned from
touring, she was married to
someone else.
• He later married
Aloysia’s plainer
sister, Constanze.
• His father did not
approve of the
marriage.
• Mozart & Constanze
were more alike.
His Works (Music)
•Symphony #40
•The Magic Flute
•Rondo alla Turca
•Don Giovanni
•Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
•Requiem
Late Adulthood
• Neither Mozart nor Constanze were good
managers of money. Therefore, they lived very
spare lives.
• Mozart was a free-lance composer.
• They had 6 children, but 4 of them died.
• Mozart’s friends were Haydn, Beethoven, Salieri,
and the Weber family.
• Neither Constanze nor Mozart were known for
having good health.
The Requiem
• A mysterious person showed up at Mozart’s
door and asked him to write a Requiem. A
requiem is a mass for the dead. If Mozart
finished, he would be paid a large sum of
money. Mozart began writing the requiem
soon after, but became ill. This was due to
overwork. He believed that he was writing
for his own death.
Mozart’s Death…
The Facts
• Mozart died on
December 5, 1791—a
few weeks short of his
36th birthday.
• Was buried outside the
city.
• Died of rheumatic
fever or from the
results of poorly
cooked pork.
• Several thousand
people attended the
funeral or memorial
services that were held
in other cites.
• Mozart did not finish
the Requiem.
• It is said that people
wept.
Mozart’s Death
Fallacies (things that aren’t true)
• Mozart & Salieri were rivals.
• Salieri finished Mozart’s
Requiem.
• Mozart was poisoned by Salieri.
What Can Be Said?
• Mozart was a Prodigy. A prodigy is one who is
talented or wise beyond his/her years.
• Mozart was a Wünderkind. This word is German
for ‘wonder child’. Mozart’s talents were a wonder
to most people.
• Mozart was a Genius. Mozart was able to hear
musical ideas and write them down.
• Mozart wrote over 600 pieces.
“Before God and as an honest man, I tell
you that your son is the greatest
composer known to me in person or by
reputation.”
Franz Josef Haydn as told to
Mozart’s father, Leopold
Epilogue
• Mozart was not considered successful
during his life time.
• Mozart’s music is categorized by Köchel
numbers. Köchel was a botanist,
mineralogist, and musicologist.
• Some of Mozart’s works were misnumbered.
• Mozart hated the trumpet. It scared him.