Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had a life with great contrasts, lived only 35 years, but left more than 600 compositions finished and about 132 unfinished, was a celebrity during his childhood and at the end of his life suffered from misery and forgetfulness. He remained in history as a musical genius representing the end of the classical period and the beginning of romanticism.
Seven children were born from the marriage between Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl, but only two survived: Maria Anna and Wolfgang Amadeus, who was the youngest. The father devoted his whole life to music. He studied singing, organ and composition at a Benedictine College in Salzburg, then became a court violinist and taught singing and violin to the sons of royalty.
- Neither sublime intelligence.
- Nor great imagination.
- Nor the two things together form genius; love.
- Is it the soul of genius?.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?.
Maria Anna, whom everyone affectionately called Nannerl, was five years older than Wolfgang Amadeus and was also an excellent pianist. However, due to his brother’s success, at one point he had to give up his aspirations because the family’s resources were not enough to promote both.
It all started when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was 4 years old. His sister Nannerl placed it on his lap while practicing his daily piano class, suddenly the boy approached the piano and repeated the melody his sister had played a few seconds ago, surprised by the fact, the girl immediately informed her father.
From that moment on, Leopold encourages his son to learn music, became a dedicated personal teacher and Wolfgang was an exemplary student, the boy loved music and did not need pressure to apply to his studies, before I learned to write, I already knew the musical notes and the scores. At the age of 6 he made his first composition, a sonata for piano and violin. Didn’t your father treat you with such joy?
Leopold organized presentations for his two sons; first for the Archbishop of Salzburg, who was then the head of government of the region. They then toured Europe several times, during which Nannerl and Wolfgang captivated all the leaders who heard them. The father, above all, wanted his children to become famous. I didn’t think about the money, and that’s why they were always paid with low-value jewelry.
Constant childhood travel undermined the health of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Once again, he loved his work. It is said that in one of his concerts, in front of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, he stumbled and fell, a girl helped him up. As a thank you, Wolfgang promised to marry him when they were older. This girl became Queen Marie Antoinette of France and, of course, the promise was never fulfilled.
By the time Mozart was 19, he was over 200 of his own compositions. He toured Italy and it was there that he began to consolidate as a composer. Later, his father was banned from leaving Salzburg, so Wolfgang continued his travels with his mother.
Mozart’s sentimental life was fortuitous and irrelevant; He had some romances, mainly with women who were dedicated to music. He married Constance Weber in 1782. However, she was not exactly a life partner to him. They had six children, of whom only two survived.
Although Mozart was widely recognized as a musician throughout Europe, his finances were still “in red numbers”. Neither he nor his wife were saved. That is why they have always had great economic difficulties, despite the success of works such as The Weddings of Figaro, Don Giovanni or The Little Night Serenade.
It is said that, when he was about to finish “The Magic Flute”, a mysterious man appeared who instructed him to compose a funeral mass and paid him the fees for the case. Mozart devoted himself to the task and worked tirelessly to compose his famous “Requiem”. By that time, he was already very ill. Rheumatic fever didn’t allow him to play the piano.
On 4 December 1791 he invited his pianist friends to perform the Requiem he had composed, as he could not do so. They say that when they got to the “Lacrimosa” part he started crying himself. His friends left later and died at dawn. On the day of his funeral there was a severe storm and, unfortunately, no one accompanied him to the cemetery, his remains were buried in a mass grave.