Mozart statue. Theophilus, Amadeus, the friend of God, the one who loves God. Secondly, there is the child prodigy aspect of his life; his father, a composer, musician and teacher himself, recognised the musical talents of both Mozart and his sister early in their childhood, and very quickly turned the two of them into spectacular musicians, enduring a young life of hard musical practice, touring and composing.
By the age of eight, he had written his first symphony. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. Altogether, Mozart composed over six hundred works in a life of thirty-five years. His death too, has often been mythologised, particularly within the context of his last work; a requiem — a mass for the dead —, unfinished and commissioned secretly.
The German composer, fifteen years younger than Mozart, followed directly in his footsteps…. The modest income was a welcome windfall for Mozart, who was struggling with debt, and provided him the freedom to explore more of his personal musical ambitions. He was performing less and his income shrank. Austria was at war and both the affluence of the nation and the ability of the aristocracy to support the arts had declined.
By mid, Mozart moved his family from central Vienna to the suburb of Alsergrund, for what would seem to be a way of reducing living costs. But in reality, his family expenses remained high and the new dwelling only provided more room. Mozart began to borrow money from friends, though he was almost always able to promptly repay when a commission or concert came his way.
During this time he wrote his last three symphonies and the last of the three Da Ponte operas, Cosi Fan Tutte , which premiered in The two-year period of was a low point for Mozart, experiencing in his own words "black thoughts" and deep depression.
Historians believe he may have had some form of bipolar disorder, which might explain the periods of hysteria coupled with spells of hectic creativity. Between and , now in his mid-thirties, Mozart went through a period of great music productivity and personal healing.
Some of his most admired works -- the opera The Magic Flute , the final piano concerto in B-flat, the Clarinet Concerto in A major, and the unfinished Requiem to name a few -- were written during this time. Mozart was able to revive much of his public notoriety with repeated performances of his works. His financial situation began to improve as wealthy patrons in Hungary and Amsterdam pledged annuities in return for occasional compositions. From this turn of fortune, he was able to pay off many of his debts.
Mozart recovered briefly to conduct the Prague premiere of The Magic Flute , but fell deeper into illness in November and was confined to bed. Constanze and her sister Sophie came to his side to help nurse him back to health, but Mozart was mentally preoccupied with finishing Requiem, and their efforts were in vain. Mozart died on December 5, , at age The cause of death is uncertain, due to the limits of postmortem diagnosis.
Officially, the record lists the cause as severe miliary fever, referring to a skin rash that looks like millet seeds. Since then, many hypotheses have circulated regarding Mozart's death. Some have attributed it to rheumatic fever, a disease he suffered from repeatedly throughout his life.
It was reported that his funeral drew few mourners and he was buried in a common grave. Both actions were the Viennese custom at the time, for only aristocrats and nobility enjoyed public mourning and were allowed to be buried in marked graves. However, his memorial services and concerts in Vienna and Prague were well attended. From these efforts, Constanze was able to gain some financial security for herself and allowing her to send her children to private schools.
Yet his meteoric rise to fame and accomplishment at a very early age is reminiscent of more contemporary musical artists whose star had burned out way too soon.
At the time of his death, Mozart was considered one of the greatest composers of all time. His music presented a bold expression, oftentimes complex and dissonant, and required high technical mastery from the musicians who performed it. His works remained secure and popular throughout the 19th century, as biographies about him were written and his music enjoyed constant performances and renditions by other musicians.
His work influenced many composers that followed -- most notably Beethoven. Along with his friend Joseph Haydn, Mozart conceived and perfected the grand forms of symphony, opera, string ensemble, and concerto that marked the classical period. In particular, his operas display an uncanny psychological insight, unique to music at the time, and continue to exert a particular fascination for musicians and music lovers today.
Mozart was still a musical genius, but after he stopped being a cute kid, people stopped making a big fuss over him. Back then, musicians were treated like servants, but Mozart did not, and could not think of himself as a servant. Mozart was only 35 when he died. Just listen to the bold opening of his Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat for violin and viola, and revel in the elegance and combined passion of the two solo instruments:.
He was a master of dramatic timing. Listen to how Mozart paces the action in the climactic scene from Don Giovanni, where the Don is confronted by the ghost of the Commendatore who he murdered in Act I one of the greatest opera entrances of all time.
Spoiler alert: the ghost demands Don Giovanni repent and relinquish his lascivious ways, and when Giovanni refuses, we hear the trombones and a ghoulish chorus literally dragging him down to hell:. He was a melodic genius. Mozart had a knack for churning out memorable melodies nonstop.
Check out the performance of the Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat above — how many sing-able melodies do you hear in the space of just the first five minutes? Some of these have gone down as some of the most beautiful of all time, such as the breathtaking Adagio from his Clarinet Concerto.
Listen to pianist, composer, and conductor Rob Kapilow break down how Mozart is able to take a melody built from one simple element from his String Quintet No. He was writing symphonies when you were playing with stuffed animals. His first symphony came just three years later.
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