Son of Leopold Mozart, a court composer, violinist and conductor, Wolfgang was a precocious child who began to compose music at the age of five. He learned to play violin, harpsichord, and pianoforte, and was taken around Europe on tour with his father. He composed his first oratorio when he was eleven and his first opera by the age of thirteen. He was employed by the archbishop in Salzburg from 1775 until 1781, at the end of which he had composed his first mature opera, Idomeneo. Thereafter he settled in Vienna and after a number of years of composing, was employed by the emperor Joseph II as chamber composer in 1787. In spite of numerous successes, Mozart was continually in debt. In 1786, he produced his hugely successful opera, The Marriage of Figaro, and Don Giovanni, the following year. In 1791, he produced Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute), but his health was failing and his finances had not improved. He died in the autumn of that year, in destitution. In spite of his short life, Mozart was a prolific composer, producing 41 symphonies, piano sonatas, concertos, and a large amount of chamber music, in addition to his operas and is regarded as one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time. |
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