Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

In January of 1756, a musical genius was born in the city of Salzburg. From the earliest of ages, it was clear that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was going to be special. He showed signs of one day being a music prodigy. He was one of the most influential composers of the Classical era. He was dedicated to his music and before he passed away, he had composed over 600 pieces of work.

About the time that Mozart came into the world of music, the world was experiencing a time of transition. Before the Classical era, the Renaissance and Baroque periods ruled the music, art and way of thinking. This time of transition also resembled the transition in government. The Roman Empire was beginning to divide into small, self run governments that were headed by groups of rich aristocrats. The Classical era was a time in which the compositions of music were rich with complex instrumentation. Mozart's works reflected the Classical era, highlighting difficult and well thought out works of art.

Music was always a part of Mozart's life. His father was a well known musician in the Salzburg court. His father, Leopold, was a composer, esteemed violinist and assistant concert master. He encouraged Mozart and his lone sister, Maria Anna, to explore the world of music and instruments. After observing his sister, at the age of three, Mozart began to play keyboard. His father tutored him, instilling the importance of fundamentals and the functions of chords. Leopold tried to make lessons fun, however he quickly recognized the potential in Mozart and demanded the best of work ethics.

At age five, Mozart showed promise of outshining his impressive, musical father after a rough composition and his skills on the keyboard, clavinet and violin. He was a quick learner, and saw the importance in the complexity of music. He appreciated a well thought out piece of work. He recognized tonality, unity of chords and tempo at an early age. It was clear that this young boy would leave his mark on a generation of music.

Mozart was influenced by another great composer, Johann Christian Bach. He would study his music, often noting his ideas and dedication to his compositions. Although the trips to see Bach and other composers were long and tedious, he made connections to many important people that would be of assistance to him in the future. Wolfgang and Leopold began to branch out in hopes of becoming a well known composer, eventually ending the musical career of Maria Anna. At thirteen, Mozart was moved away from his sister and mother by his father to go on a trip to Italy. During the Italy trip, Leopold tried to get as many gigs to showcase his son's talents. They moved around performing in front of as many new audiences as possible. Leopold wanted a variety of people to recognize the composing and musical abilities of young Mozart. Mozart would also observe concerts of other composers where, after their concert, he impressively wrote out the musical compositions of the show from memory. At age thirteen he wrote his first opera.

When he returned from Italy, he took on a position as assistant concertmaster. After a few years of low wages and hard work put into his own compositions, Mozart could see that he was not given the creative freedom he craved. He moved to Paris, where he did not have much luck. All the while, he still composed. Eventually, after the death of his mother, he returned home and took on the job of court organist. During this time, he had composed multiple concertos. He always admired violin concertos, however he only wrote five. He quickly turned to piano concertos and wrote Piano Concerto Number 9 in E flat major at the age of 21.

After a quarrel, Mozart left Salzburg for Vienna where he found success. he became a freelance performer and composer. He began to teach, taking on pupils that showed promise in one day leaving a legacy of his complex form of composition. Mozart's most famous pupil was Johann Nepomuk Hummel. He was a composer that lived and influenced the transition from the Classical era to Romantic era. In Vienna, Mozart was also writing music for publication and performing and directing several concerts. He wrote more operas and created musical masterpieces.

In Vienna, Mozart also fell in love with a daughter of the family that he was staying with. Constanze Weber was the third daughter. After falling in love with Constanze, Mozart hid his love from his disapproving father. He denied the rumors of marriage in fear of disappointing Leopold. Eventually, he realized he needed his father's blessing, and begrudgingly, he received it. Constanze and Mozart married on August 4th, 1782. They lived a nice life on the wages earned by Mozart. they had six children, but only two of them survived infancy.

Mozart's compositions will live on forever. His unique style earned him the title of being one of the best composers of all time. He lived a childhood that most people would resent, using it as a learning experience, a chance at fame and to make history. He was strong and his music reflects his intellectual depth and complexity. He did not just make his mark in one generation; Mozart is timeless.