Here are some facts about Mozart, the famous composer.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the most famous composers of all time. He was also one of the most prolific, and wrote over 600 works including 41 symphonies.
- He was born in January, 1756 and was writing music at the age of 5.
- At the age of 17 he was given the position of royal court musician in Salzburg, Austria.
- As a boy, Mozart travelled widely, to Paris, London and other European cities. Many of the people he met did not believe that he had written music, and thought his father must have helped.
- He was actually able to write music before he could write words.
- Mozart also learned to speak more than ten languages, and was good at mathematics, often scribbling equations on the walls of his room.
- During the early 1780s, Mozart’s fame spread when he started to perform solo. He sometimes performed in ballrooms or apartment buildings.
- His most famous works include several operas, including The Magic Flute and the Marriage of Figaro. His Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is one of the most well known pieces of classical music.
- Mozart wrote a lot of religious music and helped to make the classical piano concerto popular. Beethoven was influenced by him and several later composers wrote variations on his themes.
- Mozart liked dancing, playing billiards and generally having an extravagant lifestyle. He also kept several pets, including a horse, dog, starling and canary.
- Although Mozart was in debt much of his life, during his later years he sold dance music to make money. He worked on some important works at this time, including his Requiem and the Magic Flute.
- He died, probably from kidney failure in 1791. Despite his talents and skill, he was buried in a pauper’s or common grave in St. Marx Cemetery, in Vienna, Austria.
