On January 27th, 1756, the world of music was given perhaps the greatest of its Classical composers: Wolfgang

Amadeus Mozart. Having composed over 600 works (among them symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music) using clarity, balance, and transparency, and almost single-handedly having developed and popularized the Classical piano concerto, Mozarts profound impact in the musical world can be seen to have affected the very fibers of culture, and his music continues to do so even in death. Mozart was born to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart in Salzburg (now known as Austria). Leopold Mozart came from musical origins himself in being part of the court orchestra of Salzburg; this obviously helped influence his son to plunge into music at a young age. Mozart displayed great talent and skill in no time; he began his first compositions when he was only five, and he began performing for European royalty as a child prodigy at the age of six. Leopold and Wolfgang left Salzburg from December 1769 to March 1771 so that the rapidly maturing composer would be able to expand in Italy. Mozarts first great success in terms of composition came in 1970 with his opera, Mitridate, re di Ponto. This triumph led to many more opera commissions, but these compositions never quite resulted in a professional appointment. Mozart was employed as a court musician when he returned from Italy with his father, allowing him to work in many different genres and find several artistic successes. However, Mozart became unhappy with Salzburg due to the low salary and the lack of opportunities to write operas. He stayed with the court until 1777, when he resigned his position and left his home in search of new employment. Mozart visited Augsburg, Mannheim, Munich, and Paris over the course of a year in hopes of finding work; he was unable to find anything that he

quite fancied, however. He eventually came back to Salzburg in 1779 and reluctantly took position again in the court, this time as court organist and concertmaster. Mozart was finally given an acceptable work offer outside of Salzburg after his successful opera Idomeneo premiered in Munich in January of 1781. He was summoned to Vienna two months later to work under Archbishop Colloredo, but the job did not last for long; Mozart felt insulted in the condescending way Colleredo treated him and at the low wages he received. He resigned in a couple of months time against the will of his father and decided to begin a solo career in Vienna. Mozart achieved great success in no time in Vienna. He established himself as a spectacular keyboard player through a competition before the Emperor, and he also demonstrate his phenomenal composing abilities through the huge success of his opera Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail. As Mozarts abilities expanded, so did his influences; he studied and became intimately acquainted with the Baroque masters, including J.S. Bach and Handel. Mozart also became fast friends with Haydn, another great composer and performer of the Classical era; they often played together when Haydn was in Vienna, and Mozart even dedicated several quartets to Haydn. Mozarts concerts and concertos became very popular and supplied him with new income, causing him to move to an expensive apartment with his family and spend frivolously; he did not do much to save the money he had, which came to be a bit of a problem once his financial success ended. After several years of focusing on his career as a piano soloist and a writer of concerto, Mozart began to direct his attention back towards operas. Mozart collaborated with Lorenzo Da Ponte in order to create two of his most important works: The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. Even though Mozart met with great success on several occasions, a solo

career did not always hold a reliable salary. He finally accepted a position that had a steady income in 1787 as Emperor Joseph IIs chamber composer. Times became more difficult for Mozart in Vienna due to an ongoing war in Austria; both the general level of prosperity and the ability of the wealthy to support the arts had declined. Because of this, Mozart decided to move from Vienna to the suburb of Alsergrund in order to cut down on rental expense. Mozart had begun to plead for loans, and many claim that he may have been going through a depression due to his situation. He made several tours in an attempt to gain some money, but none of his journeys helped relieve the familys financial distress. 1791 was Mozarts last year, but it was also one of his most productive times. Financial problems seemed to be going away with the help of annuities from wealthy patrons in Hungary and Amsterdam, so he no longer suffered from the anxiety of put on by his fiscal welfare. He made many compositions in this final year, among them the celebrated opera The Magic Flute and the unfinished Requiem. He experienced great success with these new works, which brought him great pleasure and satisfaction. Mozart fell ill in September of 1791 while in Prague for the premiere of his opera, La clemenza di Tito. He was able to continue with his professional functions for a short time, but the illness intensified in November and caused Mozart to be bedridden with pain, swelling, and vomiting. Mozart died on the 5th of December at the age of 35, and a modest funeral was held for him. Memorial services and concerts were held in his name after his death, and his reputation rose exponentially. Mozart is hailed to be one of the greatest performers and composers of his time, and his name will live on in the history of music eternally.

Idomeneo part 1 Violin Concerto in D KV 211 Andante Lacrimosa Violin Concert No. 5 in A, 2nd movement The Magic Flute The Marriage of Figaro Eine Kleine Nactmusik Sympony 40 in G Minor, K 550 1. Molto Allegro Turkish March Requiem