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Mozart was born
Mozart was born on January 27th, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. Mozart is the only living son of Leopold and Maria Pertl Mozart. https://bibliolore.org/tag/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/ -
Young Training
Leopold devoted much of his time to his education in music as well as other subjects. Wolfgang soon showed signs of excelling beyond his father’s teachings with an early composition at age five and demonstrating outstanding ability on harpsichord and the violin. He would soon go on to play the piano, organ and viola. -
First European Tour
In 1762, Wolfgang’s father took Wolfgang, age six to the court of Bavaria in Munich in what was to become the first of several European "tours." Mozart traveled to the courts of Paris, London, The Hague, and Zurich performing as a child prodigy. https://bibliolore.org/tag/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/ -
Meeting Bach
Wolfgang met a number of accomplished musicians and became familiar with their works. Particularity important was his meeting with Johann Christian Bach (Johann Sebastian Bach's youngest son) in London who had a strong influence on Wolfgang. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/10/jc-bach-london-mozart-classical-opera-adriano-in-siria-britten-theatre -
Miserere Memerization
In December, 1769, Wolfgang, then age 13, and his father departed from Salzburg for Italy. While in Rome, Wolfgang heard Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere performed once in the Sistine Chapel. He wrote out the entire score from memory, returning only to correct a few minor errors. -
Mitridate, re di Ponto
Wolfgang also wrote a new opera, Mitridate, re di Ponto for the court of Milan. Other commissions followed and in subsequent trips to Italy, Wolfgang wrote two other operas, Ascanio in Alba (1771) and Lucio Silla (1772). -
Death of his Mother
The lowest point of the trip was when his mother fell ill and died on July 3, 1778. After hearing the news of his wife’s death, Leopold negotiated a better post for his son as court organist in Salzburg and Wolfgang returned soon after. -
European Fame
The opera Die Entführung enjoyed immediate and continuing success and bolstered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s name and talent throughout Europe. With the substantial returns from concerts and publishing, he and Constanze enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. -
Marriage
In the summer of 1781, it was rumored that Mozart was contemplating marriage to Fridolin Weber’s daughter, Constanze. The couple was finally married on August 4, 1782. Wolfgang had six children, but only two survived infancy. Karl Thomas and Franz Xaver. “Love, love, love—that is the soul of genius.”
—Wolfgang Mozart -
Mozart as a Freemason
In 1784, Mozart became a Freemason, a fraternal order focused on charitable work, moral uprightness, and the development of fraternal friendship. Mozart was well regarded in the Freemason community, attending meetings and being involved in various functions. Freemasonry also became a strong influence in Mozart’s music. http://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/masonic-emblems.html -
Tough Times
Toward the end of the 1780s, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s fortunes began to grow worse. 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-1788, Mozart moved his family from central Vienna to the suburb of Alsergrund, for what would seem to be a way of reducing living costs. -
Death of a Great Musision
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died on December 5, 1791 at age 35. 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. http://www.artofeurope.com/prints/mozart.htm
