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At age six in 1762, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began a concert tour that showcased his extraordinary piano skills across Europe. He composed his first operas as a teenager and became concertmaster of the Archbishop of Salzburg in 1769. His masterpiece Die Zauberflöte premiered in 1791, the same year he died of renal failure in Vienna.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Leopold Mozart, a composer and teacher, recognized his son Wolfgang’s talent when the boy began playing harpsichord at age three in 1759. He took Wolfgang and his sister Maria Anna on a concert tour of Munich, Vienna, Paris, and London from 1763 to 1766, where Wolfgang astounded audiences with his piano playing and improvisations.
In 1769, Mozart was appointed concertmaster of the Archbishop of Salzburg and was knighted by the Pope in Rome, receiving the Order of the Golden Spur. After a dispute with the Archbishop in 1781, he left Salzburg for Vienna, where he married Constanze Weber and began a fruitful friendship with Joseph Haydn. His opera Die Zauberflöte premiered in 1791, incorporating Masonic symbolism, and his final work, the Requiem, was left unfinished at his death.
Mozart married Constanze Weber on August 4, 1782 in Vienna. The couple had six children, but only two survived to adulthood: Karl Thomas Mozart 1784–1858 and Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart 1791–1844. Neither married or had children. Mozart preferred to be known as Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, though his baptismal name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. He was a Freemason, and Die Zauberflöte contains Masonic imagery.
Mozart’s operas, including Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte, remain staples of the repertoire. The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard considered Don Giovanni the greatest work of art ever made. In honor of Mozart’s 250th birthday in 2006, all church bells in Salzburg rang simultaneously at the hour of his birth. The annual Salzburg Festival is largely devoted to his music, and his birthplace is now a museum. His over 600 compositions make him a central figure of the Classical era.
Browse the complete filmography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
As Death, When We Come to Consider It Closely, Is the True Goal of Our Existence, I Have Formed During the Last Few Years Such Close Relations with This Best and Truest Friend of Mankind, That His Image Is Not Only No Longer Terrifying to Me, but Is Indeed Very Soothing and Consoling! and I Thank My God for Graciously Granting Me the Opportunity of Learning That Death Is the Key Which Unlocks the Door to Our True Happiness.
People Are Wrong Who Think My Art Comes Easily to Me. I Assure You, Nobody Has Devoted so Much Time and Thought to Composition as I.
Sweetheart, If I Wrote You All the Things I’m Doing with Your Picture, You’d Laugh.
Little-known facts about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Mozart possessed a photographic memory, enabling him to play a complete musical work after a single hearing.
He spoke 15 languages, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, English, Turkish, Russian, Bohemian Czech, Polish, Dutch, Latin, Ancient Greek, and Biblical Hebrew.
He could play the piano backward while lying on his back along the bench, and could play a piece of music backward from memory.
In a letter to his father, he described Constanze as not ugly but far from beautiful, with two little black eyes and a nice figure, praising her common sense and kind heart.
For his 250th birthday in 2006, all church bells in Salzburg were rung simultaneously at the exact hour of his birth.
Wrote Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, known as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, on August 10, 1787; it was not published until 1827.
His handwriting shows no corrections, proving he composed music without revisions.
Began playing the harpsichord at age three.
In Salzburg, his birthplace is a museum, and the annual Salzburg Festival is largely devoted to his music; many shops and streets are named after him.
Of his six children, only Karl Thomas and Franz Xaver Wolfgang survived to adulthood, and neither married or had children.
He was so taken by Benjamin Franklin’s glass harmonica that he composed Adagio for Glass Harmonica K 356 and Adagio and Rondo K 617, the latter for blind player Mariana Kirchgäßner.
Contrary to popular belief, Mozart was not buried in a mass grave but in a regular communal grave at St. Marx Cemetery; the original grave site is now lost.
His baptismal name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; Theophilus translates to Amadé in French and Amadeus in Latin, which he preferred.
There is no evidence that Mozart was the victim of a deadly intrigue by Antonio Salieri; they were on good terms by 1785, and Salieri attended the premiere of Die Zauberflöte.
During his prime, he was a virtuoso violinist.
He preferred to be known as Wolfgang Amadé Mozart; the name Amadeus became popular because his widow used it in the death register and pension application.
A Freemason, The Magic Flute contains Masonic imagery.
Composed his first 30 symphonies by age 18; his 31st symphony, premiered in Paris in 1778, was nicknamed the Paris Symphony.
The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard considered Don Giovanni the greatest work of art ever made.
Often worked as a musical tutor.
After Mozart’s death, Constanze married Danish diplomat Georg Nikolaus von Nissen, a Mozart enthusiast who edited the composer’s letters and wrote a biography.
His wife Constanze was the cousin of Carl Maria von Weber.
Ludwig van Beethoven was about to become his pupil, but had to return home due to his mother’s illness; when he was ready, Mozart had already died.
Born at 8:00 pm LMT
Portrayed by Tom Hulce in Amadeus 1984 and by Max Tidof in Vergeßt Mozart 1985.
Subject of the song Rock Me Amadeus by Falco.
Mentioned in Train’s Drops of Jupiter and in the Bloodhound Gang song Mope.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Celebrities similar to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — same craft, ranked by reach.
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