The lessons proved beneficial and, after passing a gruelling test in counterpoint, Mozart was elected a member of the prestigious Philharmonic Society. Returning via Rome, where he was knighted by the Pope, he visited Bologna, taking lessons from the great contrapuntist, Father Martini. In May, Mozart visited Naples where he met composer Niccolò Jommelli and the English historian, Charles Burney. To hone his operatic skills and establish his reputation, Mozart visited Italy three times between 17, performing in Rovereto, Verona, Mantua and Milan, where he met composer Niccolò Piccinni and was commissioned to write his opera seria, Mitridate.įew modern-day tourists have seen as much of Italy as the teenage Mozart.įrom Milan he journeyed to Lodi where he produced his first string quartet, and then to Parma, Bologna and Florence where he became friendly with just about the only child he ever had dealings with as an equal – the English composer Thomas Linley the younger.įor Easter, Mozart was in Rome, where he famously broke the Papal decree against publishing Allegri’s Miserere by memorising it after hearing it at St Peter’s and later writing it down. It was the seed from which Mozart grew his ambition to create German opera, later realised with Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782) and Die Zauberflöte (1791). Mozart’s travels made him a great mimic of men and music.īy the age of 13, he had already composed a little one-act opera, Bastien and Bastienne, modelled on the sort of French comic operas he had heard in Paris. Indeed, Bach’s ‘singing allegros’ can be heard in many of Mozart’s most characteristic first movements and finales, most triumphantly in the finale of the Jupiter Symphony No. 5 keyboard sonatas as Piano Concertos (KV107). His Italianate style made a profound impact on Mozart who modelled his first three symphonies on those of Bach and his business-partner, Carl Friedrich Abel.
JC Bach had spent much of his earlier life in Italy, mastering the Italian style, and had since established himself in London with a successful series of concerts at the fashionable Vauxhall Gardens. It’s no surprise, then, that Mozart’s earliest works show their influence and North German seriousness would become an important feature of his mature style, such as in the slow movement of his Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola and orchestra (1779) – an unquestionable masterpiece of the classical canon.īut it was during his visit to London that the eight-year-old Mozart met Johann Sebastian’s youngest son Johann Christian, with whom he would form a life-long friendship. Mozart probably died of rheumatic fever, not poisoning like some people speculate.Before setting off on his first tour, Mozart had already laid the firm foundations of his technique, learning from the collections of more than 100 keyboard works, mostly by North German composers such as Telemann and CPE Bach, that his father had gathered for him and his sister, Nannerl, to study. On December 5, 1791, Mozart said goodbye to his family, turned to face the wall and passed away. Shortly before his last breath, Mozart tried to sing parts of his last work. He gave one of his students precise details about how his last work, Requiem, was to be completed. He was taken to bed but Mozart knew he was dying. One day Mozart was found at his desk unconscious. It wasn't long before his wife became ill from not eating properly. As a composer Mozart made very little money and wrote many letters to publishers, friends and even acquaintances for small loans.
He also began teaching to make ends meet. Mozart still had talent and continued to write great music which he played for small audiences. As a young adult he began touring again but he was no longer a child wonder. As a teenager he mastered the piano and completed his first opera, La finta semplice ( The Simple Pretense.) Mozart played all over Europe but often returned to his hometown of Salzburg, in Austria. Mozart's audience loved his blond curls, his shrill voice and his polite ways. He played for the rich, for royalty and for the public. Just like breathing, music obviously came naturally to him.Īs a child Mozart toured Europe for three years with his dad and his sister, both talented musicians. Mozart even put on a concert when he was just six. He then started learning the harpsichord and violin.
By the age of three Mozart was playing the piano like a pro. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered one of the best, if not the best, classical composer.