Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is among the greatest and most influential composers in the Classical period.Mozart is among the rare breed of genius that other geniuses are compared to as a compliment. Being called the Mozart of a certain field is a testament to your creative genius.Throughout his short 35-year-old life, he composed over 600 compositions! His musical range was truly diverse and dabbled in many different genres and styles. His influence is felt even by greats of the field such as Ludwig van Beethoven who himself is a legendary musical figure. Mozart facts for kids are especially fun as many have grown up listening to his famous pieces without even realizing it’s composed by him.If you enjoy reading these Mozart fun facts, make sure to check out facts about Beethoven and Harry Potter facts.What is Mozart most known for?Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a prodigy that started learning music from the age of four and by the time he was six he was already touring and performing. Mozart was not only a composer creating pieces that were of the absolute best quality, but was also prolific.Mozart was one of the most prolific composers in the Classical period. The music composed by Mozart serves as an archetype of the classical style. Even though Mozart, unfortunately, had a short-lived life, he composed over 600 works spanning almost every genre in his time and achieved excellence in every single one of them.Facts About Mozart’s MusicMozart, who was Roman by nationality, composed 17 masses, over 50 symphonies, and about 24 operas, which included famous compositions such as the ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, ‘Don Giovanni’, and the ‘The Magic Flute’. He even composed 27 concert arias, 15 masses, 12 violin concertos, 26 string quartets among many others. Let’s read some more fun facts about him.He was one of the only few composers who has innumerable compositions in various musical genres under his name. Mozart was a true genius as he composed sonatas and concertos for not just the piano but almost every instrument available during his time. Being a prodigy, the young Mozart by just the age of five wrote simple works. By six he was touring and by just 13, Mozart was fluent in the musical language. His first work of composition is documented as Minuet and Trio in G major, listed as KV 1. It is hard to compile a list of Mozart’s greatest hits but Serenade No. 13 ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’, Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’, Clarinet Concerto, The Magic Flute, and Requiem are some of the best that Mozart’s songs have to offer. With a range of complex emotional tones, and instruments Mozart’s music has something to offer to everyone for every mood. He even produced a lot of religious songs such as large-scale masses, divertimenti, and serenades.Mozart could conceive the entire composition in his head even before setting pen to paper. He is credited with single-handedly developing and popularizing the Classical piano concertos. It is said by music scholars and critics that Mozart’s musical repertoire has all traits of Classical style such as clarity, transparency, and balance. His style evolved over the years with him employing the chromatic harmony more heavily in his later years. It is noted that his travels through Paris, Vienna, and Mannheim helped him absorb a lot of knowledge and gave him the necessary inspiration to pour into his work. Mozart would constantly switch his focus from operas, and instrumental music, which has contributed greatly to the corpus of these genres. His advances in composition changed the face of the orchestra in concertos and symphonies.Fun Facts About Mozart And His BirthWolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27th in Salzburg, which is now in Austria. Mozart was born to the German composer Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria. He can be called an Austrian by birth as he was born in what we know today as Austria.Mozart was the youngest of seven siblings but unfortunately, five of those died in infancy. His elder sister, Maria Anna Mozart, was his childhood companion. Mozart was born in a religious household and was baptized the day after his birth at the St. Rupert’s Cathedral. The name noted in the church records is Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart in a Latinized format. As we have come to know, Mozart called himself Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as an adult, and that is the name that lives on with his musical legacy. The story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is incomplete without exploring the role and character of his father Leopold Mozart. A native of Augsburg, his father was an insignificant composer and teacher. He got moderate success as he ground his way to higher of the ranks in an orchestra. His father even wrote a textbook on violin called Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule. Mozart’s father was passionate about teaching his children what he had learned. When Maria Anna Mozart was seven years old she was put into rigorous musical training regime learning keyboard. It was during this time that little Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, only three years old, looked at these lessons. Wolfgang Mozart started showing flashes of his musical potential when he struck thirds on the piano just because it sounded good. By age four he was learning the keyboard to play with his father, and by age five itself, Mozart wrote his first rudimentary pieces of music.Some interesting debate is around the claims whether Mozart wrote those pieces himself at such a young age. While there is some merit to arguments from both sides there is no such controversy around the pieces of music composed by him titled K. 1a, 1b, and 1c. Even though Mozart was given proper training that few ever got, he had innate talent too. When young Mozart began trying to compose beyond what was taught on the violin, even Leopold was surprised by the child’s initiative and creativity. Leopold even gave up composition altogether when his son’s talents became too sharp to ignore. Wolfgang Mozart was a prodigy and he toured many European cities from his young days performing along with his sister, Nannerl. Understandably, the travel conditions during that time were challenging and these tours were difficult for Mozart as well as Mozart’s family.Facts About Mozart’s DeathPerhaps the biggest tragedy for the world of music is how young Mozart was when he died. Aged only 35, Mozart fell ill in September 1791 during his opera La Clemenza di Tito. While Mozart’s health worsened, Mozart had still more to give to the world of music as he struggled to keep up his professional commitments including conducting the premiere of The Magic Flute.It was in November of that very year that Mozart was bedridden and nursed by his wife and younger sister for about a month. On December 5, 1791, at an hour past midnight, Mozart breathed his final breathes. The world lost a gem of a musician, whose legacy remains unparalleled even after so many centuries. The cause of Mozart’s death is not confirmed but experts speculate that Mozart may have contracted rheumatic fever, strep infection, mercury poisoning, or some kidney ailment. Mozart was interred in a common grave (subject to excavation after a decade). Mozart’s modest funeral was attended by very few people, which was in line with the customs of the time. His memorial services and concerts of his music were well attended in Vienna and Prague.While the world had lost a genius, his legacy continued to grow as people discovered his music (as his works were published) and people wrote his biography (Schlichtegroll, Nemetschek, and Nissen). It is anyone’s guess how many melodies and compositions were never played due to Mozart’s early death. While the past cannot be changed and that music can’t be heard, Mozart leaves all music lovers with a prolific collection of some of the finest piano and western classical music out there.Interesting Facts About MozartHistory sometimes feels like storylines that rarely intersect. Keep on reading to learn some historical facts.One of the historical associations that one may pass over is that Mozart lived during the same era as the French revolution. In fact, Mozart reportedly hung out with young Marie Antoinette when he was just six years old. There is some lore that Marie Antoinette helped Mozart after he slipped on the polished floor. Mozart in his childish innocence impressed by the gesture had the bright idea to propose marriage to the future queen of France. It is a fun exercise to imagine the timeline where Mozart and Marie Antoinette end up together.There is a struggle and low periods even in the careers of famous legends like Mozart. Mozart at the age of 22 was no longer a prodigy and was struggling to keep up with his father Leopold’s expectations. Mozart went to Paris with his mother to attempt to rise the ranks in the world of music. With little fluency in French and a lack of money, the mother and son lived in dilapidated hotels. His mother fell ill during this time and died an untimely death in July 1778. When the news reached Leopold Mozart, he blamed Wolfgang Mozart for the death of his mother.Mozart did not attend his father’s funeral. Only after a week of his father’s passing did Mozart’s pet starling die too. While Mozart did not go back to Salzburg for Leopold’s funeral, the starling had a grand funeral with a marched procession and a poem recitation by Mozart himself.Mozart’s demise is often the source of many conspiracy theories of murder. There was a baseless rumor back in the day that Antonio Salieri, an opera singer who taught composers like Beethoven and Franz Liszt, poisoned Mozart. The first to propagate this myth were false reports of poisoning in a Berlin newspaper at the time of his death. The truth is most likely far less exciting with the likely cause of his demise being a fatal strep infection.The Move To ViennaIn 1781 after spending time in Salzburg after the death of his mother in Paris, Mozart moved to Vienna where the Age of Enlightenment was in full force. The culture of Vienna was perfectly suited for Mozart to display his talents.The wealthy and the elite of the city had a taste for finer things in life. Balls and Operas were common, where Mozart won over his audiences with symphonies and piano concerts and became famous. It was here that Mozart met and married his wife Constanze Weber and had his first child Raimund Leopold. Unfortunately, though, the son died after two months. It might’ve been due to Mozart’s insistence that the young child not be breastfed and be raised on the water. Of the six children, the couple had only two children of theirs, living life past infancy.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Mozart facts, then why not take a look at facts about Paris or why do singers wear earpieces?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is among the greatest and most influential composers in the Classical period.
