Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will always be known as one of the best musicians of all time. Although his life lasted half the length of a normal human, he most likely did more with his time than people do today. His greatness will unfortunately never be fully understood due to confusion on how his life was lived and even how he died, but everyone knows he had a gift.
Wolfgang started learning music at a very early age from his dad Leopold, who was a violin player. At the age of six he began composing and by eight he had written symphonies. His father toured Mozart and his sister around for the entertainment of nobles across Europe. From 1963 to 1973 Mozart went on tour with his father and family. He performed both publicly and privately for nobles of the time and often was asked to write music for weddings and other special occasions. While his father was often inflexible and hard to deal with, the tours that he went on were mostly improvised. “In 1777 Wolfgang went on a tour with his mother to Munich, Mannheim, and Paris. It was in Paris that his mother died suddenly in July, 1778. With no prospects of a job, Mozart dejectedly returned to Salzburg in 1779 and became court organist to the Archbishop.”(Sherrane, 1.2)
Somewhere around 1782 he married Constanze Weber as compensation for their alleged intimacy. Mozart was originally affectionate for Constanzes’ sister Aloysia, however their love didn’t last due to Mozart leaving for France to perform. It is said that his mother in-law had schemed around this event and encouraged their marriage. Leopold was angry and didn’t consent to the marriage. In letters we can tell that while she wasn’t as witty as Mozart, he fell in love with her kind heart and common sense. A few months after th...

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... has an epic texture and a serious tone.
Towards the end of his life he was experiencing severe debt and often had to beg his friends and acquaintances for loans. Most say he became ill from fever and died at the age of 35. Some say however that he was poisoned by an enemy or debt collector. Perhaps his fame and influence had something to do with it? You could see a connection with influential musicians and untimely deaths (John Lennon, Tupac). Since at the time it was common law to be buried in a mass grave we may never truly understand his death.
Mozart will forever be known as one of the top five composers of all time. His influence stretches across the world and even into today’s music. The story of his life is one of fascination and mystery, but his greatness is undoubted. His story will live on through time and perhaps, inspire future musicians to be great.