Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: the child who wrote music
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was already playing the keyboard when he was a very small child, around three or four years old, and was writing his own little pieces by the age of five. He lived only 35 years, but wrote an enormous amount of music that people still love.
In this lesson
A child on tour
Mozart was born in 1756 in Salzburg, in Austria. His father Leopold was a violinist and a teacher, and he taught both Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna, who was nicknamed Nannerl. She was also a very good keyboard player.
When the children were young, their father took them on long trips through Europe to play for kings, queens and other people. They travelled by coach, and the trips were long and tiring.
Writing in Vienna
When he grew up, Mozart moved to Vienna in 1781. There he played concerts, taught students and wrote music for the theatre and the concert hall. He wrote symphonies, piano concertos, string quartets and operas such as The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute.
Mozart died in 1791 at the age of 35. People still wonder how one person could write so much in such a short life.
Some famous pieces
Mozart's music is known for tunes that are clear, graceful and easy to remember.
- Eine kleine Nachtmusik
- A cheerful piece for string instruments, written in 1787, with a very famous first tune.
- The Magic Flute
- An opera with magic, birds and a brave prince, first performed in 1791.
- Symphony No. 40
- A symphony in a minor key, with a restless and singing first tune.
- Piano Sonata No. 11
- A sonata whose last part is known as the "Turkish March" and is often played by piano students.
How to listen
Listen to how a Mozart tune often feels like a question and then an answer, with neat steps up and down. Try to hum it after you hear it once. Many people find it very easy to remember.
Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0).