Opera on the James

The Composer

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose 250th anniversary year is being celebrated, is one of the most impressive figures in the history of Western music. He was born in Salzburg, Austria, where his father, Leopold, was a violinist and composer in the service of the Prince Archbishop. Leopold aspired to become the leading musician in the Prince's court, but an awareness of his son Wolfgang's potential soon led him to forego his own ambitions.

After being taught simple pieces for clavier (a predecessor of the piano) at the age of four, Mozart progressed rapidly and began to write his own pieces at the age of five. Recognizing his son's talent, Mozart's father was determined to make him famous, although Leopold's motivation for doing so may have been impure: a child prodigy like Mozart represented quite a financial advantage for a relatively poor family. But Leopold also believed that his son's talent was God-given, and that it was his duty to make it known to the world.

In 1762, before Mozart was six years old, his father brought him and his sister Maria Anna to Munich to perform in the court of Bavarian royalty. After a similar visit in Vienna, Mozart and his sister had caused such a sensation that they went on an extremely successful three-and-a-half year tour of Europe.

At the age of twelve, Mozart wrote his first opera, La Finta Semplice, and then resumed his travels. Eventually returning home to Salzburg in 1771, he spent his teen-age years composing Masses, concertos, divertimenti and serenades for the Archbishop Colloredo.

In 1781, at the age of twenty-five, he wrote his first great opera, Idomeneo, and was called to Vienna by the Archbishop soon after its first performance. Mozart was treated badly in the Archbishop's service, and his resulting frustration led him to angrily offer his resignation. At his last interview, he was literally kicked out of the Archbishop's Vienna residence.

Mozart stayed in Vienna, determined to make his way as a composer. He married Constanze Weber, and they survived for a while on money Mozart made by teaching a few pupils. In the early 1780’s he met librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, who provided him with the libretto for Le Nozze di Figaro. Figaro premiered on May 1st, 1786 to an enthusiastic reception. Mozart and da Ponte soon began to work on Don Giovanni.

Don Giovanni had a successful premiere in Prague in October of 1787, but was not so well received when a slightly different version was performed in Vienna the next year. Mozart's financial situation worsened. He had become Court Composer to the Emperor, but was not extremely well paid for his work. In 1789, he was offered a more generous salary by the Prussian Emperor, but Mozart refused to move from Vienna. His monetary troubles deepened. Constanze fell ill, adding to his problems, and a third opera written in collaboration with da Ponte, CosÏ fan tutte, was not enough to alleviate his problems. In 1791, his final year, he wrote two operas: Die Zauberflöte and La Clemenza di Tito. While Die Zauberflöte is considered one of his greatest works, La Clemenza seems somewhat lackluster by comparison.

Throughout the year he became more ill and despondent, never receiving the sort of public recognition he deserved. When he died on December 5th of 1791, his funeral was attended by a few friends but not by his wife, who was too ill and grief-stricken. He died penniless and, according to the Viennese custom of the time, was buried in a mass grave.