Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Composer
January 27, 1756 - December 5, 1791
Age: 35
Manner of Demise: Rheumatic Inflammatory Fever

The music of Mozart is everywhere. It floats by as the background music in elevators and supermarkets, it’s up front and center to set a mood in stores such as Victoria’s Secrets. It’s used in movies and advertisements, and, like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” has been a part of almost every person’s childhood.
Wolfgang’s father, Leopold, was also a musician and composer, and recognized Wolfgang’s talent very early. At three, Wolfgang picked out chords on the harpsichord, four saw him playing short pieces, and at five he was writing concertos.
When Wolfgang was six, Leopold took him away from their home in Salzburg, Austria, and out on the road. For the next six years, Wolfgang played and composed throughout Europe. Wolfgang, and sometimes his sister, Maria Anna, would perform and improvise music for anyone with money to pay. After a brief return to Salzburg, the 13 year old toured Italy, the home of Opera.
In Italy, as with his previous tour of Europe, Wolfgang played all the major cities, but also would stop wherever a concert could be given. Wolfgang garnered much praise, and commissions for various musical pieces came quickly.
In 1773, the Mozart family moved to Vienna, with the hope of young Wolfgang securing a position with the court. Though he didn’t find employment, the music of the city greatly influenced the work he composed. The following year, he found steady pay back in Salzburg for Archbishop Colloredo, a position he held for nearly three years. Wolfgang also accepted commissions on the side.
At 21, Wolfgang felt it was time to move on. He traveled throughout Europe, taking commissions and absorbing styles, but did not find a steady job. At the death of his mother, Wolfgang returned home, but left again for Vienna, where he would mostly remain.
Wolfgang was prolific. He made money, but never enough, never receiving a good appointment to a royal court, (the one sure way to be financially secure for a composer in that time period), and mostly freelanced for the remainder of his life. He composed important works, including The Magic Flute and Cosi fan tutte, as well as pieces for all matter of instruments and voices, and could be considered the greatest composer of all time.
Ill for some time, Wolfgang died at age 35.

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