salzburgAustria
city of Mozart
city of Mozart
Mozart
In 1718 Mozart's grandfather "Johann Georg Mozart" marries "Anna Maria Sulzer" in the Bavarian town Augsburg. Only one year later Mozart's father was born. They gave him the melodious name "Leopold". Another year later in 1720, Mozart's mother was born. Her name was "Anna Maria Pertl", and she lived in St. Gilgen, a little village on the Wolfgang See (Lake Wolfgang).
In 1737 Mozart's father Leopold moved from Augsburg to Salzburg. It took some time until he met the young and beautiful Anna Maria there. But when they met eachother, it was love at first sight. Anna Maria was already 27 years old, when she married the Bavarian immigrant Leopold in the Cathedral to Salzburg.
The fourth child of the couple was born on the 30th July in 1751. Her name was "Anna Walburga Ignatia", but she was just called "Nannerl", Mozart's famous sister.
27th January 1756. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born as the seventh child in the Getreidgasse in Salzburg. His full name in the baptism document was: "Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart". Later "Gottlieb" was changed into "Amadeus".
Wolfgang Gottlieb (Amadeus) grew up in a very harmonic and polite family life. When Wolfgang (Gottlieb) Amadeus already was 4 years old, his father mentioned his first compositions. So Wolfgang Amadeus was really a very highly gifted child.
1762, Konstanze Weber was born. Twenty years later she will be Wolfgang Amadeus wife. In 1763 the whole family left Salzburg to Germany and France. From France the Mozart Family continued their trip to England. Wolfgang Amadeus gave a lot of concerts, he was still writing new compositions, and his first symphony. Mozart gets in touch with Italian symphonies and operas. In 1765 the family moved from England over France to Holland. In 1766 from Holland through France to Switzerland and to Germany.
It was September 1767 when the Mozart Family moved to Vienna. Wolfgang conaminated himself with the pox disease, and wrote the music to the songplay "Bastien and Bastienne". Two years later he returned home to Salzburg. He was the chosen one to wear the title "concert master" of the episcopal court music. Wolfgang attened three journeys to Italy with his father. Their destiniation was Naples, and Wolfgang began to love the Italian music. His concerts in Innsbruck, Verona, Mantua, Milano, Blogna, Firenze and Roma were a big success. He received decorations in Bologna and Roma. In the following years his success continued. His mother died on the 3rd July 1778.
In 1781 Mozart travelled to Vienna for a concert to honour the new monarch "Emperor Joseph II", and started to quarrel with the bishop of Salzburg who wanted Mozart to play in his music group. Mozart wanted a concert only for himself. He was kicked out of the episcopal service. From now on he was a free artist, and had to earn his money for himself. He stayed in Vienna and started an affair with Konstanze Weber.
Mozart married Konstanze on the 4th August 1782. Konstanze was very "fond of life" and quite a shallow brat. She never recognized Mozart's genious in creating music, althought she was not unmusical.
Mozart's success as a free artist in Vienna went on. In 1784 he joined the freemasons's lodge called "Zur Wohltätigkeit".
Mozart's father Leopold died 1787 in Salzburg. Meanwhile Wolfgangs's success is still rising. He travelled to Prague where his "Figaro" was highly appreciated. On the 29th October 1787 "Don Giovanni" was played in Prague the first time.
The triumph of "Don Giovanni" in Prague, was not the same as in Vienna. During summer 1788 in only 10 weeks, Mozart wrote his last three symphonies: Es-Dur, KV 543, the g-Moll-Symphony, KV 550, and the C-Dur-Symphonie, KV 551, also known as "Jupiter-Symphonie". Mozart's financial situation turned to worse, althought his income was not too bad.
In 1789 Mozart was totally broke. He started to write begging letters to a freemason lodge brother.
The next year Mozart travelled to Frankfurt to join the crowning of the emperor. In Frankfurt he met the famous actor, singer and theatre director Emanuel Schikaneder. Mr. Schikaneder, a good man, brought the broke Mozart new orders to heal his chronic lack of money. Mozart composed "Die Zauberflöte" for him. Zauberflöte was first played on the 30th September 1791 in Vienna at Schikaneders theatre "auf der Wieden". Zauberflöte was also Mozart's Opera which made him famous all around the world.
After some days of serious sickness, Mozart died on the 5th December 1791, while his wife Konstanze was enjoying herself on a cure in Baden. Mozart was buried on the next day in Vienna, at the cemetary St. Marx. Only few friends joined his consecration, but nobody stayed until Mozart was brought under earth. Even his wife Konstanze was not very interested to pay him the last honour. He was thrown in a hole with other dead bodies, and buried without a gravestone. Nobody knows the exact spot of his grave.
