Amadeus

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-91

Austrian born composer and the son of a musical family , Mozart showed his talent at a precociously early age . By 4 he was playing confidently on the piano and began composing pieces the next year and then learnt the violin . His father was not slow to take advantage of his talents together with those of his sister Maria-Anne , taking them on extended tours of the continent . Aged only 6 he was playing before royalty in Bavaria and Austria . Later he would play before both the French and the

British royal families . By 1772 he had written some 25 symphonies (some now lost ) as well as numerous other works . In 1777 , according to Chambers Biographical Dictionary , he accepted the post of court organist in his home town of Salzburg . Towards the end of his life he wrote a number of Masonic pieces , having been a mason since 1854 according to the web page Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . In the same article his work is described as masterly , subtle and full of subtle relationships between the various instruments

His final composition was a requiem mass , that is a composition for a mass performed for the repose of someone who has died . It was one of several pieces of church music that he composed . He died from a fever before completely the work and is buried in an unmarked grave

Nowadays his music is credited with all sorts of properties to encourage the intellect . Mothers even play `Mozart ' to their unborn children Ideas such as this as much as the obvious quality of his work means that more than 200 years after his death he is as popular , if not more so than ever

Would I enjoy a Mozart concert ? Possibly , but I prefer usually to listen in my own home rather than travel to a crowded hall . This ability to choose my own program and time is a luxury that earlier generations could not participate in

References

Magnusson , M (editor )1995 Chambers Biographical Dictionary , Chambers Edinburgh

Sadie , S ( editor )Mozart , W .A . retrieved 19th February 2008 , Classical Music Page http /w3 .rz-berlin .mpg .de /cmp /mozart .html

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