Music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1756–1791 · Austrian

Classical

Born in Salzburg, Mozart was a child prodigy toured around Europe by his father Leopold; in 1781 he settled in Vienna as a freelance pianist and composer. In a life of 35 years he mastered every genre of his day – symphony, concerto, chamber music and above all opera – and is often regarded as the supreme Classical composer.

How to spot them

▸Elegant, balanced Classical melody with effortless grace, often turning suddenly poignant or dramatic
▸Operatic comedy in Italian (Figaro, Don Giovanni, Così) or German Singspiel (The Magic Flute)
▸A quiet, agitated G minor theme over throbbing violas is the opening of Symphony No. 40
▸Quiz clues: Salzburg, child prodigy, Köchel (K.) numbers, Da Ponte, Salieri, unfinished Requiem

Key works — listen

Serenade No. 13 in G major, 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik', K. 525 (1787)

'A little night music' – crisp string serenade with an instantly familiar rising opening

Recording: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 (1788)

One of only two minor-key symphonies; written in the same summer as the 'Jupiter'

Recording: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · EEF OAL-1, Wikimedia Commons

Requiem in D minor, K. 626 (1791)

Left unfinished at his death; completed by Franz Xaver Süssmayr; includes the 'Lacrimosa'

Recording: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

The Marriage of Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), K. 492 (1786)

Opera buffa to a Da Ponte libretto after Beaumarchais; famous fizzing overture

The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), K. 620 (1791)

German Singspiel with Schikaneder; the Queen of the Night's 'Der Hölle Rache' reaches top F

Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331 – 'Rondo alla turca' (c. 1783)

Finale imitating Turkish Janissary bands; often called the 'Turkish March'

Quick-fire facts

•Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756 and died in Vienna in 1791, aged 35.
•K. numbers come from the catalogue by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, first published in 1862.
•His last symphony, No. 41 in C major, K. 551, is nicknamed the 'Jupiter'.
•Lorenzo Da Ponte wrote the librettos for The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte.
•The Requiem was anonymously commissioned on behalf of Count Franz von Walsegg and completed after Mozart's death by Süssmayr.
•As a boy in Rome, he reputedly wrote out Allegri's closely guarded Miserere from memory.
•Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467, is nicknamed 'Elvira Madigan' after its use in a 1967 Swedish film.
•The Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 (1791), was written for the clarinettist Anton Stadler.

Drill it — 10 cards

1 / 10new card

Sources

Encyclopaedia Britannica — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Richard Taruskin — The Oxford History of Western Music