Wolfgang Mozart portraits. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: biography, video, interesting facts. Biography of Mozart: briefly about creativity

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756. His father was the composer and violinist Leopold Mozart, who worked in the court chapel of Count Sigismund von Strattenbach (Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg). The mother of the famous musician was Anna Maria Mozart (nee Pertl), who came from the family of a commissioner-trustee of an almshouse in the small commune of St. Gilgen.

A total of seven children were born into the Mozart family, but most of them, unfortunately, died at a young age. The first child of Leopold and Anna, who managed to survive, was the elder sister of the future musician, Maria Anna (from childhood, her family and friends called the girl Nannerl). About four years later, Wolfgang was born. The birth was extremely difficult, and doctors for a long time feared that it would be fatal for the boy’s mother. But after some time, Anna began to recover.

Family of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Both Mozart children with early years demonstrated a love of music and excellent abilities for it. When Nannerl's father began teaching her to play the harpsichord, her little brother was only about three years old. However, the sounds heard during lessons were so exciting little boy, that from then on he often approached the instrument, pressed the keys and selected pleasant-sounding harmonies. Moreover, he could even play fragments musical works that I heard before.

Therefore, already at the age of four, Wolfgang began to receive his own harpsichord lessons from his father. However, the child soon became bored with learning minuets and pieces written by other composers, and at the age of five, young Mozart added to this type of activity the composing of his own short plays. And at the age of six, Wolfgang mastered the violin, and practically without outside help.

Nannerl and Wolfgang never went to school: Leopold gave them an excellent education at home. At the same time, young Mozart always immersed himself in the study of any subject with great zeal. For example, if we were talking about mathematics, then after several diligent studies of the boy, literally every surface in the room: from the walls and floor to the floors and chairs - was quickly covered with chalk inscriptions with numbers, problems and equations.

Euro-trip

Already at the age of six, the “miracle child” played so well that he could give concerts. Nannerl’s voice was a wonderful addition to his inspired performance: the girl sang simply beautifully. Leopold Mozart was so impressed by the musical abilities of his children that he decided to go on long tours with them to various European cities and countries. He hoped that this journey would bring them great success and considerable profit.

The family visited Munich, Brussels, Cologne, Mannheim, Paris, London, The Hague, and several cities in Switzerland. The trip dragged on for many months, and after a short return to Salzburg - for years. During this time, Wolfgang and Nunnell gave concerts to stunned audiences, and also attended opera houses and performances of famous musicians with their parents.

Young Wolfgang Mozart at his instrument

In 1764, the first four sonatas of young Wolfgang, intended for violin and clavier, were published in Paris. In London, the boy was lucky to study for some time with Johann Christian Bach( youngest son Johann Sebastian Bach), who immediately noted the child’s genius and, being a virtuoso musician, gave Wolfgang many useful lessons.

Over the years of wandering, the “miracle children”, who already by nature had far from the best good health, quite tired. Their parents were also tired: for example, during the Mozart family’s stay in London, Leopold became seriously ill. Therefore, in 1766, the child prodigies returned to their hometown with their parents.

Creative development

At the age of fourteen, Wolfgang Mozart, through the efforts of his father, went to Italy, which was amazed by the talent of the young virtuoso. Arriving in Bologna, he successfully took part in the unique musical competitions of the Philharmonic Academy along with musicians, many of whom were old enough to be his fathers.

The skill of the young genius so impressed the Academy of Boden that he was elected academician, although this honorary status was usually awarded only to the most successful composers, who were at least 20 years old.

After returning to Salzburg, the composer plunged headlong into composing diverse sonatas, operas, quartets, and symphonies. The older he got, the more daring and original his works were, they became less and less like the creations of the musicians whom Wolfgang admired as a child. In 1772, fate brought Mozart together with Joseph Haydn, who became his main teacher and closest friend.

Wolfgang soon received a job at the archbishop's court, just like his father. He got large number orders, but after the death of the old bishop and the arrival of a new one, the situation at court became much less pleasant. Sip fresh air For young composer was a trip to Paris and major German cities in 1777, which Leopold Mozart begged from the archbishop for his gifted son.

At that time, the family faced quite severe financial difficulties, and therefore only the mother was able to go with Wolfgang. The grown-up composer gave concerts again, but his bold compositions were not like classical music those times, and the grown-up boy no longer aroused delight by his mere appearance. Therefore, this time the audience received the musician with much less cordiality. And in Paris, Mozart’s mother died, exhausted from a long and unsuccessful trip. The composer returned to Salzburg.

Career blossoming

Despite his money problems, Wolfgang Mozart had long been dissatisfied with the way the archbishop treated him. Without doubting his musical genius, the composer was indignant at the fact that his employer regarded him as a servant. Therefore, in 1781, he, disregarding all the laws of decency and the persuasion of his relatives, decided to leave the service of the archbishop and move to Vienna.

There the composer met Baron Gottfried van Steven, who at that time was the patron of musicians and had a large collection of works by Handel and Bach. On his advice, Mozart tried to create music in the Baroque style in order to enrich his creativity. At the same time, Mozart tried to get a position as a music teacher for Princess Elisabeth of Württemberg, but the emperor preferred the singing teacher Antonio Salieri to him.

The peak of Wolfgang Mozart's creative career occurred in the 1780s. It was then that she wrote her most famous operas: “The Marriage of Figaro”, “The Magic Flute”, “Don Giovanni”. At the same time, the popular “Little Night Serenade” was written in four parts. At that time, the composer's music was in great demand, and he received the largest fees in his life for his work.

Unfortunately, the period of unprecedented creative growth and recognition for Mozart did not last too long. In 1787, his beloved father died, and soon his wife Constance Weber fell ill with a leg ulcer, and a lot of money was needed for the treatment of her wife.

The situation was worsened by the death of Emperor Joseph II, after which Emperor Leopold II ascended the throne. He, unlike his brother, was not a fan of music, so composers of that time did not have to count on the favor of the new monarch.

Personal life

Mozart's only wife was Constance Weber, whom he met in Vienna (at first, after moving to the city, Wolfgang rented housing from the Weber family).

Wolfgang Mozart and his wife

Leopold Mozart was against his son’s marriage to a girl, as he saw in this the desire of her family to find a “profitable match” for Constance. However, the wedding took place in 1782.

The composer's wife was pregnant six times, but few of the couple's children survived infancy: only Karl Thomas and Franz Xaver Wolfgang survived.

Death

In 1790, when Constance again went for treatment, and Wolfgang Mozart's financial condition became even more unbearable, the composer decided to give several concerts in Frankfurt. The famous musician, whose portrait at that time became the personification of progressive and immensely beautiful music, were greeted with a bang, but the proceeds from the concerts turned out to be too small and did not live up to Wolfgang’s hopes.

In 1791, the composer experienced an unprecedented creative upsurge. At this time, “Symphony 40” came out from his pen, and shortly before his death, the unfinished “Requiem”.

That same year, Mozart became very ill: he was tormented by weakness, the composer’s legs and arms became swollen, and soon he began to suffer from sudden bouts of vomiting. Wolfgang's death occurred on December 5, 1791, its official cause being rheumatic inflammatory fever.

However, to this day, some believe that the cause of Mozart’s death was poisoning by the then famous composer Antonio Salieri, who, alas, was not at all as brilliant as Wolfgang. Part of the popularity of this version is dictated by the corresponding “little tragedy” written by. However, no confirmation of this version has been found to date.

• The composer's real name is Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus (Gottlieb) Mozart, but he himself always demanded to be called Wolfgang.

Wolfgang Mozart. Last lifetime portrait

• During the big tour of the young Mozarts across Europe, the family ended up in Holland. At that time there was a fast in the country, and music was prohibited. An exception was made only for Wolfgang, considering his talent to be a gift from God.
• Mozart was buried in a common grave, where there were several other coffins: the financial situation of the family at that time was so difficult. Therefore, the exact burial place of the great composer is still unknown.

For true music lovers who do not limit themselves to listening exclusively to the products of modern mass culture, often of very low quality, the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is no less sacred than the name of A. S. Pushkin for those who understand his contribution to the development of Russian literature, yes and the Russian literary language in general.
And, of course, many are interested in what the brilliant composer looked like, who showed himself in this capacity already in early childhood, whose works have been enjoyed by real music lovers for more than two centuries, and it seems that in future generations the highest appreciation of Mozart’s work will remain so.

1. This portrait of Mozart was painted by his friend, actor Joseph Lange. 1782/1789. Here Mozart is about 30 years old. This work is considered the best depiction of the composer. In the portrait, the artist managed to combine authenticity and a sense of glory. The portrait remained unfinished.

However, the art of photography did not yet exist at the time of Mozart (second half of the 18th century). Therefore, those images of the composer that we have are the result of the creativity of artists who, fortunately, by this time had mastered techniques close to realistic art, although not without the obvious influence of the romanticism then dominant in Europe, which sought to embellish reality.
Several portraits of Mozart, made by different artists - the composer's contemporaries at a time when, for example, in architecture, the most fashionable style was the more than oversaturated with excesses of Rococo, also unlikely to be too reliable, they are offered to the attention of everyone who is interested.
And you yourself draw your own conclusions about the authenticity of these portraits (your comments will be very interesting to me!).

2. Portrait of six-year-old Wolfgang Mozart by Pietro Antonio Lorenzoni. 1763 On it, Mozart is a boy from the Rococo era with a pigtail and a richly decorated dagger, which was a symbol of gallantry in the 18th century. The costume was a gift from Empress Maria Theresa. The artist painted the entire Mozart family, so the portrait is considered real.

3. The famous portrait of the young Mozart, who visited Verona with concerts in 1770 (in private collection in Paris), considered the work of Saverio della Rosa.

4. 17-year-old Mozart. Miniature on ivory.
The portrait creates the feeling that Mozart is somewhat detached from reality, his thoughts are absorbed in something. A long, thoughtful look, a slightly sad face. According to the recollections of a friend at that time, Mozart “was hot-tempered as gunpowder,” but nevertheless loved in society.

5. John of Nepomuk della Croce. The Mozart family. 1780 or 1781.
In the center is Wolfgang Amadeus, next to his sister Maria Anna, whom friends and relatives called Nannerl, and father Leopold Mozart. On the wall is a portrait of Anna Maria's mother, who died in 1778. At that time, Mozart worked a lot on musical composition. In one of his letters to his father, he writes that he must work hard so that later everything will be easy for him.

6. Portrait of Mozart by Giuseppe Signaroli, better known as Fra Felice. 1782-1783.
During this period, Mozart had a favorable atmosphere in his house: his wife Constance organized small evenings for friends. At these evenings they listened to Haydn's music and danced. At this time, Mozart was a passionate fan of dancing and complained that he sometimes achieved more success in dancing than in music.

7. Barbara Krafft. Portrait of Mozart. 1819. This portrait was painted after Mozart’s death from the model that Mozart’s sister Nannerl chose for the artist.

Anyone who was interested in Mozart's biography could not help but notice that there was very little happiness in his life. Maybe this is the fate of many brilliant creators?
And it’s hard to call him handsome - both by modern standards and by the criteria of the 18th century, isn’t it?
But, as they say, we value him not for something, but for his brilliant music.
In the end, is it really so important whether P. I. Tchaikovsky had homosexual inclinations or all this is speculation. This does not negate the genius of his works!

Text in italics belongs to

National pride of Austria, greatest mystery The Creator, the symbol of Genius – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His life and death left more questions than answers. Its history is overgrown with legends and myths. Hundreds of books have been written about him. But it is unlikely that we will ever get closer to solving this phenomenon. The brilliant composer really has many secrets, and one of them is the so-called “Mozart Effect”. Scientists are racking their brains, trying to find an answer to the question, why exactly the music of a genius has such a beneficial effect on human health? Why, listening to his works, do we calm down and begin to think better? How much do patients suffering from serious illnesses feel better from Mozart’s music? One hundred thousand whys, to which even after hundreds of years no one can give an intelligible answer.

Brief biography Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and read many interesting facts about the composer on our page.

short biography

Usually, in the biographies of famous people, childhood years are described in passing, some funny or tragic incidents that influenced the formation of character are mentioned. But in the case of Mozart, the story about his childhood is a story about the concert and composition activities of a full-fledged musician and virtuoso performer, the author of instrumental works.

He was born on January 27, 1756 in the family of violinist and teacher Leopold Mozart. The father had a huge influence on the development of his son as a person and musician. All their lives they were bound by the most tender affection, even Wolfgang’s phrase is known: “After dad there is only God.” Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna, who was called Nannerl at home, never attended public school; all education, including not only music, but also counting, writing, reading, was given to them by their father. He was a born teacher, his Toolkit on learning to play violin published dozens of times and was considered the best for a long time.

From birth, little Wolfgang was surrounded by an atmosphere of creativity, musical sounds and constant employment. Father worked with Nannerl on harpsichord and violin, 3-year-old Wolfie watched them with jealousy and delight: well, when will dad let him practice? For him it was all a game - picking out melodies and harmonies by ear. Thus, while playing, his music studies began, to which he devoted himself completely.

According to Mozart's biography, already at the age of 4, he draws scribbles on music paper, which infuriates his father, but the anger quickly gives way to amazement - the notes, which look chaotic on paper, form a simple, but literate piece from the point of view of harmony. Leopold immediately understands the highest talent that God has awarded his son.

In those days, a musician could count on a very good life if he found a patron and got a permanent job. For example, taking the position of bandmaster at the court or house of a noble nobleman. Then music was an integral part of social and secular life. And Leopold decides to go and give performances in European cities in order to gain fame for his son so that later he can achieve a better fate. He expected now to gain attention to the child’s extraordinary talent.

The Mozarts (father, son and daughter) set off on their first journey at the beginning of 1762, when Wolfgang was 6 years old and his sister was 10. The miracle children met with the most enthusiastic reception everywhere, they amazed listeners with their performing skills. My father tried to make their performances as impressive as possible. Maria Anna performed the most technically complex musical pieces, which not every experienced harpsichordist can master. Wolfgang did not just play masterfully - he was blindfolded, covered the keyboard with a scarf, he played from sight, improvised. All efforts were devoted to creating a sensation and sticking in the memory of the listeners. And they were indeed invited a lot and often. These were mainly the houses of aristocrats and even crowned heads.

But there was another interesting point in this. During all these travels from London to Naples, Wolfgang not only showed the public his generous talent - he also absorbed all the cultural and musical achievements that this or that city could provide him. Then Europe was fragmented, centers of culture flared up in different cities - and each had its own trends, musical styles, genres, preferences. Little Wolfgang could listen to all this, absorb it, process it with his brilliant mind. And as a result, the synthesis of all these musical layers gave impetus to the powerful movement that represented Mozart’s work.

Salzburg and Vienna

Alas, Leopold's plans were not destined to come true. The children grew up and no longer produced such things. vivid impression. Wolfgang turned into a short young man, “just like everyone else,” and his past popularity rather got in the way. Neither his membership in the Bologna Academy, which he received at the age of 12, having brilliantly completed the task, nor the Order of the Golden Spur, awarded by the Catholic Pope himself, nor all-European fame made it easy career young composer.

For some time he served as bandmaster for the archbishop in Salzburg. A difficult relationship with this arrogant man forced Wolfgang to take orders from Vienna, Prague, and London. He strived for independence, disrespectful treatment hurt him painfully. Frequent travel led to the desired goal - one day Archbishop Colloredo fired Mozart, accompanying the dismissal with a humiliating gesture.

He eventually moved to Vienna in 1781. Here he will spend the last 10 years of his life. This period would mark the flowering of his creativity, his marriage to Constance Weber, and here he would write his most significant works. The Viennese did not immediately accept him, and in general, after the success “ Weddings of Figaro“In 1786, the remaining premieres took place quietly.He was always received much warmer in Prague.

At that time, Vienna was the musical capital of Europe, its residents were spoiled by an abundance of musical events, and musicians from all over the world flocked there. Competition among composers was very high. But the confrontation between Mozart and Antonio Salieri, which we can see in the famous film “Amadeus” by Milos Forman, and even earlier in Pushkin, does not correspond to reality. On the contrary, they treated each other with great respect.

He also had a close and touching friendship with Joseph Haydn, dedicated beautiful string quartets to him. Haydn, in turn, endlessly admired Wolfgang's talent and subtle musical taste, his extraordinary ability to feel and convey feelings like a true Artist.

Despite the fact that Mozart never managed to achieve a position at court, his work gradually began to bring him considerable income. He was an independent person who placed the honor and dignity of a person above all else. He didn’t reach into his pocket for a sharp word, and in general directly said everything he thought. This attitude could not leave anyone indifferent; envious people and ill-wishers appeared.

Illness and death

A slight creative decline, which began in 1789-90, quickly gave way to active work at the beginning of 1791. At the end of winter he made changes to Symphony No. 40. In the spring, the opera La Clemenza di Titus was written and then staged in the summer, commissioned by the Czech court for the coronation day of Leopold II. In September, a joint project was completed with Emanuel Schikaneder, a fellow member of the Masonic lodge - Singspiel " The Magic Flute" In July of this year, he received an order for a funeral mass from a mysterious envoy...

At the beginning of autumn, Wolfgang begins to complain of illness. Gradually they intensify. Last performance Mozart is dated November 18 - the opening day of the next lodge of the Secret Society. After that he fell ill and never got up. Until now, medical scientists are arguing about the causes of the disease and diagnosis. Most often, the version of poisoning is rejected, but not completely ruled out. Over the past centuries, there are no more authentic documents; on the contrary, many of the statements of Constanta and other witnesses are becoming less and less credible.

The composer was treated by the best doctor in Vienna at that time; many of his methods are now presented as aggravating the patient’s condition, but at that time they were widely used in medicine. On the night of December 4-5 he dies...

During his lifetime, he was a dapper fashionista, leading a somewhat freer lifestyle than he could afford. Many notes have been preserved in which he addressed his friends with a request to borrow money - for the next music project. But he never learned to manage money wisely. And when the question of a funeral arose, it turned out that the family had no money for it.

Baron van Swieten paid for the funeral in full; he gave an amount sufficient for burial according to the 3rd category - in a separate coffin, but in a common grave. It was a common practice back then, there was nothing strange about it. Except for one thing - even the burial place of the greatest son of man has not been preserved. At that time, funeral monuments were placed outside the cemetery fence.

Interesting facts about Mozart

• Mozart wrote half of his total number of symphonies between the ages of 8 and 19.
• In 2002, on the anniversary of September 11, choirs all over the planet performed "Requiem" by Mozart within 24 hours to honor the memory of those killed.
• In the largest-ever recording project dedicated to loneliness, Philips Classic released 180 CDs in 1991 containing a complete set of authentic works by Mozart. It includes over 200 hours of music.
• Mozart wrote more music in his short career than many other composers who lived much longer.
• The relationship with the Archbishop of Salzburg ended when his secretary kicked Mozart in the back.
• From Mozart's biography we learn that the brilliant composer spent a total of 14 out of 35 years traveling.
• Leopold Mozart described the birth of his son as a "miracle from God" because he seemed too small and weak to survive.
• The term "Mozart's ear" describes a defect in the ear. Researchers believe that Mozart and his son, Franz, had a congenital ear defect.
• The composer had phenomenal hearing and memory; even as a child, he could remember a work that was complex in form and harmony from one listen, and then write it down without a single mistake.
• In the 1950s, French phoniatrist Alfred Tomatis conducted scientific experiments during which he proved that listening to Mozart's music can improve a person's IQ; he coined the term “Mozart Effect”; it has also been recognized as having a therapeutic effect in cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism and many neurological diseases, this has been scientifically proven.
• Wolfgang Mozart's middle name, Theophilus, means "beloved of God" in Greek.
• Mozart's influence on Western music is profound. Joseph Haydon noted that "posterity will not see such talent even in 100 years."
• Mozart wrote his first symphony when he was only 8 years old, and his opera when he was 12.
• Wolfgang's father forbade him to marry Constance Weber, suspecting her family's selfish interest in Mozart, who was taking his first confident steps in Vienna. But he did not listen for the first time in his life, and against the wishes of his father, he married in August 1782. Some scholars portray her as fickle, others look at her with more sympathy. Eighteen years after Wolfgang's death, she remarried and helped her new husband write a book about Mozart.

• Mozart's famous partnership with Lorenzo da Ponte resulted in the opera Le nozze di Figaro, based on the play by Beaumarchais. Their collaboration is one of the most famous in music history;
• Once in Vienna, little Wolfgang performed in the palace for Empress Maria Theresa. After the performance, he played with her daughters, one of whom was especially affectionate towards him. Wolfgang then began to ask for her hand in all seriousness. It was Marie Antoinette, the future queen of France.
• Mozart was a member of the Masonic lodge, it was a secret society uniting the most progressive people of his time. Over time, Wolfgang began to move away from the ideas of his brothers, mainly due to religious differences.

• The composer's last word Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) before his death was "Mozart".
• In 1801, gravedigger Joseph Rothmayer allegedly dug up Mozart's skull from a cemetery in Vienna. However, even after various tests, it remains unknown whether the skull actually belonged to Mozart. He is currently locked away in the Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria;
• Baron van Swieten gave 8 florins 56 kreuzers for Mozart's funeral - this is the amount Wolfgang once spent on the humorous funeral of his starling.
• Mozart was buried in a "mass grave" in St. Marx. A "common grave" is not the same as a pauper's grave or mass grave, but a grave for people who were not aristocracy. One of the main differences is that after 10 years the common graves were excavated, but the graves of the aristocrats were not.
• Researchers have hypothesized at least 118 causes of Mozart's death, including rheumatic fever, influenza, trichinosis, mercury poisoning, kidney failure and streptococcal infection.
• According to several biographers, Mozart was a small man with strong eyes. As a child, Wolfgang suffered from smallpox, which left scars on his face. He was thin and pale with fine hair and loved elegant clothes.
• According to Mozart's wife, Constanze, at the end of his life, Mozart believed that he had been poisoned and that he was composing his Requiem for himself.
• It is believed that in “Requiem” he managed to write only the first 7 parts, and the rest was completed by his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr. But there is a version according to which Wolfgang could have completed “Requiem” several years earlier. Scholars still debate which parts Mozart actually wrote.
• Mozart and his wife had six children, of whom only two survived infancy. Both sons had no family and no children.
• Mozart became increasingly popular after his death. In fact, as 20th-century biographer Maynard Solomon notes, his music was truly appreciated posthumously.
• The composer was born a Catholic and remained one throughout his life.
• Mozart was a tenor. During chamber concerts in the ensemble, he usually played the viola. He was also left-handed.
• The famous physicist Albert Einstein loved music very much. He studied the violin, but only really got into it after he “fell in love with Mozart’s sonatas.”
• Einstein believed that Mozart's music required technical perfection from him, and then he began to study intensively.
• Constanza, Mozart's wife, destroyed many of his sketches and drawings after the composer's death.
• Mozart had several pets, including a dog, a starling, a canary and a horse.

Mozart. Letters

Time has preserved many portraits of Mozart, made by different artists, but they are all very different from each other; it is difficult to determine whether among them there were those closest to the original. But the composer’s letters, which he wrote throughout his life, being constantly on the move, are perfectly preserved - letters to his mother, sister, “dearest father,” cousin, wife Constanze.

Reading them, one can create a genuine psychological image of a genius; he appears before us as if alive. Here is a 9-year-old boy who is sincerely happy about the comfortable chaise and the fact that the cab is driving fast. Here he conveys ardent greetings and low bows to everyone he knows. It was a gallant age, but Mozart knows how to show respect without excessive pomposity and floridity, without losing dignity. Letters addressed to relatives are full of sincerity and trust, emotion and free use of syntax, because they were not written for history. This is their real value.

In his mature years, Wolfgang developed his own epistolary style. It is obvious that he has a literary gift no less than a musical one. Having a superficial command of several languages ​​(German, French, Italian, Latin), he easily creates new word forms from them, plays with words with humor, makes jokes, and rhymes. His thoughts flow easily and naturally.

It should be noted that since the letters were written German has come a long way in development from local dialects to a national language. Therefore, much of them will seem not entirely clear to contemporaries. For example, it was then customary to discuss digestion problems publicly. There was nothing out of the norm in this. The same with grammar and spelling - Mozart followed his own rules, and perhaps did not even think about it. In one paragraph he could write the name of a person three times - and all three times in different ways.

In Russia in Soviet era Mozart scholars have only partially quoted some of his letters - carefully edited. In 2000, a complete edition of the Mozart family correspondence was published.

Personal Quotes

• “I write like a pig” (about how much he writes).
• “I don’t pay attention to anyone’s praise or blame. I just follow my own feelings";
• “Since death, when we come to consider it, is the true purpose of our existence, I have, during the last few years, developed such an intimate relationship with this best and truest friend of mankind that his image not only no longer frightens me, but is indeed very reassuring and comforts! And I thank my God for kindly giving me the opportunity to learn that death is the key that opens the door to our true happiness."
• “Every time I go to bed, I remember that it is possible (no matter how Young I am) that I will not be destined to see tomorrow. And yet not a single person out of everyone who knows me will say that I am gloomy or sad in my communication...” (April 4, 1787).
• “People make the mistake of thinking that my art comes easily to me. I assure you, no one has devoted as much time and thought to composition as I have.”

Creative heritage

Researchers and biographers are amazed by Mozart’s monstrous performance. Considering his busy work, rehearsals, concerts, tours, private lessons, he managed to write - to order and at the behest of his soul. He composed music in all genres that existed at that time. Some works, especially early ones from childhood, have been lost. In just his less than 36 years, he wrote more than 600 works. Almost all of them are absolute pearls of symphonic, concert, chamber, opera and choral music. Over the past 2 centuries, interest in them has only increased. He significantly developed and transformed many genres, setting a new bar and guidelines in art.

For example, in his operas “The Marriage of Figaro”, “ Don Juan", "The Magic Flute" dramaturgy stepped far beyond the traditional musical performances of that time. The plot acquires a stronger semantic load; often the composer takes an active part in the development of the libretto and gives recommendations on constructing the plot. Every image characters receives a more detailed psychological portrayal, becomes “alive” not only with the help of texts, but also through expressive musical means.

His symphony also receives strong dramatic development. In many of them one can see similarities with the operatic principle of construction - reliance on conflict, confrontation, end-to-end development. On the other hand, the overture to " The Marriage of Figaro"is so perfect in form that it is performed separately in concerts as an orchestral piece.

Symphony as the highest type musical thinking in Mozart's work affirms the canons classic style. However, in general, his entire creative path went through an evolution from Rococo (mainly in children's works), then through Viennese classicism to the preconditions for early romanticism. One can only imagine what the music of this genius, so emotional, enthusiastic, sincere, would have been like if he had lived to see the era of romantic heyday.

Among Mozart's musical works there are 41 symphonies, 27 piano concertos, 5 violin concertos, 27 concert arias, 23 string quartets and 22 operas.

The image of Mozart in theatre, cinema, television and other media projects

The music of the brilliant composer can be heard everywhere. Hundreds of feature films and documentaries have been made based on the biography of Mozart and his work. television projects and a theatrical play was staged. Most significant works they think about him:

• “Little tragedies” by A.S. Pushkin (cycle of short plays);
• “Amadeus” (1979) play by Peter Shaffer, which served as the basis for the script famous movie Milos Forman
• "Amadeus" - 8 Oscar awards and many awards and nominations in the field of cinema, including leading role starred Tom Hulse (Mozart) and F. Murray Abraham (Salieri).

Here is just an incomplete list of television projects about Mozart:

• t/s “Mozart in the Jungle” - USA (original title);
• t/s “Avventura Romantica” (2016), performed by Lorenzo Zingone (as young Mozart);
• t/s “Now I will sing” (2016), performed by Lorenzo Zingone;
• t/s “La Fiamma” (2016), performed by Lorenzo Zingone;
• "Stern Dad (2015)" TV episode, performed by Chris Marquette (as Mozart);
• "Mr. Peabody and the Sherman Show";
• “Mozart” (2016), performed by Avner Perez (adult W. Mozart);
• "Fantastic" (2015);
• "Mozart vs. Skrillex (2013) TV episode, performed by Nice Peter (Mozart);
• Mozart l "opéra Rock 3D (2011) (TV) Performed by Michelangelo Loconte;
• "Mozart's Sister" (2010), performed by David Moreau;
• "Etida" (2010), Luka Hrgovic as Mozart;
• "Mozart" (2008) TV series;
• "In Search of Mozart" (2006);
• "The Genius of Mozart" performed by Jack Tarleton";
• t/s "The Simpsons";
• t/s “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” (2002);
• "Wolfgang A. Mozart" (1991);
• "Mozart and Salieri" (1986) TV episode;
• “Mozart - his life with music” d/f.

Once I met this Great Destiny, it is no longer possible to forget about her. This is what helps the soul to rise, to retreat from the ordinary and tune in to the contemplation of eternity... Mozart is the greatest gift of the Creator to humanity.

Video: watch a film about Mozart

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the greatest composers in history. The works he wrote are still performed to this day in concert halls and philharmonic societies around the world, attracting millions of listeners. Find musical genius, like Mozart, is quite difficult; his talent was already appreciated quite highly during his lifetime.

Portrait of 6-year-old Wolfgang in a suit donated by the Empress.

• There is a popular joke: after a concert in the Imperial Palace in Vienna, little Mozart played with the archduchesses, his peers. While playing, the boy slipped and fell, and one of the empress’s daughters helped him up. Mozart allegedly exclaimed: “How nice you are, when I grow up, I definitely want to marry you!” This girl was Marie Antoinette, the future queen of France.
• To help his son make a career, Wolfgang's father taught him to play the harpsichord blindfolded or on a cloth covering the keys - such tricks were valued more than musical talent at that time.

To promote his son's career, Leopold also decided to introduce Wolfgang music world as a virtuoso, since anyone who wanted to earn a reputation as a composer had to establish himself as a performer. Hoping to get a good position for his son and find a patron among the nobles, Mozart Sr. traveled with his family around Europe.

Mozart family. On the wall is a portrait of the mother.

• At one of the concerts little Mozart A cat ran onto the stage. When the boy saw the animal, he rushed towards it with delight, forgetting about the spectators. An angry Leopold demanded that his son return to the instrument, to which the boy replied that the harpsichord would not go anywhere, but the cat could run away.

After one of the performances in Frankfurt am Main, a 14-year-old boy approached Mozart and admired how wonderfully he played, and also complained that he himself would never learn to play like that. The composer responded by asking if he had tried to record the music that came to his mind. The boy said that only poetry comes to his mind and that writing it is much easier than writing music. This boy was Johann Wolfgang Goethe.

One day, a young man approached Mozart who dreamed of becoming a composer. He asked the maestro how to write a symphony. Mozart asked why he didn’t start with something simpler, since he was so young, to which the young man objected: “But you wrote your first symphony at age 7!” Mozart was not taken aback and answered: “Yes. But at that time it didn’t occur to me to ask how to do this.”

One of Mozart's friends liked to joke. He came up with a prank: he sent a huge package to the composer’s address, which contained nothing but paper and a note “Dear Wolfgang! I'm alive and well! In response to this, Mozart, who himself loved to laugh, sent a response message - a heavy parcel with a stone inside. On the stone was written: “Dear friend, this stone fell from my soul when I received your message!”

In the Netherlands, where the Mozart family came to give concerts, it was strictly forbidden to perform music during Lent. The Dutch clergy, however, made an exception for Wolfgang, considering his abilities a gift from God.

Leopold, Wolfgang and Nannerl.

• 12-year-old Mozart wrote an opera commissioned by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. The boy completed the work in a few weeks, however, the opera was considered unsuccessful and was not staged.

Mozart's first love was the famous singer Eloise Weber. She skillfully played on the feelings of the young man. But in the end she simply refused his company. The disappointed composer immediately noticed her sister, who became his only wife.

When Mozart decided to get married, his father did not approve of his choice. The path to marriage with Constance Weber was long for Mozart, and at some point he promised to write a mass if the marriage did take place. Constance eventually became his wife; Mozart began writing the mass, but never finished it.

Wolfgang and his wife are used to living large. Mozart's fees were large, but after 2 weeks he was penniless and was forced to borrow money from friends. One of them asked the composer: “You have neither a castle, nor a dear mistress, nor a bunch of children, nor a stable. Where does your money go?”, to which the composer replied: “I have a wife, she is my castle, my mistress, a bunch of my children and my stable.”

Mozart loved to play billiards and did not spare money on it.

Mozart and Constance on their honeymoon.

• One day, Emperor Joseph II arranged a musical competition between Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Everyone had to compose a comic opera. The winner in this fight was Salieri.

• The last lifetime portrait of Mozart.

  • The main role in Mozart's opera “This is what all women do, or the School of Lovers” was entrusted to Adriana Ferrarese del Bene, the mistress of the opera librettist. On high notes, Adriana always raised her chin to the ceiling, on low notes, she lowered her head to her chest. The composer, who was annoyed by the narcissistic prima donna, filled the aria Come scoglio with constant transitions from low to high notes so that Adriana would “wag her head like a chicken” on stage.
  • Mozart received the Order of the Knight of the Golden Spur from the hands of the Pope for flawlessly recording by ear Allegri's 9-voice work for 2 choirs, which was performed in the Vatican only once a year. By order of the Pope, the score was carefully guarded and was not shown to anyone. But Mozart, having listened to this work only once, wrote it down by ear. He wanted to make a gift for his sister - to present her with sheet music that only the Pope has. When the Vatican heard about this, the Pope was extremely amazed and, making sure that the musical notation was impeccable, awarded Mozart with the order.
  • Mozart

In today's gallery, I have collected known and unknown portraits of the adult Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, images attributed and assumed by historians, lifetime portraits and portraits painted a hundred or even two hundred years later. Until now, art historians and art critics are debating whether the composer is depicted in a painting by some anonymous artist or not, they conduct examinations, suddenly new portraits are found - in general, life is in full swing! Alas, two hundred and fifty years ago neither photography nor cinema had yet been invented so that we could compare “a copy with the original”, so we can only trust the opinion of “learned men”!))) Well, modern authors, most likely, do not depict portraiture similarities, but draw an image, their impression of Mozart and his music. But if you carefully look at a large number of portraits that claim to be similar to the composer’s face, you can still see that the portraits are very different from each other, and you still have the feeling that they were painted from different people... Am I wrong?
Well, this portrait vernissage will be accompanied by the end of the Chronology of Mozart’s life, in which I collected not only the facts and events of his life, but also a story about the people significant in his life. Let's get started! The gallery turned out to be large-scale, so please be patient...))

Johann Nepomuk della Croce (Austrian, 1736–1819) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with his sister Maria Anna und father Leopold, on the wall a portrait of his late mother Anna Maria. 1780-1781 Salzburg

Martin Knoller (Austrian born-Italian, 1725-1804) Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1773 Milan.

Johann Nepomuk della Croce (Austrian, 1736-1819) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1780

CHRONOLOGY OF MOZART'S LIFE. Ending

December 1769

Leopold and 13-year-old Wolfgang, after 11 months of training and preparation, set off across the Alps to Italy. The Mozarts visited Milan, Verona, Mantua, Bologna, Naples, Rome and Venice. The young composer studied counterpoint in Bologna with the famous teacher Padre Martini. At Martini's insistence, Mozart passed the exam at the Bologna Philharmonic Academy and was accepted as a member. Wolfgang performed concerts before King Ferdinand IV of Naples, before the Duke and the Cardinal. In Milan I received an order for new opera, which was successfully shown at Christmas that same year. In Naples he met the composers who headed the Neapolitan opera school. But, alas, the main goal of this trip - obtaining a court position - was not fulfilled.

Angelo Carescimbeni (Italian, 1734-1781) Portrait of Padre Giovanni Battista Martini (1706-1784), Italian composer. 1770 International Museum and Library of Music of Bologna

For reference:
Giovanni Battista Martini (April 24, 1706 - October 4, 1784) was an Italian composer, musicologist, teacher, bandmaster, singer, violinist and harpsichordist. A Franciscan monk, therefore known as Padre Martini. Born into the family of violinist and cellist Antonio Maria Martini, who became his first teacher. Later he learned to play the cymbal, singing, counterpoint and composition from various teachers, and the young man was taught church music by the conductor of St. Peter's Cathedral, Giacomo Antonio Perti. In 1721, Martini entered a Franciscan monastery, where he studied philosophy, mathematics and music theory. In 1725, at the age of 19, he became bandmaster of the Church of St. Francis, and in 1729 he was ordained a priest. As a composer, Padre Martini wrote masses, oratorios, works for organ, harpsichord, vocal duets and choirs. He was the greatest teacher of his time, since 1758 the head of the Bologna Philharmonic Academy, and collected a unique collection of books and manuscripts. He wrote the three-volume “History of Music” (1757-1781) - a major work covering ancient eras and antiquity; the fourth volume, dedicated to the early Middle Ages, remained unfinished. The conservatory (1804) and city ​​library in Bologna.

Jean-Baptiste Delahaye Portrait of Mozart. 1772

Christian Leberecht (Ludwig) Vogel (German, 1759-1816) Mozart. 1783 Vienna

Mozart was received by Pope Clement XIV and awarded him the Order of the Golden Spur.

Mozart returns to Salzburg.

August 1771

Second trip to Italy. Together with his father, he travels to Milan to prepare the premiere of the new opera “Ascanius in Alba”, the premiere of which was successfully held on October 17. Leopold tried to convince Archduke Ferdinand to take Wolfgang into his service, but, having received a letter from Empress Maria Theresa, he was forced to return to Salzburg with his son.

Unknown Artist Portrait of Mozart. 1777 Museum and Library of Music of Bologna

Barbara Krafft (Austrian, 1764–1825) Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1819 Gesellschaft Der Musikfreunde, Vienna

The Mozarts return to Salzburg and learn about the death of Prince-Archbishop Sigismund, who was the patron of the family.

April 1772

On the occasion of the inauguration of the new archbishop - Count Hieronymus von Colloredo (1732-1812), Mozart writes a “dramatic serenade” “The Dream of Scipio”.

Franz Xaver König (German, 1711-1782) Count Hieronymus von Colloredo, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1771. National Trust
Johann Michael Greiter (Austrian, 1735-1786) Hieronymus Graf von Colloredo, Fürsterzbischof von Salzburg. 1780 Salzburg Museum

For reference:
Count Hieronymus Joseph Franz de Paula Count Colloredo von Walsee e Menz (31 May 1732 – 20 May 1812) - Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1771 to 1812. Jerome was raised in a strict religious family; his health did not allow him to pursue a military career. He was educated at the Theresa Academy in Vienna, studied philosophy at the University of Vienna and theology at the German-Hungarian College in Rome. In 1761, thanks to the patronage of his father, a court official, he was elected Prince-Bishop of Gurka; on March 14, 1772, he took the vacant position of Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, after the death of the former archbishop in December 1771. During his thirty years of rule, he implemented many reforms, but the dictatorial leadership often provoked hostility towards him from church and civil officials. The power of the prince-archbishop ended in 1803, during the Napoleonic Wars, with Colloredo remaining the ecclesiastical head of the archdiocese until his death, aged 79, in Vienna.

Moritz Rödig (Austrian, 1844-1918) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1894

K. Dostal Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Etching).

October 1772

Third trip to Italy. Colloredo gives Mozart permission to travel to Milan, where they are to stage a new opera, Lucius Sulla, written for this city, performed the day after Christmas. The father again tried to enlist the patronage of the Grand Duke of Florence Leopold, but, in once again not finding a suitable place of service for Wolfgang in Italy, he returned home with him in March 1773.

July - September 1773

Leopold and Wolfgang tried to settle in Vienna, but their service with the archbishop did not allow this. Colloredo did not tolerate Mozart's long absences and was not enthusiastic about his music, so their relationship gradually deteriorated.

Mozart received an order from Munich for a new opera, The Imaginary Gardener, for the carnival, and received permission to leave for the production, which premiered successfully in January 1776.

Sebastian Theilig (German) Reconstruction of Mozart's Face. 1999

Sebastian Theilig (German) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1999

Summer-autumn 1777

Mozart leaves the archbishop's service and decides to look for a place of service abroad. In September, Wolfgang and his mother traveled through Germany to Paris. In Munich, the Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph (1727-1777) refused the services of the composer. By the way, on December 30 of the same year, Maximilian III died of smallpox. The next city on the route was Mannheim, but even there Mozart did not receive a place at the court of the Elector of the Palatinate, Karl Philip Theodor (1724-1799). At the Mannheim theater, Wolfgang met and fell in love with the opera singer Aloysia Weber, a superb coloratura soprano, who was 15 years old.

Anonymous Artist Portrait of Aloysia Weber.
Giovanni Battista Lampi the Elder (Italian, 1751-1830) Aloysia Lange, née Weber, as Zémire in André Grétry's opera Zémire et Azor. 1784

For reference:
Maria Antonia Aloysia Weber-Lange (1760 – June 8, 1839) – German Opera singer, one of the four daughters (the others are Josefa, Constance and Sophia) of bassist, theater prompter and sheet music copyist Franz Fridolin Weber. In 1778, she moved with her family to Munich, where she made her operatic debut. The following year she began singing at the National Vienna Opera; the family moved to the capital in September, but a month later her father died. Weber's successful singing career in Vienna lasted for two decades. On October 31, 1780, Aloysia married court theater actor Joseph Lange, who was also an amateur artist and later painted a famous portrait of Mozart. In 1782, Aloysia moved to the City Theater to sing Italian opera. In 1795, she went on a concert tour with her widowed sister Constance, after which she divorced her husband. She spent her old age in Salzburg next to her sisters Constance and Sophia. Mozart wrote six soprano arias for Aloysia Weber in Mannheim and Vienna, and she performed roles in Mozart's operas Don Giovanni and The Abduction from the Seraglio.

January 1778

Mozart decided to go on a concert tour with Aloysia and even performed at the court of the Princess of Nassau-Weilburg. He also expressed a desire to marry Aloysia, but his feelings were not reciprocated. In addition, the father did not give his blessing to the marriage and ordered, accompanied by his mother, to go to Paris to look for work.

March-September 1778

Mozart's trip to Paris. Meeting with Johann Christian Bach. The stay in Paris turned out to be unsuccessful - Parisian court circles lost interest in the young composer.
On July 3, Wolfgang's mother died.

September 1778

On the way back to Salzburg, Mozart stopped in Munich, where Aloysia worked at the theater, and realized that the girl was completely indifferent to him.

January 1779

Mozart resumed his duties as organist at the archbishop's court with an annual salary of 500 guilders.

Unknown painter Standing portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien

Friedrich Schwörer (Austrian, 1833-1891) Mozart in Salzburg.

Mozart receives an order from the Elector of Bavaria, Karl Theodor, to write the opera “Idomeneo, King of Crete” for Munich, where his winter residence was located. The opera premiered in January 1781.

Mozart's concert in Vienna in favor of widows and orphans of Viennese musicians, after which an open conflict began between the composer and the Salzburg Archbishop Colloredo, who treated Mozart with contempt and insulted him at every opportunity.

Mozart submitted his resignation, but the archbishop refused to accept it.

Mozart's dismissal from the service of Archbishop Colloredo.

Mozart moves to Vienna and settles in the Weber house. Mozart learns that his beloved Aloysia, who became an actress at the Viennese court theater, got married. In Vienna, Mozart earns money by giving private lessons and concerts. Wolfgang gradually begins an affair with the younger sister of his first lover, Weber's third daughter, Constance.

Joseph Lange (Austrian, 1751-1831) Constanze Mozart (lithograph). 1783 Salzburg Museum
Joseph Lange (Austrian, 1751-1831) Constanze Mozart. 1789 The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

The premiere of Mozart's opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio” took place at the Vienna Burgtheater, after which the composer became the idol of the capital.

Against his father's wishes, Mozart marries 19-year-old Constance Weber. The wedding ceremony took place in the Vienna Cathedral of St. Stefan.

Hans Hansen (Danish, 1769-1828) Portrait of Constanze Mozart. 1802
Unknown painter Portrait of Constanze Weber Mozart. 19th century

For reference:
Constance Mozart (Constanze Mozart, January 5, 1762 - March 6, 1842) was the wife of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the third of four daughters of the prompter Franz Fridolin Weber. She first met Mozart at the Mannheim Theater in 1777, but then the composer fell in love with her older sister Aloysia. They met for the second time in 1781, when Mozart was staying with the Weber family in Vienna. During almost nine years of family life with Mozart, Constance was pregnant six times, but four of their children died in infancy, leaving two sons alive. After the death of her husband, Constance was left alone with two children and his unpaid debts. Need forced her to organize, together with her sisters Josefa and Aloysia, several concert tours where Mozart’s works were performed, and at the turn of the 19th century, to sell manuscripts of Mozart’s works. In 1809, Constance married the Danish diplomat Georg Nikolaus Nissen in Bratislava and a year later left for Copenhagen. In August 1824, the family returned to Salzburg, Constance and her husband began work on a biography of Mozart, which was published in 1828. Nissen died in 1826, Constance in 1842, she was buried in the Mozart family crypt in Salzburg.

Wolfgang and his wife paid a visit to Leopold and Nannerl in Salzburg. On October 26, the premiere of the Mass in C minor took place in Salzburg's St. Peter's Church, in which Constance sang one of the soprano solo parts.

Anonymous Painter Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. circa 1788-1790

Unknown French Artist Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1778

Returning home at the end of October, the couple stopped in Linz, staying there for three weeks. On November 4, at the house of Mozart's old friend, Count Joseph Thun, the premiere of Symphony No. 36 in C major, which the composer wrote in Linz, took place.

During one of the quartet evenings at Mozart's house, Wolfgang met the composer Joseph Haydn, which marked the beginning of their many years of friendship.

Thomas Hardy (English, 1757-1805) Portrait of Joseph Haydn. 1791 Royal College of Music Museum of Instruments

For reference:
Franz Joseph Haydn (Franz Joseph Haydn, March 31, 1732 - May 31, 1809) was an Austrian composer, a representative of the Viennese classical school, one of the founders of the musical genres of symphony and string quartet. The creator of the melody, which later formed the basis of the anthems of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Born near the border with Hungary, in the family of carriage maker Matthias Haydn (1699-1763). In 1737 Joseph began to study choral singing and music in Hainburg an der Donau, from 1740 he sang for nine years in the chapel of Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral, learning to play instruments there. After his voice broke in 1749, he was kicked out of the chapel choir. For the next ten years, Haydn took on any job, was a servant, an accompanist for the Italian composer Nicola Porpora, from whom he took composition lessons along the way. From 1754 to 1756, Haydn worked at the Viennese court as a free artist; in 1759, for a short time, he received the post of bandmaster of the orchestra at the court of Count Karl von Morzin. In 1760, Haydn married Maria-Anna Keller; they had no children, and the marriage was unhappy. His wife was contemptuous of his profession and used his scores for curlers and stands for pate. The laws of that time did not allow divorce, so the couple took lovers. In 1761, Haydn was invited to the orchestra of a representative of one of the most influential and powerful aristocratic families in Austria - Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy. Joseph initially served as vice-kapellmeister, and after the death of the old kapellmeister Gregor Werner in 1766, he took his place. During his almost thirty-year career at the Esterházy court, the composer composed a large number of works. In 1790, after the death of Prince Nicholas Esterházy, his son and successor, not being a music lover, disbanded the orchestra. In 1791, Haydn received a contract to work in England, and in the same year he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. He performed in London in 1791-1792 and 1794-1795. In 1792, while returning home through Bonn, Haydn met the young Beethoven and took him on as a student. From 1795 Haydn lived in Vienna. By 1802, his health condition had worsened, and in 1806 he stopped writing music. The composer died in Vienna, at the age of 77, in 1809, shortly after the attack on Vienna by the French army led by Napoleon. The composer created 24 operas, wrote 104 symphonies, 83 string quartets, 52 piano sonatas, 126 baritone trios, 14 oratorios, 14 masses, overtures, marches, dances, divertissements and concerts, songs and canons.

K. J. Boehringer (Böhringer) Portrait of Mozart.

Friedrich Theodor Müller (German, 1797-?) after Friedrich Wilhelm Schmidt (German, 1787-?) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. early 19th century National Portrait Gallery, London

September 1784

The composer's family moves into a large new apartment at Grosse Schulerstrasse 846.

Birth of second son - Karl Thomas.

Hans Hansen (Danish, 1769-1828) Two sons of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Constanze Mozart - Karl Thomas (right) and Franz Xaver Wolfgang (left) 1798
Unknown Italian painter Portrait of Carl Thomas Mozart. 19th century

For reference:
Karl Thomas Mozart (Karl Thomas Mozart, September 21, 1784 – October 31, 1858) was the second son and eldest of the two surviving sons of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In 1787, Mozart sent his son to a prestigious and expensive educational institution in Perchtoldsdorf. After the death of his father, the boy received his education in Prague, where he was sent with his younger brother at the age of seven. In 1797, at the age of fourteen, Charles went to Livorno to become an apprentice in a trading firm, planning to open his own piano shop. In 1805 he moved to Milan, where he studied music under the director of the Milan Conservatory and composer Bonifacio Asioli, who took him on as a student on the recommendation of Joseph Haydn. In 1810, Mozart abandoned his studies to become a translator in Lombardy. In 1815, following the incorporation of the territory of Lombardy into the Austrian Empire, Karl Thomas became an official in the Austrian financial administration and public accounting office in Milan and continued to serve as a translator on the staff of the Austrian Court of Justice. In August and September 1820, his brother Franz Xavier Wolfgang visited him, in 1825 he met his mother in Milan, and in 1836 he came to Salzburg. Karl Thomas often attended events related to his father: in 1842 he took part in the opening of a monument to Mozart in Salzburg, and in 1856 he came to the celebrations on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his father's birth. In 1841, he founded the Mozarteum in Milan, which later became the International Mozart Institute. Carl Thomas never married and had no children; he died in Milan, bequeathing his house to the city.

Pierre Alexandre Tardieu (French, 1756-1844) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. after 1824 Universitätsbibliothek, Salzburg

Dora Stock (German, 1759-1832) Mozart bei seinem Besuch in der Stadt Dresden im April 1789. 1789 Stiftung Mozarteum, Salzburg

Mozart becomes a member of the Masonic Lodge "To Charity".

Leopold Mozart pays a return visit to his son and daughter-in-law. On April 6, Leopold, on the advice of his son, also joined the Masonic lodge, and on April 16 he was elevated to the degree of Master.

Premiere of the opera “The Marriage of Figaro” at the Vienna Burgtheater.

January 1787

Mozart and Constance spent about a month in Prague. He conducted several performances of Le nozze di Figaro at the Prague Opera and received a commission from the director of the opera company Bondini for a new opera based on the plot of Don Giovanni.

Leopold Mozart has died. Wolfgang had a hard time with his father's death, and the composer's health deteriorated.

Unknown artist Portrait of Leopold Mozart. Historisches Museum Der Stadt Wien.

A trip to Prague, where the premiere of the opera “Don Giovanni” took place.

Mozart received the position of court composer and conductor of Emperor Joseph II and a modest salary for this position of 800 guilders per year, which was not enough to meet the basic needs of the family.

The birth of the first daughter, who was named Teresia Constance Adelaide Frederica Marianna. The girl lived for six months and died on June 29, 1788.

Friedrich Scher, John (Johann) Chapman (1792-1825) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From Encyclopaedia Londinensis Vol. XVI. 1817 London

Rudolph Hoffmann (Austrian, 1820-1882) W. A. ​​Mozart (Lithographie). 1850 Universitätsbibliothek, Salzburg

The opera Don Giovanni was performed at the Vienna Burgtheater and ended in failure. Mozart's financial situation deteriorated sharply.

Mozart's family moves to a more modest house in the Vienna suburb of Alsergrund. Mozart periodically asks for loans from his close friend and fellow Mason, textile merchant Johan Michael von Puchberg (1741-1822).

Late 1788

In order to somehow earn money, Mozart is engaged in reorchestration and arrangement of spiritual works by Bach and Handel at the request of his patron Baron van Swieten, which he performed in his home circle.

Joseph Hickel (Austrian, 1736-1807) Portrait of Mozart. 1783

Burchard Dubeck Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1808

Mozart makes a trip to Berlin in the hope of finding a place for himself at the court of the Prussian king Frederick William II. During the trip, Mozart visited Prague, Leipzig, Dresden, Potsdam and Berlin. As a result, the composer received an order for six string quartets for the king, who was a good amateur cellist, and six keyboard sonatas for Princess Wilhelmina, but the trip was financially unsuccessful.

Birth of daughter Anna Maria, who died shortly after birth. Constance's health soon deteriorated due to frequent childbirth and a severe leg ulcer.

February 1790

Emperor Joseph II dies, and Mozart worries that he will be able to maintain his post as court composer under the new emperor.

Josef Maria Grassi (Austrian, 1757-1838) Supposed Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1785 State Glinka Museum of Music Culture, Moscow

Unknown Artist Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1891 Croydon Art Collection

Eugenio Prati (Italian, 1842-1907) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 1905 Filarmonica di Trento, Italy

Mozart's trip to Frankfurt am Main for the coronation of the new Emperor Leopold. Mozart's performance of the Coronation keyboard concerto. Returning to Vienna, Mozart stopped in Mainz, Mannheim and Munich.

Last meeting with Haydn in Vienna before his departure to England. Receiving an invitation from the London impresario Zalomon to concerts in London for the next winter season of 1791-1792.

Mozart is working on the opera “The Magic Flute” commissioned by his longtime acquaintance, actor and impresario E. Schikaneder for his “Freihaustheater” in the Vienna suburb of Wieden.

Johann Joseph Lange (Austrian, 1751-1831) Unfinished portrait of Mozart. spring 1789 Mozart Museum, Salzburg

Johann Georg Edlinger (Austrian, 1741-1819) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Letztes Bild zur Lebzeit). 1790 Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
Historians and art historians consider this painting to be the last lifetime portrait of the composer.

Beginning of May 1791

Mozart sent a petition to the Vienna City Magistrate with a request to appoint him to the unpaid position of assistant bandmaster of St. Stephen's Cathedral and received this position.

Mozart was visited by a mysterious stranger in gray and ordered him to perform the funeral mass “Requiem”. The stranger was a messenger from Count Franz von Walsegg-Stuppach, who wanted to honor the memory of his late wife with this requiem. I note that the unfinished “Requiem” was completed by Mozart’s student - Franz Xaver Süssmayer (1766-1803), composer, and since 1788 a music teacher in Vienna. In 1790-1791 he took composition lessons from Mozart and copied notes for him; after Mozart’s death he worked with Antonio Salieri.

Birth of Franz Xaver's youngest son Wolfgang

Hans Hansen (Danish, 1769-1828) Portrait of Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart. Salisburg, Mozarts Geburtshaus Museum.
Karl Gottlieb Schweikart (Austrian, 1772-1855) Portrait of Franz Xavier Wolfgang Mozart. 1825

There is a confusion-mystery with the portraits of Mozart's youngest son. As you can see, almost identical portraits were signed by different authors - contemporaries and almost the same age. Most likely, either one of them painted a copy of the other’s painting, or museum workers This is how they decided to attribute the paintings. Because the Dane Hansen has other portraits of the Mozart family. It is noteworthy that one portrait is dated, but it is not known where it is located, while the location of the other is known, but when it was painted is not...

For reference:
Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (July 26, 1791 - July 29, 1844) –
Austrian composer, pianist and teacher. Known as "Mozart Jr." He received a brilliant musical education, learned to play the piano and violin: his teachers were Antonio Salieri and Jan Nepomuk Hummel. As a child, under the guidance of his mother, he toured with concerts. Like his father, he began composing music early, and in 1802 he published a piano quartet. In 1808-1838, with minor interruptions, Mozart Jr. lived in Lemberg (now Lviv) and its environs (Pidkamen, Burshtyn), earning money as a music teacher in the houses of noble families of Galicia, among which were the Czartoryskis, Janiszewskis and Sapiehas. He stood at the origins of the first musical society “Cecilia”, which became the core of the future Lviv Philharmonic. In 1838 he moved to Vienna, then to Salzburg, where he received the position of conductor at the Mozarteum. He died at the age of 53 in the city of Karlovy Vary, where he was buried. Franz Xaver, although a professional musician and created a number of quite professional instrumental works, was introverted and prone to self-deprecation, constantly underestimating his talent and fearing that everything he created would be compared with the works of his father. Like his brother Karl Thomas, Mozart Jr. never married or had children, so with his death the direct line of the Mozarts came to an end.

August 1791

Mozart, with Süssmayer and Constance, went to Prague to prepare a performance - the opera La Clemenza di Tito, on the occasion of the coronation of Leopold II as the Czech king. The opera premiered on September 6.

Premiere of the opera “The Magic Flute” at the Vienna Suburb Theater. After the premiere, Mozart's health deteriorated, he began to faint, and the composer began to be observed by the best doctor in Vienna, Dr. Nikolaus Kloss.

Mozart completed the Masonic cantata and even conducted its performance. But on November 20, the composer fell ill - his arms and legs were swollen to such an extent that he could not walk.

Mozart's condition worsened, Dr. Klosse convened a council of doctors.

After midnight, five minutes to one, Mozart died.

Ermolaev Vitaly Yuryevich (born 1962) Cavalier Mozart. 2006

Kalimulina Lidiya Alekseevna (born 1959) Mozart. 1999

Bazhenova Natalya Alekseevna (born 1954) Mozart. Illustration for the book by Arkady Mar "Little stories about great musicians." 2004