Amadeus Mozart, whose full name is Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and who was baptized as Johannes Chrysostom Theophilus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. He and his sister were the only two siblings to survive. Mozart was recognized as one of the greatest composers in western music history. Unlike most composers and musical history, he wrote and excelled in all the musical genres of the classical period.
At the age of only three he was picking out chords on the harpsichord and by his fourth year of life was already playing short pieces. By the age of five, he had begun composing by scribbling a concerto. His father Leopold, who was a court musician and was understandably eager to show off his son, one of the most amazing child prodigies in history, went to great lengths to do so. Just before he was six years old, his father took him and his sister Maria Anna or "Nannerl" who was also highly talented to Munich to play at the Bavarian Court.
Between the ages of six and fifteen, Mozart spent half of his time on tour in Europe and England. He played for Empress Maria Teresa in Vienna, for Louis XV in Versailles, George III in London, and for a vast number of aristocrats along the way. He studied and mastered the current operatic style while on his trips to Italy. At the age of 14, Mozart went to Rome during Holy Week to hear the famous choir of the Sistine Chapel. Mozart returned Salzburg to find it ruled by the tyrant Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo, who did not appreciate Mozart's genius and refused to grant him more than a subordinate role in the court orchestra.
Mozart found this posting to court very undemanding and by no means compatible with his abilities. During this time he wrote only one dramatic work, "The Shepherd King". He did however stay productive in sacred and lighter instrumental music. It was clear to Mozart as well as his father that a small provincial court like Salzburg was no place for a genius of his order. In 1777, he petitioned the archbishop for his release and along with his mother, Anna Maria Pertl, set out to find better opportunities. They went to Munich, Augsburg and Mannheim. He was still not able to find a position.
The tragic irony of Mozart's life was that he won more acclaim as a boy wonder than as an adult musician. One of the events that would change his life with the fact that he could not tolerate being treated like a servant. His relations with his patron went from bad to worse. Mozart became totally insubordinate when the Prince-Archbishop forbade him to give concerts or perform at the houses of the aristocracy. On his third attempt to request dismissal, Mozart was thrown out of the room by the court official and given a kick.
In 1781, Mozart broke free of provincial Salzburg and traveled to Vienna. He became very popular and successful. Eventually his popularity began to decline and he found himself in desperate financial straits. During this time of great anxiety, Mozart made long journeys hoping to improve his fortunes. The trips produced only isolated success and did not solve Mozart's financial problems.
Fortunately, 1791, Mozarts last year until his final illness struck, was of great productivity. During this time he produced a great deal of music and his financial situation began to improve. Then Mozart fell ill while in Prague. He was able to continue his professional functions for sometime. The illness finally intensified in November 1791, at which point Mozart became bedridden, suffering from swelling, pain and vomiting. Mozart was tended in his final moments by his wife Constanze, her mother, her youngest sister and the family doctor. He died at 1 o’clock in the morning on December 5, 1791.
His burial arrangements were exceedingly simple: Mozart's body was sewn in the linen sack and transfer it from a reusable coffin into a common grave with five or six other bodies. His burial was not witnessed by any was friends or family and the cause of Mozart's death cannot be determined. The most widely excepted version is that he died of acute rheumatic fever.
After his death, Mozart's musical reputation rose substantially in what could be described as an "unprecedented wave of enthusiasm" for his work. Overall, Mozart had many famous compositions. For example, Don Giovanni, composed in 1787 was a unique blend of comic and serious opera, combining subduction and slapstick with violence and the supernatural. His overture "The Marriage of Figaro" was possibly one of the most moving and famous opera overtures of all-time. To this day it is still played alone as a concert piece the world over. One of Mozart's absolute greatest successes was the overture "The Magic Flutes". The opera itself is considered to be one of the top five most performed operas worldwide. It is because of unbelievably magnificent pieces like these that Mozart is remembered as one of the most fantastic musicians ever to have lived. A title he well deserved.