WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

By: Ashlie Petersen

Introduction• Born: January 27, 1756 in Salzburg,

Austria• Full Name: Johannes Chrysostomus

Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart• Nickname: Wolfie• Parents: Leopold and Ana Maria Mozart• One sister, Nannerl

Early Years• Early interest in music• Father’s musical influence• Music lessons for his sister• Music lessons begin for himself

First Musical Tour• Word of Mozart’s and Nannerl’s talent

reaches Vienna• Play for Empress Maria Theresa• Tour across Europe• Hired to play at parties

First Symphony

• Composed at the age of nine• Title: Symphony in E-Flat• Still popular today

Life After the Tour• Father decides Mozart and Nannerl are

getting to old to continue making a living this way.

• Nannerl to look for a husband and Mozart to find a job

Sweet Seventeen• By the time he was seventeen years old

he had written:- 20 symphonies-several string quartets-3 short operas

Lucky 21• Fell in love with Aloysia Weber, father

didn’t approve• Moved to Paris to be with his mother• Began giving clavier lessons• Mother passes away, father orders him to

move back to Salzburg

Back inSalzburg

• Got a job as a court organist and concertmaster

• Asked to compose an Italian Opera for the court in Munich, Germany

• Decided to move to Vienna and make a living composing and playing in concerts.

True Love• While in Vienna Mozart fell in love with

Aloysia’s younger sister, Constanze.• Married Constanze in 1782• Had 6 children, only 2 boys, Karl and

Franz lived more than a year

Requiem• In July 1791 he was asked to write a

requiem• Worked very hard for several months• Health began to decline• Mozart passed away on December 5,

1791 at the age of 35.• Never finished the requiem

Successful LifeDuring his short life he was able to write over 600 pieces. Among them are:• 41 symphonies• 27 piano concertos• 5 violin concertos• 27 concert arias• 23 sting quartets• 18 masses• 22 operas

Composition HistorySymphony Number 40

• Written in the summer of 1788 at the age of 32

• Referred to as the “Great G minor symphony”

• Critics described this piece as “the bellwether of Romanticism”

Listening Guide for Symphony Number 40

• http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/album/m

Composition History of Flute Concerto 2

• Written in 1778 at the age of 22• Written in the key of D major• Originally written for an oboe, but Mozart

adapted it for a flute.

Listening Guide for Flute Concerto 2

• http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/album/m

Bibliography• Freed, R. (2012). Flute concerto 2 in d major. Retrieved

from http://www.kennedy-center.org/fluteconcerto • http://www.googleimages.com• McDonough, Y. (2003). Who was wolfgang amadeus

mozart?. (pp. 1-100). New York, NY: Grosset & Dunlap.• Sinnott, J. (n.d.). Great performances: Mozart. Retrieved

from http://www.pbs.org/education/mozart.html • Tarintino, T. (2012). Wolfgang amadeus mozart:

Symphony no. 40 in g minor. Retrieved from http://ww.toddtarintino.com/symphony40.html

• Wolfgang amadeus mozart symphony no. 40. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.allmusic.com/composition/symphony40