FREE ESSAY ON THE MOZART YEARS

THE MOZART YEARS

Through the hard times and financial insecurity of a musician in the 1700's, Mozart
accomplished his dream of becoming a great musician. Coming from a talentsed family, he
spent his life with music. All this started when he was old enough to walk.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized in a Salzburg cathedral the day after his birth;
January 27th, 1756. He was born to the Leopold Mozart, a musical author, composer, and
violinist; and to his wife Anna Marie Pertl. Only Wolfang and his sister Maria Anna, or
Nannerl, survived infancy. Wolfgang was the seventh born child, out of seven children.
Wolfgang was baptized under the name Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. He never
used these names in his later life. He often went by Amadeus or Amade. Although he could
not walk until the age of three, Mozart started to display musical talent at the age of
four. He could also play any piano melody given to him. It is believed that Mozart's
first music was composed shortly after his fourth birthday. At age five he could play the
violin with perfect intonation. He injoined this attention that he was getting for being
a gifted musician. He found great pleasure in learning and pleasuring his father. It took
all of 30 minutes to master his first musical composition. This was a scherzo by Georg
Christoph Wagenseil, learned three days before his fifth birthday. Leopold began to
neglect his court career and devote more time to Wolfgang and Nannerl's musical
instruction. He then proceded to send his two children on tours to play in the courts of
Europe.
The family set out from Salzburg on September 18, 1762. At Linz, Wolfgang gave his first
public concert. Among the audience was Count Herberstein and Count Heronymous. Both were
astonished and hurried to Vienna to spread the reports of Mozarts talent. All of Vienna
was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the prodigies from Salzburg. '"We are already being
talked f everywhere," Leopold reported to Lorenz Hagenauer, his friend landlord back
home"(Nagel, 57). The children's appearance at Schonbrunn Palace on October 13 was judged
by Leopold to be a smashing success. He wrote, "Their Majesties recieved us with such
extrodinary greatness that, wehn I shall tell of it, people will declare that I have made
it up. Suffice it to say that Wolferl jumped up on the Empress' lap, put his arms round
her neck and kissed her heartily" (Nagel, 58). 
With all of this, doors were opened and invitations to success poured in. Because each
performance was rewarded -the empress sent an honorarium of 100 ducats- Leopold tried to
arrange as many concerts as possible. "The nobles send us their invitations four, five,
six to eight says in advance, in order not to miss us" (Nagel, 59). The same pattern
would repeat in major centers all over Europe. First, Wolfgang and Nannerl would perform
at the most infuential local court, The private concerts wuld follow as the lesster
nobility competed to entertain one another with an appearance by the "miracle children"
of Salzburg. Payment came in the form of hard currency or gifts. When private concerts
didn't pay off the bills, public concerts were held. Either performance would last from
one and a half to three hours. Two programs a day was the rule. '"Reading those details
of those days in Vienna," sighs biographer Erich Schenk," we are inclinded to say 'poor
children'" (Nagel, 60). From start to finish, music was the family business.
Wolfgang became ill with a rheumatic nodular eruption associated with tuberculosis, which
was to believed to be scarlet fever. Within two weeks Wolfgang was well again, but this
episode began more serious health problems in the future. Wolfgang started to "cut a new
tooth" just before his seventh birthday. The tours conitinued and led all the way to
Paris.