At the
early age of 4 years Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart started to receive
his musical education and was taught by his father. At the age
of 5 he was presented as a child prodigy and performed his first
musical tour throughout Europe. Mozart's career was closely
linked to the city of Vienna. Aged 6, Mozart performed for the
Austrian royals at the Hall of Mirrors at Schloss
Schönnbrunn and enchanted Empress Maria Theresia and
the rest of the imperial family with his talent and his liveliness.
On this European tour it became clear that Mozart was not only
an excellent performer, but was also interested in composing
music himself. In 1765, his first Sonatas were published in
Paris.
Mozart moved to Vienna in 1781 aged 25. In the House of the
Teutonic Order (Deutschordenshaus; 1010, Singerstraße
7) Mozart fell out with his employer, the Archbishop of Salzburg.
As a result Mozart resigned his secure source of employment
in his native Salzburg and opted for a freelance career in
Vienna.
Mozart's first months in Vienna were spent in a small pension
in the direct vicinity of St.
Peter's Church, a beautiful baroque church in the first
district. There, he fell in love with Konstanze Weber,
daughter of the proprietor. The success of his opera "The
Abduction from the Seraglio" (Die Entführung aus dem
Serail) enabled him to marry his lady - at St.
Stephen's Cathedral.
2 years later, Mozart and his family moved to the "Mozarthaus"
(1010, Domgasse 5) into a spacious apartment. Mozart was respected
and successful as a musician and happy in his marriage. His
years at the 'Mozarthaus' would be the most productive period
in his working and composing life. He composed piano concerti,
chamber music works and the very famous opera "The Marriage
of Figaro" (Die Hochzeit des Figaro). Today, the Mozarthaus
is a museum dedicated to the composer's life.
A year before his death, Mozart and his family moved
into another first district apartment. In spite of his success
the family was heavily in debt and Mozart worked frantically
in order to earn more money to support them all.
"The Magic Flute", probably Mozart’s
most popular opera with its bewitching fairy tale elements,
its gripping plot and its unforgettable tunes, was composed
there. Complex, yet easily accessible the Magic Flute is the
obvious choice for opera aficionados and novices alike. While
you’re in Vienna, make sure to visit Moritz von Schwind’s
precious Magic Flute cycle in the loggia of Vienna's
State Opera. was composed in this time
Also composed in this time was the famously unfinished Requiem,
incomplete because Mozart suddenly took ill and died on the
5th December 1791. His remains received the last blessings in
the 'Kruzifixkapelle' in St.
Stephen's Cathedral. Parts of the Requiem were performed
for the first time during the wake at the Michaelerkirche. Then,
Mozart was buried at St. Marx Cemetery. 60 years after his death
a monument was errected at the grave yard to commemorate this
great musician, 100 years after his death this memorial was
moved to the graves of honor (group 32 a, no. 55). The first
district's Burggarten
features a very impressive Mozart memorial!
|
|
