A Short Biography of Mozart

Mozart lived a short life--he was born on January 27, 1756, and
died of illness on December 5, 1791. He was only thirty-five years
old at the time of his death. Born Johannes Chrysostomus
Wolfgangus Theopilus to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart, he was,
along with his sister Maria Anna (Nannerl), among the two
forunate surviving children out of the seven Anna Maria bore.
Nannerl deserves special mention. Numerous historical sources
describe her as a musician and composer of equal talent as her
younger brother. However, the sad fact is that given the social
context into which she was born, her musical abilties were not
allowed to develop as rigorously as her brother's. Still, we have
evidence of her extraordinary talent through descriptions and
records that were kept by the courts at which she performed, as
well as personal letters. From her correspondence with her
brother before his marriage to Constanze Weber, scholars have
also pointed out her remarkable intelligence. Who knows what
she might have produced had she been allowed to become a fully
fledged composer.

The Early Years

Mozart, from an early age, amazed his father with his musical
talent. At the age of three he was playing the keyboard, and by
the time he was five years old was composing simple minuets. In
1763, Leopold embarked on a three-year journey with his two
children to showcase their abilities before the nobility of Europe.
The tour spanned a number of major European cities, including
Paris, Versailles, where the Mozarts performed before Louis
XV,King of France, Munich, London, The Hague, Zurich, and
Geneva. The tour was, materially, a great success--Leopold was
able to deposit a substantial amount into his bank account. More
importantly, Mozart and his sister(although she would later not be
allowed to actively perform) gained experience as musicians and
were able to make connections to the courts of Europe. These
connections later proved to be crucial when Mozart began to
pursue his own career.
Middle Years-Early Adulthood
After returning from the extended tour, Mozart only had a short
break before he resumed his travels--he made three trips to Italy
between 1769 and 1773, and before returning for another tour in
1777, he had been appointed the concertmaster at the Salzburg
court orchestra and written his first major opera, Mitridates.
Early Adulthood-Move to Vienna
In 1777 Mozart set off on another tour, this time with his mother,
to try to gain a permanent court appointment. However, this
failed. Mozart's mother Maria Anna died in Paris of an unknown
illness. Mozart returned in 1779 to Salzburg, as a court organist.
Mozart disliked this position and in 1781 he resigned and moved
to Vienna, where he married Constanze Weber in 1782. During
this time, tensions were increasing between Mozart and his father
due to Leopold's desire to hold Mozart in Salzburg, where he
could keep a watchful eye on him. Leopold also disagreed with
Mozart's marriage.
Vienna-Financial Problems

Mozart's life in Vienna was a fine one--he certainly enjoyed his

luxuries, and made good money. By 1786, he had achieved
success there with the premiering of operas such as The
Abduction from the Seraglio and The Marriage of Figaro. However,
this was the turning point. Mozart's income began to drop, and he
was forced to take loans to support his finances. He made trips in
an attempt to improve his fortunes, but to no avail.
1791-The Final Year
1791, the last year of Mozart's short life, saw a burst of
productivity. It was around this time that he composed what are
regarded to be among his finest symphonies, Nos 39, 40 and 41.
Other famous compositions of this year include The Magic Flute,
the Clarinet Concerto in A, the last Piano Concerto No. 27 in BFlat, and of course, the unfinished Requiem Mass in D Minor.
Mozart's health began to decline in September 1791, and the
composer was bedridden by November. Whether Mozart worked
on the Requiem in these final months is unknown, although
scholars suggest the chance is very small due to his condition at
the time.
Mozart died at 1 a.m. on December 1, 1791 and was buried in a
common grave outside Vienna.
http://cs.lafayette.edu/~yamagucm/mozart/content/bio.html