Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed more than 600 works before his death at the age of 35. His father, Leopold, was a violinist and composer and gave Wolfgang his first music lessons. Wolfgang learned the harpsichord at the age of four, began composing when he was five, and played for the Empress of Austria when he was six. Leopold, realizing his son´s talents, dropped his own musical ambitions and devoted himself to Wolfgang´s education and to exhibiting his gifts in the European capitals. Wolfgang never attended school; as a child he toured Europe incessantly with his father and older sister Maria Anna ("Nannerl"). They went to Munich and Vienna in 1762; the next year they went to Frankfurt and Paris, and in 1764 they went to London to play for King George III. By that time Wolfgang had written two symphonies for a London performance. Leopold wrote, "Our great and mighty Wolfgang seems to know everything at the age of seven that a man acquires at the age of 40." (Wolfgang was nine years old at the time, not seven - Leopold knew that the younger his son appeared, the more remarkable his talents would seem.) At the age of 11 Mozart wrote an opera. His reputation spread throughout Europe. In 1770 the Mozarts went to Italy, where the Pope made Wolfgang a Knight of the Golden Spur. Thanks to his extensive travel, Mozart became familiar with every kind of music that was being written in the Europe of his day. In London he met J.S. Bach´s son Johann Christian Bach, whose music was an important influence. His trips to Italy exposed him to the music of Sammartini, an early composer of symphonies. Foremost among Mozart´s musical influences was the work of Franz Josef Haydn, to whom Mozart dedicated a set of six string quartets. Mozart was able to imitate and assimilate the musical styles of all these composers; in time, his work became a synthesis of national styles. From 1774 to 1781 he worked in Salzburg for the Archbishop, his father´s employer. In Salzburg he wrote piano sonatas, sonatas for violin and piano, serenades, and violin concertos. Mozart was never happy in his position at Salzburg, and his many attempts to secure permanent work elsewhere failed. In 1781 he left for Vienna, which became his permanent home. In 1782 he married Constanze Weber, and from this time on his productivity soared. Most of his enduring works were written during the last ten years of his life, between the ages of 25 and 35. Despite commissions, concert appearances, and music students, Mozart was unable to support his growing family. His friend Michael Puchberg often lent him money, which Mozart never repaid. Mozart´s piano concertos are outstanding in their variety and creativity. His chamber music, including trios, quartets, and quintets served as models to later composers like Beethoven. In 1789 King Friedrich Wilhelm II commissioned six string quartets and six piano sonatas. However, Mozart died before he was able to complete the commission. The three string quartets that he was able to complete are considered some of his best. And his symphonies, along with Haydn´s, represent the ultimate in the Classical symphonic form. His last three symphonies, written in 1787, are generally considered his finest. In spite of his great accomplishments in instrumental music, Mozart was perhaps most in his element in opera. In 1786 he wrote The Marriage of Figaro, one of his most successful operas, and the following year Don Giovanni, his operatic masterpiece. During the last year of his life, 1791, he wrote the opera The Magic Flute. Mozart´s Requiem, begun in 1791, was completed after his death by his pupil Süssmayr.
