ABOUT MOZART

• Where was he born?• His life• Mozart as a child• His family• Mozart as an adult • Where did he live?• Where did he play?

Where was he born?

SALZBURG

AUSTRIA

SalzburgThe town is situated on the river Salzach, near the south part of the Alps. The name "Salzburg" was mentioned for the first time in 755 and refers to the main economic activity of the town, the estraction of salt from the mines on the near mountains, which are connected to the town through the river Salzach. Salzburg in German means Salt Castle while Salzach means Salt Street.

His life

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born at Salzburg, Austria, in 1756. His father Leopold, who was a musician, gave the little Amadeus and his

sister Nannerl a musical education. Mozart startled the musical world as an infant prodigy, playing the clavier and

composing little pieces before he was five. Leopold wanted to exploit the musical skill of his children; they played before

the empress Maria Theresa astonishing everybody. In 1763, Wolofgang and his sister travelled to Munich, Mannheim, Frankfurt,

Bruxelles and many other important towns such as Paris, and London where they came in 1764.

In these years Wolfgang also learnt to play the violin and the organ. In 1767 the Mozarts returned to Salzburg, from this moment the liitle

Amadeus started composing and never stopped untill he died. Since he was eleven Mozart went many times to Vienna where he was very

required by the nobles and his genius was starting to arouse envy among musicians.

In 1769 Mozart, together with his father, went to Italy where he visited and played in the main towns, among which Mantova. The Italians were amazed at his genius.

An anecdote which happened in Rome increased his infant prodigy fame: in the Sistine Chapel Mozart listened to a piece composed by Gregorio Allegri and rewrote it completly by heart.

As an adult he gave lessons and composed to earn a living.In 1778 his mother Anna Maria died and Amadeus returned to Salzburg, but in

1781he decided to leave definitly that town and live in Vienna. In 1782 he married Costanze Weber and was charged by the emperor with

composing an opera. Mozart composed “Die Entführung aus dem Serail”, later he composed “Le nozze di Figaro” and than “Don Giovanni” destined to become a big success.

Despite his prestige, he was in bad economic conditions and also his health wasn’t good since he was a child.

In Vienna Mozart composed “ Die Zauberflöte” on a text by Schikaneder and started the beautiful “Requiem” taht is said to be commissioned by a misterious man.

Mozart died in Vienna in 1791 and was buried in a common grave. During his short life Mozart composed 626 works: the first when he was 5, the

last short before he died. Mozart’s works were ordered and numbered in 1862 by Ludwig Koghel (whose

initial K precedes the number of each work).

Mozart as a child

Mozart portaryed as a child - 1763by Pietro Antonio Lorenzoni

Wolfgang Amadeus ……. Years old

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Was born 250 years ago (27 January 1756)

-Look carefully at the pictures on this sheet and the following one.What kind of pictures are these? Why?•What about Amadeus’ clothing?•What about his hair?•What is he doing?

- Write Wolfgang Amadeus age under each portrait.- Put the portraits in a chronological order, write the numbers from 1 to 5 in the red circles.

Mozart at the piano Oil painting by Thaddäus Helbling-1768

Wolfgang Amadeus is ……. Years oldo

Oil painting by Saviero dalla RosaPainted in January 1770 during his

first travel to Italy

Wolfgang Amadeus is ……years old

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and His sister Maria Anna Mozart

Miniature by E. J. Alphen c.1764

Wolfgang Amadeus is …… years old.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart caresses a bird.

Painting by Johann Zoffany 1765

Wolfgang Amadeus is ……years old.

Wolfgang Amadeus’s mother, father and sister

His mother: Anna Maria Pertl Mozart(1720-1778)

Oil painting byi Pietro Antonio LorenzoniPainted in 1775

His father: Leopold Mozart(1719-1787)

Oil painting by Pietro Antonio LorenzoniPainted in 1765

His sister: Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, named “Nannerl“

(1751-1829) Oil painting by Pietro Antonio Lorenzoni

Painted in 1763

-Was Nannerl younger or older than Wolfgang ? How old was she when her brother was born?-Which is the painting technique used by Pietro Antonio Lorenzoni?

Wolfgang with his family

Oil painting by Johann Nepomuk della Croce Salzburg 1780-1781

• Look at the previous painting. You can see the whole Mozart family.1. What are Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl doing?2. Which instruments are they playing?3. How are they playing?4. Leopold, the father, is leaning on the harpsichord. What is there in his

hands? 5. Anna Maria, the mother, appears in the oval portrait hanging on the wall.

Why?6. What about Amadeus’ clothing? What about his hair?7. What is there on the little table behind Leopold? For what purpose was it

used?8. How old was Amadeus when the picture was painted?9. Had he already been in Mantova?

Leopold Mozart and his children

Watercolour painted by Louis Carrogis de Carmontelle in November 1763 in Paris.

• Leopold, Wolfgang’s father, describes the watercolour as follows:

"Wolfgang is playing the harpsichord, I’m playing the violin standing behind his chair, Nannerl, leaning a harm on the harpsichord, is holding a music paper in the other hand as if she was singing".

• How old was Wolfgang when this watercolour was painted?• Look at Leopold’s, Wolfgang’s and Nannerl’s clothing and

describe it.• Look at Wolfgang’s and Leopold’s hair. What about it?• What is Wolfgang’s attitude? • What is Leopold’s attitude?• What is Nannerl’s attitude?

Mozart as an adult

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZARTMINIATURE, BY A M. KNOLLER, 1773

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZARTMINIATURE, C.1777

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZARTOIL PAINTING BY J. LANGE, 1784

- Consider the years when the following portraits were painted, put them in a chronological order writing the numbers from 1 to 6 in the red circles.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZARTDRAWING BYI D. STOCK, 1789

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZARTANONIMOUS OIL PAINTING, 1774-5

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART, 1780 (MINIATURE) TEMPERABYI JOHANN NEPOMUK DELLA CROCE

His wife and children

FRANZ XAVER WOLFGANG MOZART(1791-1844)

KARL THOMAS MOZART(1784-1858)

PORTRAIT BY HANS HANSEN (CA. 1798)

CONSTANZE WEBER MOZART1762-1842

Wolfgang and Constanze got married in 1792 and during nine years marriage they had six children, but only two of them reached tha adult age: Karl Thomas and Franz Xaver Wolfgang

Franz Xaver became a composer, a piano player, an orchestra leader and teacher.

Karl Thomas after studying music dropped the musical activity and became a royal functionary.

Neither Karl Thomas nor Franz Xaver had children, for this reason there isn’t any progeny of Wolfgang Amadeus

Where did he live?

The house where Mozart was born in 1756. It is in Salzburg in the Getreidegasse. The rooms where the Mozart family lived are now a museum

One of the houses in which Mozart lived is in Markatplatz 8 in Salzburg. Mozart lived there from 1773 to1780.

The kitchenA room

The salon The hall