Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born into a world of music. Having a musician father meant that his home was always filled with music and students. One of such students was Wolfgang’s elder sister, Maria Anna, who was an avid pianist. Mozart not only developed a passion for music early in life but also became quite jealous of his sister and the other music students who learned in his home.
Mozart started learning how to play the piano with the help of his father at the age of 4. Even at that age, Leopold could tell that his son was different in his focus and ability to learn music. With an incredible ability to focus, Mozart also had an innate desire for music. He was able to learn difficult pieces, listen to music and play it. Not only was he able to learn the works of other composers, but he also started composing equally difficult pieces of music by himself. By the age of 6, Leopold Mozart decided to take his children with him on a European tour. He and his sister began to perform for audiences along with their travels through Europe. Even Wolfgang was five years younger than his sister, he was able to perform much better than his sister and other kids of his age.
How did Mozart become a master unlike most composers and musical masters? A psychologist, John Hayes, studied a number of composers to check how many years it took them to create their first exceptional work. It was surprising that none of the music’s great composers produced anything exceptional in their first 10 years. This means that even Mozart with his level on inborn talent and a natural affinity for composing and playing music had to develop himself for more than ten years after he had taken up music before he created a masterpiece.
No matter how talented you are, you still cannot discount the importance of practicing your craft. Young Wolfgang gained experience by playing regularly around Europe in Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Versailles. In a concert in Munich, the Mozart siblings played together more than three consecutive hours and delivered exceptional music. Mozart published his first five-part violin sonata in Paris at the age of 8. Wolfgang wasn’t always as successful as a musician. He left France in 1778 as a 22-year-old that was unable to impress the French royalty. He and his mother stayed at a run-down hotel when he ran out of money and she caught a fever and died. His father never forgave him and blamed him for her death.
Wolfgang Mozart was a musical genius who was described by Johannes Brahms as producing “pure music.” Mozart was even more popular in death than when he was alive with his birthplace in Salzburg, Austria holding an 11-day birthday party for him in January of each year.
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