Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart example essay topic

384 words
On January 27th, 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. Christened "Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus (later changed to the Latin Amadeus) Mozart, the young boy showed talent from the beginning of his life. Wolfgang had a sister; Maria Anna (sometimes referred to by the nickname Nannerl) Mozart, who was also musically talented. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart never attended a proper school, which was customary for children of that time. Instead, he was taught by his father who was a respectable man in Salzburg. Leopold held many professions such as concertmaster for the court orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg; violinist, composer and author.

By the age of six, Mozart had become an accomplished performer on the clavier, violin, and organ. The child was also highly skilled in sight-reading and improvisation. Five sets of piano pieces (including the famed twelve variations on the tune "Twinkle Twinkle" which actually started out with a French name) were composed by Mozart when he was six years old and are still frequently played. When Wolfgang was six, and his sister was ten years of age, they were taken by their father to Munich and Vienna to play a series of concerts. In 1763, Leopold Mozart took a leave from his position at Salzburg court to take his family on an extended tour of Western Europe. Wolfgang and his sister performed in the major musical centers, including Stuttgart, Mannheim, Mainz, Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris, London, and Amsterdam.

The family did not return to Salzburg until 1766. During these touring years, Wolfgang began to compose longer pieces with more structure and skill in them, completing his first symphony at the age of nine, and publishing his first sonatas in the same year. In 1769, Wolfgang and his father left the rest of the family to tour Italy for more than a year. Spending sufficient time in Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, an Bologna, Wolfgang got to experience to full essence the taste of another culture.

During these years, Wolfgang completed an opera; Ro di Ponto, which was celebrated in Italy. Spending sufficient time in Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, and Bologna, Wolfgang got to experience to full essence the taste of another culture.