Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the heavyweights of classical music, generally placed in the top rank of composers along with Beethoven and Bach. Many consider Mozart to be the greatest composer of all time. He was a child prodigy who wrote his first symphony at age 8, then grew into a prolific adult who wrote over 600 pieces of music. Among his most famous works are Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music, 1787) and the operas Don Giovanni (1787) and Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute, 1791). Mozart died of a mysterious fever at age 35. Over the years various people have speculated that Mozart was murdered, perhaps by rival composer Antonio Salieri, but no proof exists to support that theory. In the year 2000 a scholarly panel suggested that Mozart died of rheumatic fever.Extra credit: Mozart married the former Constanze Weber in 1782. She was the younger sister of Aloysia Weber, who had refused Mozart's marriage proposal a few years earlier... Mozart was portrayed by actor Tom Hulce in the hit 1984 movie Amadeus.
Mozart appears with Alexander the Great and Robin Hood in the loop Possibly Poisoned.
Blog posts mentioning Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
New! Who2 Almanac
Four Good Links
The Mozart Project
No longer updated but still with a biography, composition history, and links
The Mozart Forum
Nifty fan page with a deep bio, images, and discussions
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Biography and many sound files, from the page of conductor Matthew Boynick
Experts Rule Out Foul Play in Death of Mozart
From 2000: academics speculate on his cause of death
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
5 December 1791
(fever, age 35)
Best Known As
Composer of Eine kleine Nachtmusik
