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    Mozart

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    Mozart: 15 facts about the great composer

    Born in Salzburg in 1756, Mozart is now recognised as one of the best classical composers of all times, with repertoire spanning opera to symphonies.

    1. A Transverse Flute

      1. The Magic Flute: Mozart's last opera

      The Magic Flute was the last opera Mozart composed, it was premiered on 30th September 1791 - roughly three months before he died. Mozart himself conducted the orchestra, while the librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder, sang the role of Papageno.

    2. Mozart's Family Portrait: Leopold Mozart, his wife, Maria Anna, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart playing the piano

      2. Mozart's father, Leopold: a keen musician

      Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the only surviving son of the well-known violin teacher and occasional composer Leopold Mozart, who wrote the pieces including a Trumpet Concerto and the Toy Symphony.

    3. French Horn

      3. Mozart Horn Concerto No. 2

      Another Hall of Fame favourite often voted by Classic FM listeners is his Horn Concerto No.2 for his friend and horn player Ignaz Leutgeb.

    4. A still from The King's Speech

      4. Mozart Clarinet Concerto: a film music favourite

      Another of Mozart’s most popular compositions is the Clarinet Concerto in A Major features in films including ‘The King’s Speech’, '27 Dresses' and 'Out of Africa'. The Clarinet Concerto is also a favourite here at Classic FM, often appearing in the top 10 in the Hall of Fame

    5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart most famous portrait

      5. Mozart's Requiem: left unfinished

      Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor was composed in 1791 and was left unfinished at the time of his death. Mozart composed his Requiem with the belief it was for himself. The work was commissioned by an anonymous nobleman, who had intended to pass off the work as his own.

    6. Allegri

      6. Mozart and Allegri's Miserere

      Mozart had an incredible ability to remember music, he famously heard Allegri’s Miserere aged fourteen when visiting Rome. Later that day, he wrote it down entirely from memory, returning to the Chapel that Friday to make minor corrections.

    7. The Shawshank Redemption still

      7. Mozart's music in The Shawshank Redemption

      ‘Duettino- Sull'aria’ from one of Mozart’s most popular operas ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ features in the film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’.

    8. A Church Bell

      8. Mozart's 250th birthday

      On 27th January 2006, all the church bells in Salzburg were rung simultaneously at the exact hour of his birth, in honour of Mozart's 250th birthday.

    9. An image of the planet Jupiter

      9. Symphony No. 41 nicknamed 'Jupiter'

      Mozart wrote his first symphony in London in 1764–5 and his last in Vienna in August 1788. The last symphony, Symphony No.41 was nicknamed in later years the ‘Jupiter’ Symphony, which is believed to have come from an early arrangement for piano by Johann Peter Salomon.

    10. Image of a catalogue

      10. Mozart: a classical catalogue

      Mozart’s compositions were catalogued in the 19th century by Köchel, and they are now generally distinguished by the K. numbering from this catalogue such as Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus K.618.

    11. An iconic picture of Paris

      11. Mozart's Symphony No.31 'Paris'

      Mozart composed his first 30 symphonies by the age of 18, and returned to composing symphonies a few years later in Paris, the city which also happens to be the nickname of his Symphony No.31.

    12. Wedding

      12. Mozart's wife, Constanze Weber

      Constanze Weber was Mozart’s wife and her father Fridolin’s half-brother was the father of composer Carl Maria von Weber. Constanze had three sisters, Josepha, Aloysia and Sophie, who were all were trained as singers and later performed in premieres of a number of Mozart's works.

    13. Violins playing

      13. Mozart's Divertimento: A Musical Joke

      Mozart's A Musical Joke also known as Divertimento for two horns and string quartet, is thought to have been written to be intentionally as a funny piece, clumsy, mechanical and over-repetitive.

    14. An image of the night

      14. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

      Eine Kleine Nachtmusik ('A Little Night Music') is also known as Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major and was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1787. Only four of the five original movements survive.

    15. Mozart's statue in Salzburg

      15. Mozart Statue

      A Mozart monument stands in Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, which is 3m in height which has been there for over 150 years. The monument was made in 1842 by Ludwig Schwanthaler and was unveiled in the presence of Mozart’s sons.

    Mozart News

    See more Mozart News

    An Australian professor has spent over a decade forensically analysing Mozart scores.

    Mozart claimed credit for his sister’s compositions, says former conductor turned professor

    finger clicking Mozart

    Student finger-snaps along to Mozart's Rondo alla Turca in record-breaking video

    Beethoven is more popular than Mozart

    Beethoven beats Mozart to the top spot as the most popular Classic FM composer of 2019

    Mozart Music

    See more Mozart Music

    Mozart's best works

    Mozart’s best music: 15 of his greatest works

    Mozart's The Magic Flute in video game form

    Mozart's famous opera The Magic Flute is about to be transformed into a video game

    New releases: Morricone, Radulovic

    New releases: 60 years of iconic Morricone music and Nemanja Radulovic plays Bach

    Discover Music

    Mozart Pictures

    See more Mozart Pictures

    Anna-Maria Mozart mother

    Famous composers' mothers

    Discover Music

    classical music on stamps

    The most beautiful classical music postage stamps

    Discover Music

    Mozart Child

    Classical music’s child prodigies

    Mozart Album Reviews

    See more Mozart Album Reviews

    New releases 12th March 2018

    New Releases: Mozart's Violin Concertos performed by Nikolaj Znaider and Brahms' Piano Concertos played by Adam Laloum

    New releases 18th September

    New Releases: The debut album from The Ayoub Sisters and Noa Wildschut plays Mozart

    New Releases 4th September

    New Releases: 'Pavarotti: The People's Tenor' and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet plays Mozart

    Mozart Guides

    See more Mozart Guides

    Mozart and Allegri

    Did Mozart REALLY transcribe Allegri’s Miserere aged 14?

    Mozart

    6 of the best Mozart concertos to add to your playlist

    Did Salieri poison Mozart

    Was Mozart actually poisoned by Salieri? Here’s the truth

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