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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
 Mozart was one of, if not the greatest composer of music ever.He was born in the town of Salzburg in Austria on the 27th of January in 1756. His father was called Leopold and his mother, Anna Maria Pertl. Leopold was also a composer and a successful one too. Mozart himself began composing at the age of just five. By the age of ten he had already started on symphonies. Mozart's sister also possessed great musical talent. She played the keyboard and the violin virtuoso.Between 1763 and 1766 Mozart and his sister played to audiences in France, Germany and England. In Paris in 1764 Mozart published his first works which consisted of four sonatas and in 1768 his first opera was written. It was first played a year later. Two more operas followed in 1771 and 1772 which were the result of Mozart's travels around Italy.A new Bishop was appointed in Salzburg and he became annoyed by Mozart and in 1772 Mozart was allowed to remain concertmaster but only on very low pay. As a result he composed lots of sacred works.In 1777 Mozart travelled to Paris with his mother. She died while he was there. He had hoped to find work in Paris but his attempts were unsuccessful. Mozart returned to Salzburg and was made court organist and produced Church works, one of which was the Coronation Mass. He composed a opera for Munich in 1781 but was sacked after several arguments. Mozart moved to Vienna and wrote The Abduction from the Seragluio in 1782. He married in the same year and visited Salzburg in 1783 with his new wife.Mozart composed one of his best successes in 1786 (The Marriage of Figaro). He also composed piano concertos and string quartets at this time. Mozart's concerts were successful and in 1787 he was made court composer. Mozart fell into debt and was helped by a freemason. In 1787 he wrote the opera Don Giovanni and a series of string quartets In 1790 followed Cosi fan tutte, and in 1791 The Magic Flute. Mozart also composed his last three symphonies (E flat, G minor, and the Jupiter in C) in only two months in 1788.In 1791, Mozart started to write a requiem which he did not finish. He was ill and died on the 5th December and was buried in an unmarked grave in a Viennese suburb.
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