Wolfgang+Mozart


 * Introduction **

“One day Wolfgang was busy scribbling away. His father asked what he was writing. 'A keyboard concerto,' Leopold reported the boy replying 'I've nearly finished the first part.'”(Blakely 13). This shows how smart Wolfgang was in his early years. He was able to write a concerto at an early age and people his age did not even know what two plus two was. If his brain would have kept growing he would be able to achieve a high IQ. This talent greatly surpassed her sisters ability and of course would create sibling rivalry like any other family would. Even his father's friend could not even do a simple piece and he play their piece just by watching them play it horribly incorrect (Hirsch).


 * Personal Background **

His full name is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Blakely 7). He was supposed to have several first names according to Catholic customs but he only kept Wolfgang Amadeus. He was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756 (Seroff). Wolfgang was short and pale looking (Melograni). Most of his life takes place in Salzburg, Austria (Blakely 7).

His dad's name is Leopold Mozart. He was a musician and teacher that published a book on violin technique the year Wolfgang was born (Blakely 17). His dad came from a family of book binders (Blakely 18). Leopold also created a biography from their family letters (Hirsch). His mother, Anna Maria neé Pertl, is one year younger than his dad. He has a sister named Nannerl who played the harpsichord (Melograni). They somewhat lived in luxury (Hirsch).

Wolfgang amused himself with his toy violin at the age of 5 (Seroff). The carnival season was his favorite time of the year. He also believed in some principles of the Enlightenment. He created operas to express support for people. He also produced music to satisfy aristocratic sponsors (Hirsch). Wolfgang befriended Johann Sebastian Bach's son, Johann Christian Bach (Blakely 21). Wolfgang and his family are Catholic (Seroff). He dies in Vienna on December 5, 1791 (Blakely 7).

**Personality Traits**

When Wolfgang was little he had quite a personality different from other kids but he also carried some traits of a kid. When he was five years old, he was passionate about music (Melograni). He took his art very seriously as any musician would (Seroff). Wolfgang loved making music to entertain people (Hirsch). Doing mathematics was his passion. (Melograni). Wolfgang sometimes felt like an outcast to other people (Blakely 31). Maybe it is because he was comfortable to be around adults (Blakely 28). People said Wolfgang looked serious almost all of the time (Melograni).

Wolfgang was also the rebellious type of person. He had the courage for standing up for what he believes in (Hirsch). When he was a little kid, Wolfgang was obedient, docile, and affectionate (Seroff). His unselfish personality was shown whenever he helped his dad. Wolfgang was a playful person (Hirsch). Sometimes he was obnoxious and made jokes. For example, he told his sister, “a hundred kisses or slaps on your great horsface” (Blakely 22).


 * Obstacles **

Wolfgang and the Mozart family suffered some problems along their journey. His dad wanted a big family but he had a modest salary. Another reason why he did not have a big family is because only two out of the seven children that were born survived (Seroff). Some biographers took their family letters and made Wolfgang look like childish by using the letters as evidence (Hirsch). Their family lived in an age of problems and disintegration (Hirsch). When Wolfgang was near ten years old, he was less amusing than when he was four years old. Wolfgang's listeners thought he started losing his touch at twelve years old (Melograni). People said he was famous as a child but was ignored as a adult (Blakely 37).

When he was little, him and his sister, Nannerl, got small pox during a party. They were luckily cured of the sickness. His dad even said, “Hypothetically calculated, this little adventure has cost me fifty ducats.” This means he had to pay money in order to get them healed (Blakely 16). On December 12, 1771, Archduke Ferdinand did not take the Mozart family into his service (Melograni). Wolfgang's dad wanted him to focus on money not on love. Leopold told him this so he can not be poor and end up like him (Blakely).


 * Historical Significance **

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an amazing and important person in the 18th century. He knew and understood many languages fluently. The letters he constructed were too advanced for his age (Blakely 11). It was obvious that he would become a genius. Being a genius at the time was extremely rare (Seroff).

Wolfgang rebelled against the Enlightenment at the time. The moralistic advice given to him was also rebelled. Following that, he created operas to support people against authority. An example of one of the operas is his famous Magic Flute (Hirsch). Believe it or not but this happened at a very young age (Blakely 16).

Wolfgang began playing at the age of three (Melograni). He was known as a Wunderkind or a child prodigy. Wolfgang learned how to play the piano and violin (Seroff). Before he can spell, he was able to compose a concerto. Johann Andreas Schachtner said, “One day Wolfgang was busy scribbling away. His father asked what he was writing. 'A keyboard concerto,' Leopold reported the boy replaying ' I've nearly finished the first part.''' (Blakely 12).

Wolfgang had one of the most important musical careers in history. When he was five years old, he played his own two or three short pieces on the harpsichord (Melograni). Just by listening to his sister playing a piece poorly, he perfected it with his toy violin. His father was amazed by his ability by age 5 (Blakely 8). It happened a second time with Leopold's friends. He was able to perfect his friends piece just by listening to them (Seroff).

The same age kids were trying to learn their A B C's, is the same age that he was creating several concertos (Blakely 10). He was developing a very strong brain at an early age. This surpassed the ability of many famous musicians (Seroff). By the age of twelve he had already mastered every instrument (Blakely 12).


 * Reference Page **

1. Blakely, Roger K. The Importance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1993. Print. SE #6

2. Fischier, Adrienne. "Mozart / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart." Library Journal 122.8 (1997): 152. ProQuest. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. SE #1

3. Hirsch, Alan. "Mozart: A Cultural Biography." The Booklist 96.3 (1999): 333. ProQuest. Web. 1 Oct. 2014. SE #2

4. Hirsch, Alan. "Mozart in Revolt: Strategies of Resistance, Mischief and Deception." The Booklist 95.17 (1999): 1572. ProQuest. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. SE #3

5. Melograni, Piero. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2007. Print. SE #5

6. [|Seroff, Victor.] Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1965. Print. SE #4