Classical Music The Classical era lasted from 1750 – 1820, beginning when J.S. Bach died in 1750 Classical music emphasizes phrasing and dynamics. There is a little more emotion in Classical music than in Baroque music Larger orchestras were used in the Classical era, creating the symphonic style of music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756.

Anna Maria (Pertl) Mozart gave birth to seven children. Only two of them survived --- Wolfgang and his sister Maria Anna. Leopold Mozart was a respected composer and theorist in his own right but sacrificed his own career to further his sons.

Wolfgang and his sister, Nannerl, took music lessons from their father, Leopold. By the time he was only four years old, Wolfgang was composing songs on the piano and by six he was on tour performing for royalty.

First Symphony 1764

At age 11, Mozart wrote his first opera, Bastien und Bastienne, soon followed by La finta semplice.

At the age of 13, Mozart found a job in the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg, where he worked for 12 years.

Mozart moved to Vienna to seek his fortune but despite his reputation, he had a hard time finding work. Luckily, he met Joseph Haydn. Haydn was quoted as saying to Leopold Mozart, I tell you before God, and as an honest man, that your son is the greatest composer that ever lived.

Things went better when Mozart visited Prague. His opera The Marriage of Figaro was a huge success. The next year, 1787, Prague commissioned him to write an opera to celebrate the emperor's niece – Don Giovanni

Mozart drove his rivals nuts because composing was so easy for him. Musical ideas sprang into his head, fully formed as if he were taking dictation. His speed became legendary. When a beggar approached him on the street, he whipped out a sheet of paper and wrote a minuet trio. He told the beggar to take it to a publisher who bought it on the spot.

Mozarts final composition was his Requiem. He believed from the beginning that he was writing this funeral mass for his own death. He worked anxiously to complete the work only augmenting his illness. He died with the piece unfinished at the age of 35. A student, Franz Sussmayr, completed it after his death. This is the version most commonly heard. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is buried in an unmarked grave outside Vienna.

Mozart composed nearly 600 pieces, including: - Masses, Vespers, Cantatas, Oratorios, - 21 Stage works (Don Giovanni, Magic Flute) - 47 Vocals - 40 Leider - 41 Symphonies - Several dozen Seranades - 21 Marches - 24 Dances - Concertos (20+) - Chamber Music - Piano quartets (11)

Trivia about Mozart Numerous obsessions: clocks, cats, shoe sizes, his wife's safety He would twitch, grimace, tap his feet together and behave oddly at times. He loved diversions and was always the life of the party He enjoyed rhymes, silliness and he liked jokes, sometimes going too far