Mozart
...t was twenty-two, his mother tagged along when he went to Paris to seek recognition and establish himself” (Kamien 252). At the age of twenty-five, Mozart left Salzburg and traveled to Vienna, intending to be a freelance musician. This turned out to be more challenging than he expected. His first few years in Vienna were successful. The emperor and the nobility attended his concerts, his compositions were published, and his music was heard being played in the palace. Everything seemed to be going well for Mozart until his popularity began to decline. “Mozart’s music was complicated and hard to follow” (Kamien 253). He was warned by publishers to write in a more popular style of music, which would ensure his work to be published. Mozart’s popularity continued to decline, and he fell into financial ruin. Chapter II By the time Mozart was six, he could play the harpsichord and violin, improvise fugues, write minuets, and read music perfectly at first sight. Leopold Mozart, impressed by the talent of his children, decided to take Mozart and his sister, Nannerl on a short performing tour in the courts at Vienna and Munich. This was the beginning of Mozart’s musical career. After the success of their first tour, Mozart and his family traveled to many other cities performing longer tours. In 1764, while visiting in London, Mozart wrote his first three symphonies under the influence of Johann Christian Bach. Johann Christian Bach was the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and a strong influence on Mozart’s work. “The strongest influence on his later works came from J. S. Bach, dead and nearly forgotten and from Haydn, the most famous composer at the time” (Kamien 255). Among Mozart’s many titles, he was also known as master of the Opera. “Only a few composers have matched his ability to coordinate music and stage action” (Kamien 254). Mozart wrote masterpieces in all the musical forms of the time. “His works conveyed a feeling of ease, grace, and spontaneity, as well as balance, restraint and perfect proportion” (Kamien 253). Chapter III Even though Mozart survived infancy, he did not escape the illnesses of the time. Mozart’s first illness came at a very young age. At age six, he became ill with Scarlet Fever rash. Although his illness was cured within two weeks, it opened up a gateway for more serious health problems (Boerner). At the age of nine, Mozart became ill with Intestinal Typhoid. This illness was far more dangerous. Mozart remained in danger for nearly two months and started to recover at a slow pace. Mozart’s work took its toll on his personal life. With all the traveling and working, Mozart had very little time for himself. In 1778, all of Mozart’s traveling finally rewarded him on a personal level. He met and fell in love with Aloysia Weber, the second eldest daughter of Fridolin Weber. Mozart finally had a feeling of satisfaction, but this feeling did not last very long. On July 3, 1778, Mozart’s mother died in Paris of excess bleeding (Boerner). Shortly after his mother death, Aloysia Weber, the love of Mozart’s life, left him and married a court actor. In despair of Aloysia’s decision, Mozart married Constanze Weber, the younger sister of Aloysia Weber, on August 4, 1782. Mozart’s decision to marry Constanze went against his father’s wishes. “ Constanze had no money and was just as impractical as he” (Kamien 252). Mozart and Constanze had a total of six children, four of whom died in infancy. Their second child, Karl Thomas, was born on September 21, 1784 and their sixth child, Franz Xaver Wolfgang, was born on July 26, 1791. They were the only two who survived. Chapter IV Moz...