Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not only one of the greatest composers of the Classical period, but one

of the greatest of all

time. Surprisingly, he is not identified with radical formal or harmonic innovations, or with the profound kind of symbolism heard in
some of Bach's works. Mozart's best music has a natural flow and irresistible charm, and can express humor, joy or sorrow with
both conviction and mastery. His operas, especially his later efforts, are brilliant examples of high art, as are many of his piano
concertos and later symphonies. Even his lesser compositions and juvenile works feature much attractive and often masterful
music.

Mozart was the last of seven children, of whom five did not survive early childhood. By the age of three he was playing the
clavichord, and at four he began writing short compositions. Young Wolfgang gave his first public performance at the age of five
at Salzburg University, and in January, 1762, he performed on harpsichord for the Elector of Bavaria. There are many
astonishing accounts of the young Mozart's precocity and genius. At the age of seven, for instance, he picked up a violin at a
musical gathering and sight-read the second part of a work with complete accuracy, despite his never having had a violin
lesson.

In the years 1763 - 1766, Mozart, along with his father Leopold, a composer and musician, and sister Nannerl, also a musically
talented child, toured London, Paris, and other parts of Europe, giving many successful concerts and performing before royalty.
The Mozart family returned to Salzburg in November 1766. The following year young Wolfgang composed his first opera, Apollo
et Hyacinthus. Keyboard concertos and other major works were also coming from his pen now.

In 1769, Mozart was appointed Konzertmeister at the Salzburg Court by the Archbishop. Beginning that same year, the Mozarts
made three tours of Italy, where the young composer studied Italian opera and produced two successful efforts, Mitridate and
Lucio Silla. In 1773, Mozart was back in Austria, where he spent most of the next few years composing. He wrote all his violin
concertos between 1774 and 1777, as well as Masses, symphonies, and chamber works.

In 1780, Mozart wrote his opera Idomeneo, which became a sensation in Munich. After a conflict with the
Archbishop, Mozart left his Konzertmeister post and settled in Vienna. He received a number of commissions now and took on
a well-paying but unimportant Court post. In 1782 Mozart married Constanze Weber and took her to Salzburg the following year
to introduce her to his family. 1782 was also the year that saw his opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail staged with great
success.

In 1784, Mozart joined the Freemasons, apparently embracing the teachings of that group. He would later write music for
certain Masonic lodges. In the early- and mid-1780s, Mozart composed many sonatas and quartets, and often appeared as
soloist in the fifteen piano concertos he wrote during this period. Many of his commissions were for operas now, and Mozart met
them with a string of masterpieces. Le nozze di Figaro came 1786, Don Giovanni in 1787, Così fan tutte in 1790 and Die
Zauberflöte in 1791. Mozart made a number of trips in his last years, and while his health had been fragile in previous times, he
displayed no serious condition or illness until he developed a fever of unknown origin near the end of 1791.

What Are Mozart's Greatest Masterpieces?

You already know quite a bit of music by Mozart, even if you don’t know you know it. His music shows up
in movies, TV shows, and elevators. He wrote literally hundreds of pieces— his catalog lists 626 published
works!

What’s his best music, though? You can answer that question in any number of ways, but we’ve decided to
narrow it down to Mozart’s five greatest hits… the five most famous, most influential pieces of music ever
written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Think we got it wrong? We’d love to hear your list.

5. Serenade No. 13 “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”

You tell us: catchy tune, or catchiest tune? One way or another, you know this piece, and we’re really sorry
that it’s going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. There’s a reason it’s been arranged for pretty
much any combination of instruments you can think of, including this one:

The funny thing is, there’s no evidence Mozart even cared that much about this piece. He sketched it out
really quickly while he was writing Don Giovanni, but no one bothered to publish it until 40 years later, long
after he was dead.
4. Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter”
In the course of his 41 symphonies, Mozart transformed the genre from its often-lighthearted roots into a
much more profound artistic statement, setting the stage for Beethoven’s symphonic revolution.

And Mozart left the best for last. The “Jupiter” is his longest and most intense symphony. We could talk
about the first three movements, but it’s in the finale that Mozart really cuts loose and makes it clear that
he’s in charge. In this movement, he doesn’t just create a five-voice fugue, he makes it fit into the
constraints of sonata form, never missing a beat or letting the energy lag.

3. Clarinet Concerto
The clarinet concerto is a beautiful piece, and it was the last instrumental music Mozart composed. It was
also written for a relatively new instrument that pretty much owes its place in the orchestra to Mozart.

2. The Magic Flute

Ask a group of singers which opera is Mozart’s greatest, and you’ll hear a whole lot of arguing about Don
Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro. We’re going to go out on a limb, though, and give the number two
spot to The Magic Flute, and not because of its psychedelic fantasy plot and intense lyrics (“The wrath of
hell burns within my heart!”), though both are pretty awesome.

No, we’re making Flute number two because with this piece, Mozart kind of invented the musical.

Yeah, opera had existed for about 200 years, but The Magic Flute wasn’t really an opera. It was
a Singspiel — a song-play — which was a genre of theater popular in Germany featuring spoken (rather
than sung) dialogue interspersed with songs.

It was also a pretty lowbrow artform. Most Singspiele were simple comedies written for lower-class
audiences and performed by itinerant actors traveling from village to village.

Until Mozart.

The Magic Flute dragged Singspiel from the town square onto the stages of Austria’s most prestigious
theaters, giving the genre legitimacy in the eyes of the upper class and establishing a theatrical tradition
that would eventually lead to Broadway.

1. Requiem
Even though the story told in “Amadeus” isn’t true, Mozart’s Requiem is still one of the most moving pieces
in all of classical music. The fact that he wrote it on his deathbed and it had to be completed after he died
only makes it that much more impressive.

Think about that for a minute: the guy was so good, he was able to write his own Requiem. Who else was
he going to get to do it? Salieri?

And one more: Sinfonia Concertante

What do you get when you cross a symphony with a concerto? It sounds like a bad joke, but for Mozart, it
was inspiration.

The Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra takes the best of both worlds, giving him the
chance to use virtuosic writing to show off not one soloist... not even two soloists... but two soloists and the
orchestra itself!