Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (1756-91). Austrian composer. The son of a well-known violinist and composer, he was a musical prodigy and spent his childhood touring Europe and giving recitals with his father and sister. From 1770 to 1781 Mozart was master of the band at the court of the archbishop of Salzburg, who did not appreciate his genius and treated him like a servant. He married after leaving this post and spent most of the rest of his life in Vienna. Although many of his works were successful with the public, he was continually troubled by financial difficulties. He com-posed some 40 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 25 string quartets, a number of operas, and many other works. His operas include Don Giovanni (1787), Cosi fan tutte (1790), and The Magic Flute (1791).
