Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born into a musical family in Salzburg, Austria. His father Leopold was a violin teacher who quickly noticed his little son could pick out tunes on the harpsichord at age 3. By age 5, Wolfgang was composing his own short pieces.
Leopold took him on tours all over Europe. He performed for the empress of Austria, the king of France, and the king of England, and amazed audiences by playing blindfolded, picking out melodies from a single hummed note, and improvising on the spot. He wrote his first symphony at 8 and his first opera at 12.
As an adult, Mozart composed at incredible speed - symphonies, operas, piano pieces, choral works. He often heard the whole piece in his head before writing it down. He died at just 35, deep in debt, while still working on a Requiem mass. He left behind more than 600 finished works that are still played all over the world.
