Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing at five. At six he played before the empress; at fourteen he held the post of court concertmaster in Salzburg. At thirty-five he was dead, the Requiem unfinished.
He was born in Salzburg in 1756. His father, Leopold Mozart, a violinist and teacher, recognized at once that he was dealing with a phenomenon and devoted his life to promoting him. From childhood there were tours across the whole of Europe — Vienna, Paris, London, Rome — and everywhere a sensation.
As an adult he lived in Vienna, a free artist without a permanent position, giving lessons where he could and writing operas, concertos, symphonies. The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute — three operas, each of which changed the genre.
He died in December 1791. The cause is unknown. He was buried in a common grave — the custom in Vienna at the time. The site is unknown.