A prodigy whose operas, symphonies and piano works remain among the most performed in classical music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart showed extraordinary gifts as a small child, touring the courts of Europe as a keyboard prodigy before he was ten. Over a life of just thirty-five years he composed in nearly every form of his time — opera, symphony, concerto, chamber music and sacred works — with a fluency that has few parallels in Western music. He spent his most productive years in Vienna.
The piano was Mozart’s own instrument, and he wrote for it as a performer who knew exactly how it should sound. His sonatas and concertos are prized for their clarity, balance and singing melody: nothing is hidden, which is precisely what makes them demanding. An even touch and clean phrasing matter more here than sheer power.
Mozart wrote one of the most famous of all teaching pieces — the Sonata in C major, K. 545, which he himself described as being for beginners. Its first movement is a rite of passage for many students, and the Rondo alla Turca offers a livelier goal. Because the notes lie so plainly in view, Mozart teaches a player to be honest.