Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Timeline

(January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was an Austrian composer widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of Western music. A child prodigy, he began performing across Europe at age six and went on to compose more than 600 works, including symphonies, operas, concertos, and chamber music, before his untimely death at age 35 in Vienna. More Less

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Early Life and Family

Leopold Mozart appointed violinist in Salzburg

1743

In 1743, Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang's father, was appointed as the fourth violinist in the musical establishment of Count Leopold Anton von Firmian, the ruling Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, establishing the family's place in Salzburg's musical life.

Image source: Leopold Mozart

Birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Jan 27, 1756

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on 27 January 1756 to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria, née Pertl, at Getreidegasse 9 in Salzburg. He would become one of the most celebrated composers and musicians of the Classical era.

Image source: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Leopold becomes deputy Kapellmeister

1763

Leopold Mozart became the orchestra's deputy Kapellmeister in 1763, further advancing his standing in the Salzburg court musical establishment while nurturing his children's extraordinary talents.

Death of Leopold Mozart

May 28, 1787

The year 1787 was marked by the death of Leopold on 28 May — six months too early, since he would never learn that his lifetime goal for his son, a paid court position, was finally achieved. Biographer Eisen suggests it 'triggered a fallow period for the composer'.

Travels and Employment

Exhibition before Bavarian and Imperial courts

1762

The young Mozart's childhood exhibitions began in 1762 with a performance at the court of Prince-elector Maximilian III of Bavaria in Munich, followed by appearances at the Imperial Courts in Vienna and Prague.

Image source: Mozart family grand tour

Visits to Johann Christian Bach in London

1764 - 1765

A particularly significant influence on the young Mozart was Johann Christian Bach, whom he visited in London in 1764 and 1765 during his family's grand tour.

Image source: Johann Christian Bach

Smallpox outbreak in Vienna

Oct 1, 1767 - Dec 1768

The family went again to Vienna in late 1767, where both Wolfgang and his sister Nannerl caught smallpox during an outbreak, though they quickly recovered. They remained in Vienna until December 1768.

First Italian tour and Mitridate

Dec 1769 - Mar 1771

Mozart's first Italian tour lasted from December 1769 to March 1771. In Milan, he wrote the opera Mitridate, re di Ponto (1770), which was performed with success.

Image source: Mitridate, re di Ponto

Milan operas Ascanio in Alba and Lucio Silla

Aug 1771 - Mar 1773

Mozart returned with his father twice to Milan (August–December 1771; October 1772 – March 1773) for the composition and premieres of Ascanio in Alba (1771) and Lucio Silla (1772).

Image source: Lucio Silla

Violin concertos

1773 - 1775

An important part of Mozart's output at this time was violin concertos: he wrote one in 1773 and four more in 1775, works that remain staples of the violin repertoire.

Image source: Violin Concerto No. 5 (Mozart)

Employment as court musician in Salzburg

Mar 13, 1773

After finally returning with his father from Italy on 13 March 1773, Mozart was employed as a court musician by Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo, ruler of Salzburg.

Image source: Hieronymus von Colloredo

Trips to Vienna and Munich

Jul 14, 1773 - Mar 1775

Mozart and his father visited Vienna from 14 July to 26 September 1773, and Munich from 6 December 1774 to March 1775. Some of his quartets from this period have fugal finales, probably influenced by Haydn's recently published Opus 20 set.

Court theatre closure worsens situation

1775

The situation for Mozart in Salzburg worsened in 1775 when the court theatre was closed, especially since the other theatre in Salzburg was primarily reserved for visiting troupes.

Piano Concerto No. 9 'Jeunehomme'

Jan 1, 1777 - Mar 31, 1777

In 1776 Mozart turned his efforts to piano concertos, culminating in the E♭ concerto K. 271 of early 1777, considered by critics to be a breakthrough work — Charles Rosen called it 'perhaps the first unequivocal masterpiece in [the] classical style'.

Encounter with Stein pianos in Augsburg

1777 - 1778

In 1777, when Mozart was visiting Augsburg on his job-hunting tour, he was deeply impressed by Johann Andreas Stein's pianos and shared his admiration in detailed letters to his father. His scatological-humour-filled letters to his cousin Maria Anna Thekla Mozart also date from around this period.

Image source: Johann Andreas Stein

Resignation from Salzburg position

Aug 1777 - Sep 23, 1777

In August 1777 Mozart resigned his position at Salzburg and on 23 September ventured out once more in search of employment, accompanied by his mother, with visits to Munich, Augsburg, Mannheim, and Paris.

Departure to Paris

Mar 14, 1778

There were prospects of employment in Mannheim, but they came to nothing, and Mozart left for Paris on 14 March 1778 to continue his search for a position.

Paris performances and Flute and Harp Concerto

Jun 12, 1778 - Jun 18, 1778

In Paris, Mozart's symphonies including the Symphony No. 31 (Paris) were performed on 12 and 18 June 1778, along with the Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major.

Image source: Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra (Mozart)

Death of Mozart's mother

Jul 3, 1778

The nadir of the visit occurred when Mozart's mother was taken ill and died on 3 July 1778 in Paris, a devastating loss that later biographers noted triggered fallow periods in Mozart's productivity.

Image source: Anna Maria Mozart

Return to Salzburg

Sep 1778 - Jan 15, 1779

After leaving Paris in September 1778 for Strasbourg, Mozart lingered in Mannheim and Munich still hoping for an appointment elsewhere, but finally returned to Salzburg on 15 January 1779 and took up his new appointment, though his discontent remained undiminished.

Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola

1779 - 1780

Alex Ross writes that 'the golden mean runs through the Andante of the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola', composed in 1779–80 and regarded as one of Mozart's finest works of the period.

Image source: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra (Mozart)

Vienna Years

Dismissal by Salzburg employer in Vienna

1781

While Mozart was visiting Vienna in 1781, his quarrels with his Salzburg employers came to a head and he was dismissed. He chose to remain in Vienna as a freelance composer and performer.

Premiere of Idomeneo

Jan 1781

In January 1781 Mozart's opera Idomeneo premiered with 'considerable success' in Munich, marking one of his greatest operatic achievements.

Image source: Idomeneo

Keyboard competition with Muzio Clementi

Dec 24, 1781

Mozart often performed as a pianist, notably in a competition before the Emperor with Muzio Clementi on 24 December 1781, after which he soon 'had established himself as the finest keyboard player in Vienna'.

Image source: Muzio Clementi

Subscription concerts as piano soloist

1782 - 1785

From 1782 to 1785 Mozart mounted concerts with himself as piano soloist, presenting three or four new concertos in each season. In 1783 he purchased a fortepiano by Anton Walter which he played frequently in concerts around Vienna.

Image source: Piano concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Friendship with Joseph Haydn and string quartets

1782 - 1785

Mozart met Joseph Haydn in Vienna around 1784 and the two became friends. His string quartets (including K. 465) date from 1782 to 1785, judged a response to Haydn's Opus 33 set from 1781, and are today considered key works of the string quartet literature. K. 465 earned the nickname 'Dissonance' quartet for its chromatically suspended introduction.

Image source: Haydn Quartets (Mozart)

Study of Bach and Handel via van Swieten

1782 - 1783

In 1782 and 1783 Mozart became intimately acquainted with the work of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel through the influence of Gottfried van Swieten, who owned many manuscripts of the Baroque masters.

Image source: Gottfried van Swieten

Courtship and marriage to Constanze Weber

Apr 1782 - Aug 4, 1782

Mozart's courtship of Constanze did not go entirely smoothly; the couple briefly broke up in April 1782 over an episode involving jealousy. A letter from 31 July 1782 suggested Constanze had moved in with him. The couple were finally married on 4 August 1782 in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna.

Image source: Constanze Mozart

Premiere of Die Entführung aus dem Serail

Jul 16, 1782

Mozart prospered as a composer in Vienna, and in 1782 completed the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail, which premiered on 16 July 1782 and achieved considerable success.

Image source: Die Entführung aus dem Serail

Visit to Salzburg with Constanze

1783

In 1783 Mozart and his wife visited his family in Salzburg, for the first and only time after their marriage.

Initiation into Freemasonry

Dec 14, 1784

On 14 December 1784 Mozart became a Freemason, admitted to the lodge Zur Wohltätigkeit ('Beneficence'). He embraced Freemasonry and remained a lodge member for the rest of his life.

Image source: Mozart and Freemasonry

Collaboration with Lorenzo Da Ponte begins

Oct 1, 1785 - Dec 31, 1785

Around the end of 1785, Mozart moved away from keyboard writing and began his famous operatic collaboration with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte.

Image source: Lorenzo Da Ponte

Premiere of Le nozze di Figaro

1786

The year 1786 saw the successful premiere of Le nozze di Figaro in Vienna, the first of three operas Mozart created with Lorenzo Da Ponte.

Image source: The Marriage of Figaro

Beethoven visits Vienna hoping to study with Mozart

1787

In 1787 the young Ludwig van Beethoven spent several weeks in Vienna, hoping to study with Mozart, whose reputation as a composer and keyboard virtuoso had spread widely.

Image source: Ludwig van Beethoven

Prague premiere of Don Giovanni

Oct 1787

The second Da Ponte opera premiered in October 1787 to acclaim in Prague, and was produced again, though without the same degree of success, in Vienna during 1788.

Image source: Don Giovanni

Appointment as imperial chamber composer

Dec 1787

In December 1787, Mozart finally obtained a steady post under aristocratic patronage. While traditionally viewed as a mere sinecure, Wolff (2012) argues the position was substantial and that some of Mozart's chamber music from this time was written as part of his imperial duties.

Final Years and Legacy

Declining income and move to Alsergrund

1786 - 1788

Around 1786 Mozart ceased to appear frequently in public concerts and his income shrank; according to Solomon, in 1788 he saw a 66% decline in income compared to his best years in 1781. By mid-1788 he and his family had moved from central Vienna to the suburb of Alsergrund.

Final symphonies Nos. 39–41

1788 - 1790

Mozart's late masterworks include the final symphonies Nos. 39, 40 and 41, all from the summer of 1788, the Clarinet Quintet of 1789, and Così fan tutte, the last of the three Da Ponte operas, which premiered in 1790.

Image source: Symphony No. 41 (Mozart)

Journeys to Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin and Frankfurt

1789 - 1790

Around this time Mozart made two long journeys hoping to improve his fortunes: visiting Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin in spring 1789, and Frankfurt, Mannheim, and other German cities in 1790. These broadened his reputation but involved setbacks and probably did not achieve his financial goals.

Image source: Mozart's Berlin journey

Improving financial situation

1790

Mozart's financial situation, a source of anxiety in 1790, finally began to improve as his fortunes recovered toward the end of his life.

Efforts to publish a complete edition

1791 - 1883

Shortly after Mozart's death in 1791, it became a goal of publishers to produce a complete printed edition of everything he had written. With extensive scholarly contributions, this led to the Alte Mozart-Ausgabe (Old Mozart Edition), issued from 1877 until 1883.

Premiere of La clemenza di Tito

Sep 1791

In September 1791 Mozart attended rehearsals of La clemenza di Tito in Prague; singer Michael Kelly remembered him 'on the stage with his crimson pelisse and gold-laced cocked hat, giving the time of the music to the orchestra.'

Image source: La clemenza di Tito

Premiere of Die Zauberflöte-era Clarinet Concerto

Nov 17, 1791

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, K. 623's companion work of his final months, premiered on 17 November 1791, among the last major works completed before his death.

Image source: Clarinet Concerto (Mozart)

Final illness and deathbed

Nov 20, 1791

Mozart fell seriously ill on 20 November 1791 and took to what turned out to be his deathbed; he suffered from swelling, pain, and vomiting during his final days.

Image source: Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Dec 5, 1791

Mozart died in his home on 5 December 1791 at 12:55 am, aged 35. If no mourners attended, that would have been consistent with Viennese burial customs; Otto Jahn (1856) wrote that Salieri, Süssmayr, van Swieten and two others were present. Modern research by Zegers et al. found a modest spike in the death rate in Vienna in late 1791, supporting claims about an epidemic.

Köchel catalogue completed

1862

After Mozart's death, scholars such as Johann Anton André attempted to create a complete catalogue, but this was only accomplished in 1862 when Ludwig Ritter von Köchel completed the first edition of what is now called the Köchel catalogue. 2024 marked the completion of its ninth edition, edited by Neal Zaslaw.

Image source: Köchel catalogue

Key Facts

Mozart was born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria, and showed extraordinary musical talent as a child, composing his first pieces at age five.
He toured Europe extensively as a child prodigy with his sister Nannerl, performing for royalty in courts including Vienna, Paris, and London.
Mozart composed over 600 works, including 41 symphonies, 27 piano concertos, and famous operas such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute.
In 1781 he moved to Vienna, where he worked as a freelance composer and performer after leaving the service of the Archbishop of Salzburg.
Mozart died on December 5, 1791, in Vienna at age 35, leaving his final composition, the Requiem, unfinished.

Source

This Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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