Born in Salzburg, Mozart displayed uncanny musical talent at a very early age. By the time he was five, Wolfgang was a keyboard virtuoso. He toured Europe as a child, astounding the musical world and charming royal audiences with his improvisational ability. In addition to composing symphonies at a tender age, he wrote his first operas while still a boy: La Finta Semplice, commissioned by the Emperor Josef II; and Bastien und Bastienne, a singspiel (German folk opera with spoken dialogue).

In 1777, Mozart journeyed to Paris with his mother to seek a formal position, but he had no luck, and returned home in 1779 following her death. A suitably prestigious position was to elude Mozart all his life, due partly to his complicated personality and tactless, arrogant, often childish behavior. He did manage to secure a position as court organist in Salzburg, which he held for two years prior to the triumphant premiere of Idomeneo. This opera seria — a highly formalized type of dramatic opera that was becoming outmoded in Mozart’s day — is considered one of the greatest examples of the genre. Its success led Mozart to move to Vienna.

The break with Salzburg marked the beginning of Mozart’s maturity as a composer; nearly every work he produced thereafter was a masterpiece. In 1782, he wrote Die Entführung auf dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), a charming comic opera that paved the way for Le Nozze di Figaro. A tremendous success at its premiere in 1786, Figaro was based on a satirical comedy by the French dramatist Beaumarchais. Unparalleled in its depth of characterization and synthesis of music and drama, it contains some of the most sublime ensemble writing in all opera.

Mozart again collaborated with Figaro’s librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, on a work that explored the dark side of traditional comedy: Don Giovanni (1787), an opera of enormous power and eloquence, depicts the exploits and eventual punishment of an inveterate womanizer. Così fan Tutte (1790) found Mozart working with da Ponte for the last time. In this comedic study of human frailty are found some of the composer’s most empathetic and realistic characters.

Mozart’s last great opera, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), written in 1791, is a singspiel with a libretto by impresario Emanuel Schikaneder. Beneath the simple, fairy-tale plot is a message of love, truth and brotherhood set to music of profound spirituality and majesty. Zauberflöte was also a seminal work in the development of German musical theater, which hardly existed — according to Richard Wagner — prior to the opera’s premiere.

During Mozart’s Vienna days, he composed a series of masterpieces in genres other than opera: his most famous piano concerti (no. 17 in G major, no. 20 in D minor and no. 21 in C major); the remarkable last symphonies (nos. 35-41); superb piano sonatas; ten of his most beautiful string quartets; the clarinet concerto; the “Mass in C Minor”; La Clemenza di Tito, another opera seria; and the unfinished “Requiem Mass.” Mozart managed to earn a living for himself and his wife, Constanze, through teaching, concertizing and occasional commissions from aristocrats. But they did not manage their money wisely, and were often heavily in debt. Mozart died penniless of unknown causes on December 5, 1791, and was buried in an anonymous pauper's grave.

Mozart’s compositions rank among the greatest of all time. They are unsurpassed in beauty, wit and technical mastery, and express the full range of human emotions. Recent interest has centered on the composer’s enigmatic life and personality, exemplified in the popularity of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus on stage and film.