35 Interesting Facts About Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most influential and celebrated composers in the history of classical music, left an indelible mark on the world of music during his brief but prolific life. Born on January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria, Mozart’s genius was apparent from a young age, and his musical legacy continues to inspire and captivate audiences worldwide. In this article, we’ll delve into 35 fascinating facts about the life, music, and personality of this musical prodigy.

1. There was a song written in the 1630s that was performed only in the Sistine Chapel. The Vatican kept the composition of the piece secret for 150 years until the 14-year-old Mozart listened to the piece two times, transcribed it from memory, and produced the first unauthorized copy of the song. – Source

2. Mozart heard a starling at market whistling an unpublished tune he was working on, he bought the starling to preserve secrecy, recorded the melody it sang in his notebook and gave it an elaborate funeral when it died three years later. – Source

3. Mozart had a “startling fondness” for poop jokes, which is preserved in his surviving letters. – Source

4. When Mozart was 8 years old, he was tested by the Royal Society to determine if he was a child or an adult dwarf. They were convinced of his age when, in the middle of playing a piece, he was distracted by a cat running through the room. – Source

5. Mozart once conducted an orchestra, at the demands of the crowd, after standing during the performance and shouting that the orchestra had played a wrong note. – Source

6. Despite the claims of the play/movie “Amadeus”, W.A. Mozart and Antonio Salieri were actually good friends, supportive of each others’ work, and there is no evidence that Salieri obstructed Mozart’s career other than the fact that Salieri was more established and well known. – Source

7. Mozart composed a song called “Lick Me in the Ass”. – Source

8. Mozart sold more CDs in 2016 than any other artist. – Source

9. After Mozart died, his wife married a Danish diplomat who’s headstone reads “here lies the husband of Mozart’s widow”. – Source

10. Mozart wrote an intentionally bad piece of music to emulate the style of an incompetent composer. – Source

11. When W.A. Mozart was seven he was giving a concert in front of royalty in Vienna when he slipped. Marie Antoinette helped him up and he immediately proposed to marry her. – Source

12. Benjamin Franklin invented a musical instrument, which uses water and glass, that Mozart wrote songs for. – Source

13. Mozart and Beethoven both regarded Handel as the most accomplished composer, ever. – Source

14. Mozart was something of a procrastinator. He completed the “Overture to Don Giovanni” the day before it premiered. – Source

15. When Mozart wasn’t writing one of his 600 masterpieces he was writing dirty letters to his female cousin saying that he wanted to “sh*t on her nose” and watch it “drip down her chin.” – Source

16. The exact reason behind Mozart’s death is still unknown. Researchers have proposed at least 118 causes of death, ranging from influenza to mercury poisoning. – Source

17. While Mozart and his future wife Constanze were dating, they briefly broke up after she allowed a man to measure her calves during a parlor game. – Source

18. The Mozart Effect is believed to reduce epileptic activity. The only pieces of music known to do this are Mozart’s K.448 and Piano Concerto No. 23 and Yanni’s Acroyali/Standing in Motion. – Source

19. Once Mozart boasted that he could compose and play a piano piece that his teacher Haydn could not. Angered, his teacher tried and failed. However, Mozart accomplished the feat because he used his famously long nose to reach the one that his teacher could not. – Source

20. Neither of Mozart’s surviving sons ever married nor had any children, thus there are no direct descendants of Mozart. – Source

21. When Voltaire died in 1778, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who was a devout Catholic wrote a letter to his father saying “The arch-scoundrel Voltaire has finally kicked the bucket…” – Source

22. The tune to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “the Alphabet Song” was written by Mozart. – Source

23. Wikipedia’s first featured article was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. – Source

24. In March of 1781, Mozart was finally released from his duties and began working freelance. A year later, Mozart gave his first public concert consisting entirely of his own compositions. – Source

25. Mozart’s name wasn’t actually Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Amadeus may have originated as a facetious name. – Source

26. When the manuscript for Mozart’s Requiem was on display at the 1958 World’s Fair, someone managed to rip off the bottom right corner of the last page, containing what is believed to be the very last words Mozart wrote before he died. – Source

27. A German sewage treatment plant plays Mozart music to break down the waste faster. – Source

28. Mozart had already composed over 20 pieces of music by the time he turned 10. – Source

29. Mozart is known sufferer of a rare sensory condition known as “Synthesia”, allowing him to perceive different sounds as forms of color. – Source

30. Mozart had a pet bird that could sing the theme of the last movement of his G Major Piano Concerto. – Source

31. Because of Mozart’s dislike of a prima donna in his opera Cosi fan Tutte, he filled her showpiece aria with frequent leaps to make her head “bob like a chicken” onstage. – Source

32. The original copy of a symphony attributed to Mozart was destroyed in WWII. – Source

33. Mozart wrote a melody to the Austrian national anthem 19 days before he died. – Source

34. Mozart gave music lessons to Beethoven. – Source

35. Mozart had a sister (Maria Anna) who was also an accomplished musician and composer, sometimes even receiving top billing. She was no longer taken on tour with her famous brother once she reached “marriageable age”. – Source