Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of history’s greatest musical geniuses.
Born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria, Mozart learned to play several instruments and became a virtuoso (see definition and hear pronunciation below) musician as a small child.
At the age of five, he wrote his first musical compositions and, by the next year, began performing in public.
Wolfgang’s father, Leopold, served as his early music teacher and was delighted by the enthusiasm that the public showed for his son’s talent.
It’s said that the young Mozart had a remarkable ability to listen to a piece of music and reproduce it just from memory!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: Can you think of other virtuosos in music, art, dance or other disciplines?
Virtuoso: A person who is exceptionally skilled in music or another artistic pursuit; marked by masterly skill.
Click here to hear a pronunciation of virtuoso.