Discovering the Gift From his position at the keyboard the young conductor waved his small hand in the air as if coaxing the music out of the orchestra before him With each jerk of his head his powdered wig moved slightly but he did not notice All that mattered was the music his music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a conductor composer and instrumentalist whose various skills OPPOSITE Starting in 1762 Leopold and the children often performed together with Leopold playing violin Nanner singing and Mozart at the clavier
failed to garner him the fame he deserved while alive Regardless of public opinion he knew he was doing important work I pay no attention whatever to any body's praise or blame he said I simply follow my own feelings Those feelings would lead him to create music that was uniquely Mozart music that would last forever n January 27 1756 in Salz burg Austria which was then a part of Germany Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born To his family young Wolf gang was known simply as Wolferl and he was the 10
last of seven children born to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart He was only the second to survive past infancy however arriving five years after his older sister Maria Anna or Nannerl The year Wolfgang was born Leopold was serving as a court composer and violinist in the orchestra of the local archbishop the head of both the Catholic Church and the government in Salzburg That year Leopold published his Essay on a Fundamental Violin Method which became the most widely read manual on violin playing in the last half of the 18th century Due to his position within the community and special status as a respected musician Leopold was able to adequately pro vide for his family and associate with the upper classes but the Mozarts were not wealthy Leopold was also able to spend much of his time at home in a loving highly WOLFGANG AMADE US MOZART
