disciplined and instructive environment in which he schooled his children in music and academics Wolfgang not only looked like a Mozart exhibiting the broad forehead large blue gray eyes and fine blond hair characteristic of the family but he also had the interests and talents of one Even as a toddler Wolfgang was attracted to the sound of a violin and the touch of a clavier's keyboard When Leopold began teaching Nannerl how to play the clavier the three year old Wolfgang quietly observed her lessons putting aside his toys and checking his rambunctious behavior He was fascinated by the instrument and wanted to learn everything about it He was so intent on doing just that that his father began teaching the persistent boy how to play the following year Leopold quickly discovered that Wolfgang was a natural musician Wolfgang learned to 12
play each note with ease and never complained about having to practice Nannerl was likewise impressed by her younger brother s rapid advancement and noted that he could master whatever piece their father assigned faultlessly with utmost neatness and in exact time She encouraged him and the two were soon playing duets at the clavier sitting side by side as equals y the time he was five Wolfgang realized that there was more to making music than simply playing the notes that were written on the page by someone else WOLFGANG AMADE US MOZART
OPPOSITE Mozart's mother Anna Maria came from a modest Salzburg family and was known for her cheerfulness good temper and thrifty housekeeping He wanted to write his own He started by improvising at the clavier creating something new out of a piece or an exercise that he had already learned Then he attempted to write out the music that he could hear building inside his head As the child showed his father the smudge of notes amongst various blots of ink that was his first composition Leopold remarked that the piece looked too difficult for anyone to play The boy explained That s why it's a concerto you must practice it until you get it right look here s how it goes And he proceeded to plunk out just enough notes so that his astonished father could understand After that first scribbled attempt by Wolfgang Leopold began notating his son's compositions in Nannerl's lesson notebook when the boy was six The earliest surviving record is called Andante for piano K Ia in C it is dated 1761 14
