Mozart and Salzburg

It seems to be impossible to talk of Salzburg without mentioning Mozart in the same breath.

The city has, indeed, never been lacking in great musicians - Michael Haydn, Joseph's brother and Mozart's friend and contemporary is probably the most famous - yet all other talents are overshadowed by the genius of Mozart.
What better way, then, of becoming acquainted with Salzburg, whose name truly and in the widest sense symbolizes the "sound of music", than by retracing in the steps of Mozart in the city of his birth?

The narrow, winding streets of the old city have lost none of their charm with the passing of the centuries; just a few steps away from the little town-hall, Getreidegasse broadens out into a small square. And it was here, on 27th January, 1756, in house number nine, the home of his parents, Leopold and Anna Maria, that Mozart first saw the light of day. In all, seven children were born to the Mozarts, but only two survived: Maria Anna Walpurga, known as "Nannerl", and
Johann Chrysostomus Wolfgang Theophilus, who later called himself "Amadeus ".

Today, Mozart's birthplace, with the Mozart family's residence on the third floor, is one of Austria's most popular tourist attractions. Each day music lovers from all over the world visit these rooms to pay their silent respects to the great Salzburg master. The museum contains family portraits, (among them the unfinished oil-painting by Mozart's brother-in-law, Joseph Lange, showing the composer at the piano and supposedly dating from 1789; (this work best captures Mozart's likeness), the violin Mozart played as a child, his concert violin, two of his pianos and numerous letters, personal belongings and music.
The lovely old house also contains rooms illustrating the life-style of a middle-class household at the time of Mozart. The second floor houses the permanent exhibition "Mozart on the Stage".

By 1773 the residence in the old house in Getreidegasse had become too small for the Mozarts and the family moved to a larger dwelling on the other side of the River Salzach, at what is now Makartplatz 8. In this house, known as "Mozart's Residence", Mozart composed more than 150 works, belonging to his last years in Salzburg, before he moved to Vienna.

The living area was destroyed during World War II, and only the so called "dancing master's room" (the Mozart's concert room) remained standing in its original form.
The rebuilding of Mozarts' residence commenced on 4th May 1994 and the festive opening of the reconstructed house took place on 26th January 1996.

Salzburg preserves the memory of the greatest son with love and expertise. Visitors from all over the world wander in Mozart's footsteps through the beautiful city:
On 13th May 1767 the Aula Magna of the University of Salzburg (founded in 1623), saw the premiere of the Latin school-drama "Apollo et Hyacinthus", with music composed by the eleven year-old Mozart. In the Residence of the Prince Archbishops of Salzburg Mozart conducted divertimenti, symphonies and serenades, and it was here that his first opera, "La Finta Semplice", was first performed.

The Marble Hall in Mirabell Palace functions as a venue for concerts just as it did some 200 years ago when father Leopold, Wolfgang and Nannerl gave concerts for the Prince Archbishop and his specially invited guests.
Mozart's Mass in c-major was first performed in the Abbey Church of St. Peter on 26th October 1783; Mozart himself conducted, and Constanze, his wife, sang first soprano. Each year this mass is performed as part of the Salzburg Festival, and on the evening before the anniversary of Mozart's death, 5.12., the great Requiem can be heard.

The "Mozartsteg", the quaint footbridge elegantly spanning the Salzach, brings us to the heart of the old city, to the present-day Mozart square which has borne the composer's name since the inauguration of the Mozart Memorial in 1842. The Munich sculptor Ludwig Schwanthaler's larger-than-life bronze statue glorifying Mozart as the "Hero of Music" dominates the square.

The Mozart family, in life and death, seems ever-present in Salzburg. Nannerl, Mozart's much-beloved sister, is buried beside the vault of Michael Haydn in St. Peter's cemetery. This evocative spot, nestling beneath Hohensalzburg Fortress, is considered one of the most beautiful last resting places in the world. Father Leopold and Mozart's widow, Constanze, lie buried in St. Sebastian's cemetery. Despite its location just off Linzergasse, a busy shopping street, this cemetery has lost none of its centuries’ old dignity and restful beauty.

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Mozart's birthplace

Mozart's residence

Salzburg Festival

Mirabell Palace

Mirabell