Born in Salzburg in 1756, he was recognised as a child prodigy, composing his earliest surviving symphony — Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, K. 16 — at just eight years old. Touring Europe with his musician father Leopold and sister Maria Anna, Mozart performed before royal and aristocratic courts and absorbed musical influences from Italy, France, England and Germany. A pivotal meeting in London with Johann Christian Bach deeply inspired the young composer, with other important influences including Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Giovanni Paisiello.
In 1772, Mozart was appointed a salaried concertmaster at the Salzburg court but increasingly sought wider opportunities. His move to Vienna in 1781 marked a turning point, allowing him to establish himself as an independent composer, performer and teacher. Over his lifetime, Mozart mastered all three major operatic genres of his era: opera seria, opera buffa and Singspiel. His golden Viennese years produced masterpieces such as the Great Mass in C minor, Piano Concerto No. 21 and his famed operatic collaborations with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte — The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte.
Mozart’s music combined structural balance and melodic elegance with dramatic intensity and harmonic sophistication. His surviving manuscripts and letters continue to fascinate for the intimate glimpse they offer into Mozart’s life — in 2023, Christie’s sold an autograph letter from Mozart to his close friend Baroness von Waldstätten for £226,800.
Mozart died in Vienna in 1791, aged just 35, with his final works including The Magic Flute and La clemenza di Tito. More than two centuries after his death, Mozart’s repertoire remains a cornerstone of Western classical music.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Autograph letter signed ('W: A: Mozart') to [Martha Elisabeth] Baroness von Waldstätten, [Vienna, shortly before 4 August 1782]
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)
Autograph music manuscript, the opening 15 bars of the second movement ('Andante') of the Serenade in D major for orchestra ('Antretter'), K.185 (167a), n.p., n.d. [probably Salzburg, 1773].
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)
Six sonates pour Clavecin ou Forté Piano avec l'accompagnement d'un Violon. Dedieés a Son Altesse Serenissime Electorale Madame l’Electrice Palatine ... Oeuvre Premier. Paris: Sieber [1778].
[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)] – Thomas Attwood (1765-1838)
Autograph manuscript account by Attwood of his time spent with Mozart in Vienna in June 1785, n.d. [?1820s]
[Circle of Beethoven and Mozart – Johann Andreas Streicher (1761-1833)]
Collection of letters by members of Beethoven and Mozart's circle addressed to the Viennese piano maker Andreas Streicher, 1801-1813 and n.d.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Early copyist manuscript of Die Entführung aus dem Serail , K.384, n.p. [Austria], n.d. [?late 18th century or early 19th century]
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)
Trois sonates pour le Clavecin, ou Pianoforte avec l'accompagnement d'un Violon. Dediés a Mademoiselle Josephe d'Aurnhamer. Oeuvre 2. Livre 1 [- 6 ]. [Vienna:] J. Clappi [c.1791].
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Scribal manuscript, possibly a printer’s copy for Le nozze di Figaro , K. 492 [?early 19th century]
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)
Missa pro defunctis Requiem … Seelenmesse mit unterlegtem deutschem Texte. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, [after 1801].
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Contemporary copyist manuscript, the vocal score of the Overture and Act I of Die Zauberflöte , K.620 , n.p. [?Germany, perhaps Leipzig], 28 May 1794 (or later)]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and others
19 th -century manuscript compilation of vocal works by Mozart, Haydn, Spohr, Kreutzer and others, n.p. [Germany], n.d. [later 19 th century]
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)
Autograph letter signed ('W: A: Mozart') to [Martha Elisabeth] Baroness von Waldstätten, [Vienna, shortly before 4 August 1782].