Every Day Is Special: January 27 - Happy Birthday, Mozart!

January 27 - Happy Birthday, Mozart!

Posted on January 27, 2021

This is an update of my January 27, 2010, post:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on this day in 1756. This famed composer's full baptismal name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart.

(This is a Latinized version of his name, with the first two names being his saints' names, as per Catholic tradition. The German version of Wolfgangus is, of course, Wolfgang, and Mozart also went by an Italian version of the name, Wolfgango, while living in Italy. Theophilus means “lover of God”; Amadeus is a familiar form of the name, and Mozart sometimes used German or Italian translations, Gottlieb, Amadeo, or Amade.)

Mozart was born in Salzburg. At the time, that was part of the Holy Roman Empire, but now it is part of Austria. He spent most of his adult life in Vienna, which was not only the capital of the empire but also the cultural center for arts, science, music, and fine cuisine. (Vienna is now the capital of Austria.)

Mozart was a child prodigy who played both keyboard and violin, and even began composing music at age five!

Mozart was also very prolific, which means that he wrote a lot of music, composing over 600 works including symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. He remains one of the most popular and influential composers of all times.

Play Mozart's Musical Dice Game!

In 1787, Mozart wrote the measures and instructions for a musical dice game, and this website has the measures as played on keyboard ready for you to mix up and enjoy.

Learn more about Mozart's life here.

Check out Mozart's page on the website Classics for Kids.

Classical Archives is a very complete website, with lots of opportunities to listen to or purchase classical music. Here is the Mozart portion of the website.

Did Mozart write “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”?

No. The tune is a French folk song called “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman.” This tune has been used for several children's songs, including “Twinkle” (words by Jane Taylor) but also including the Alphabet Song and “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.”

Mozart's name is associated with “Twinkle” because he wrote a piece called “Twelve Variations on 'Ah vous dirai-je, Maman.'” Listen to his variations here.