Life, career and works of Leopold Mozart - German composer, violin teacher, violinist, theorist - devoted father and first teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

While Leopold Mozart is best known as the father of musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he was a distinguished violinist, a violin teacher, composer and theorist. He was famous for his book Versuch einer grunlichen Violinschule on violin technique and music theory. Leopold Mozart was born on November 14, 1719 in Augsburg, Germany, to a respectable family of tradesmen.

Early Life of Leopold Mozart

As a child, Leopold sang in the choir of the Church of the Holy Cross. As fairly common those days, a talented and musically inclined child was usually planned for a career in the church. However, Leopold had no intention of becoming a priest, so when in Salzburg University to pursue theological studies, he abandoned it in favor of philosophy and law. He did not complete this either.

When his scholarship from Augsburg soured, Leopold stopped his studies and joined the service of Count Thurn and Taxis in Salzburg as a musician in 1739. Four years later, already active as a composer, he joined the Prince-Archbishop's court orchestra.

Leopold Mozart was respected in Salzburg. Aged 20, Leopold was a musician at Salzburg Cathedral, and also taught violin at the adjoining choir school.

Leopold's Life: Mozart Children, Nannerl and Wolfgang

About the year 1760 his own career took second place to the education of his children, Nannerl and especially Wolfgang, whom he took on numerous musical tours.

In 1756, Leopold was 37 years old, and his wife one year younger. They had a daughter, not yet five. She was called Maria Anna, after her mother, and the family referred to her as 'Nannerl.' She was the fourth of the seven children and the first to survive beyond infancy. Mozart was the seventh and the youngest.

By the time Mozart was born Nannerl was already showing signs of being a musical prodigy. As was costumary those times, Leopold devoted much more energy nurturing his son's talents than those of his daughter's.

Mozart's mother, Maria Anna, was in the support role to her husband in all things that had to do with the family.

When Mozart was born, Salzburg was ruled by the Prince-Archbishop, the most important person in Salzburg, and the employer of Leopold Mozart as a court musician.

Leopold's Best Year (1756) and Beyond

The year 1756 was the crowning glory of Leopold Mozart's life:

• He gained international fame with his book Versuch einer grunlichen Violinschule, which deals with violin technique and music theory. It is said to be one of the foremost musical didactic works of the 18th century.
• He was blessed with a son Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

A year after, he rose from the ranks as Court Composer to the court in chamber, and later, as Deputy Kapellmeister.

Leopold's relationship with his son may have strained as Mozart decided to be an independent man and artist who freelanced in Vienna and married Constanze Weber, but his influence on Wolfgang Amadeus was deep and lasting. Mozart looked up to him as a critic and as authority of good taste, especially those crucial years when Leopold exposed and introduced him to the best musicians around the courts of Europe. He continued to value his father's critical proficiency even in his greatest success as a musical artist.

He died in Salzburg on May 28,1787.

Leopold Mozart's Works

• The Musical Sleigh-Ride piece
• The Peasant Wedding piece
• Symphonies
• Orchestral pieces including concertos, serenades, divertimentos
• Chamber music
• Oratorios
• Masses
• Other sacred works

Sources:

Mozart: A Life by Solomon Maynard, Harper Collins (1995)

The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited y Stanley Sadie, Macmillan (1994)

The Life and times of Mozart by Paul Hamlyn, The Hamlyn Publishing Group (1969)