Happy Birthday Mozart

Posted at 3:13 AM on January 27, 2010 by Ward Jacobson (2 Comments)
Filed under: Musician stories

Mozart was born 254 years ago today (1/27/1756) and of all the great Mozart stories out there, this is one of my favorites:

Mozart was in his mid 20s, and up to his arms in work when his (often pushy) father, Leopold, made a request. He asked Mozart to write a symphony for some festive occasion in the house of the "Mayor" of Salzburg - Siegmund Haffner.

The story goes that Mozart composed the work at top speed (remember, he was swamped!) - so fast, in fact, that he finished it, sent it off to Dad, and then promptly forgot all about it. And then, when the manuscript eventually was returned, he was stunned at how good the work was. Today we know it as Mozart's SYMPHONY #35, the Haffner Symphony. Just another day at work for the musical genius.

So what's YOUR favorite Mozart story?

Comments (2)

MY FAVOURITE MOZART STORY IS THE ONE WHERE HE WROTE ALL THAT GREAT MUSIC. HAHAHA.

Posted by ROBERT JAMES SMITH | January 27, 2010 8:38 PM

My favorite story is Haydn's telling Mozart's father that another musical luminaries like Mozart came along only every 100 years. He should have said 500. I want to know why this man died penniless and what he died of. I don't want speculative guesses or even well-thought-out theories. I want facts. I want to know with certainty.

Posted by Jaime Herrera | January 28, 2010 12:08 PM