Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756
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1791
Touring under the guidance of his father, young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his talented sister “Nannerl” wowed musicians and aristocratic would-be patrons throughout Europe. Composing more than 600 extant works, he excelled in all genres from chamber music to opera and everything in between. His 27 piano concertos defined and perfected that format. Unlike Haydn and Beethoven, primarily instrumental composers whose themes are conceived for instruments, Mozart’s derive from Italian opera. Twenty-three string quartets and a bevy of other chamber works flowed from his unceasingly active pen, including dozens of violin/piano sonatas, six string quintets and his nonpareil clarinet quintet.