MOZART, Leopold – All Classical Research

Born in Augsburg, Nov 14, 1719
Died in Salzburg, May 28, 1787

While best known as the father/ teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Leopold was an accomplished composer and violinist in his own right.
In 1743, Leopold was appointed as a violinist in the court of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, where he eventually worked his way up to deputy Kapellmeister.
In 1756 (the same year that Wolfgang Amadeus was born), Leopold published an important treatise called Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (“A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing”).
As a composer, Leopold wrote symphonies, concertos, cantatas, masses, keyboard pieces, and many other works, though many have since been lost.
- Leopold called himself a “modern” composer, and his music aligns more closely with the music of younger generations. Consequently, some of Leopold’s music had previously been ascribed to Wolfgang.
- Interestingly, despite his notoriety as a violin teacher at the time, Leopold wrote very little music for the instrument.
On a sad personal note, Leopold Mozart and his wife, Anna Maria Pertl, had seven children together; however, only two (Wolfgang Amadeus and Maria Anna “Nannerl”) survived.¹

Learn More

Biography