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Born on Jan. 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the only son born to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. His father, an eminent musician in his own right, began teaching him the harpsichord when he was only four years old.
He wrote minuets when he was five, a sonata at seven, a symphony at eight; and, at the suggestion of the Holy Roman Emperor, an opera, La finta semplice at 11.
At the age of six, he and his sister Maria Anna were taken by their father to the electoral court in Munich, where they were a huge success, and for the next several years, Leopold exhibited his children throughout Europe.
Mozart and his father embarked on an extended tour of Italy in 1770. For Milan, he wrote the opera, Mitridate, Re di Ponto, which was first performed on Boxing Day 1770.
From 1772 and 1777 Mozart resided in Salzburg, under unhappy conditions. The city’s new archbishop, Hieronymous von Colloredo failed to appreciate Mozart’s genius. The young man was treated as a servant, with imperious authority and personal abuse.
Finally, Mozart escaped Salzburg in 1777 setting off for Paris with his mother, hoping to find a more advantageous post. Unfortunately, his stay in Paris came to an abrupt end with the death of his mother and Mozart had to return to his drab existence in Salzburg.
In January 1781, Mozart was acclaimed for his new opera, Idomeneo. This was the first work that hinted at his developing powers as a composer for the stage.
The permanent break with the archbishop of Salzburg came in 1782 when Mozart visited Vienna with the archbishop’s entourage.
Denied permission to appear at some benefit concerts, Mozart denounced his employer, and was summarily dismissed. From then on Mozart resided in Vienna.
There, the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II commissioned him to write a new opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio which premiered on July 16, 1782, and was a triumph.
Confident of his future, Mozart married Constanze Weber on Aug. 4, 1782.
He expected a profitable position at court, but, although the Emperor was lavish with praise and commissions, no position appeared. To earn a living, Mozart gave lessons, which brought in only meagre earnings.
A 1785 meeting with Lorenzo da Ponte, who had recently been appointed poet of the Viennese court theatres, resulted in three of Mozart’s greatest operas. The first was The Marriage of Figaro in 1786, followed quickly by Don Giovanni in 1787: both were triumphs.
The last of their three collaborations was Così fan tutte in 1790. It was considered a failure and only received 10 performances before being dropped from the repertoire.
The final year of Mozart’s life brought no end to his continuing personal misfortunes. While he had finally received a permanent post as court composer and chamber musician, he received such a small salary that it neither relieved him of his debts nor provided for necessities. Yet 1791 was a period of brilliant creation, yielding two operas, La Clemenza di Tito and The Magic Flute, and his great Requiem.
Mozart died at the age of 35 on Dec. 5, 1791 after a short and violent illness. His funeral was held at Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and his body was interred in a mass grave.
Librettist Emanuel Schikaneder was born Sept. 1, 1751 in Straubing, Germany. He was educated at the Jesuit Gymnasium at Regensburg. He joined F. J. Moser’s Vienna troupe as an actor around 1773, performing in numerous operas, farces and Singspiels, including his own Die Lyranten, for which he wrote both music and words.
In February 1777 he married Eleonore Arth who was also an actor in the troupe and in January 1778 he became the troupe’s director. In September 1780 the troupe began a lengthy season at Salzberg, during which time Schikaneder became a friend of Mozart.
In 1785 Schikaneder became a member of the National Theatre, while the troupe continued to tour under the guidance of his wife and Johann Friedel. In 1787 he took over the Prince of Thurn and Taxis' court theatre in Regensburg, however when Friedel died in March 1789, Schikaneder took over what was now the Theater auf der Wieden.
He began to produce a steady series of librettos, including the operas The Magic Flute with Mozart, Der Spiegel von Arkadien for Süssmayr, Der Höllenberg with Wölfl and Das Labyrinth (a sequel to The Magic Flute) set by Winter.
On June 13, 1801 Schikaneder opened the new Theater an der Wien, the most lavishly equipped and one of the largest theatres of its time. The opening performance was Teyber’s Alexander, which featured Schikaneder’s libretto.
Schikaneder left Vienna in 1806 to take over the Brno Theatre, returning three years later, suffering from financial difficulties and failing mental health. On his way to Budapest to become director at a new theatre, he went insane and had to return to Vienna, where he died in poverty on Sept. 21, 1812.
Michael Schade as Tamino and Aline Kutan as the Queen of the Night in the Canadian Opera Company production of The Magic Flute. Photo: Michael Cooper © 2011
Generously Underwritten by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation