Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Profile

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was an Austrian composer and child prodigy who became one of the central figures of the Classical period, celebrated for melodic clarity, formal balance, and dramatic expressive range across symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and opera.

Born in Salzburg (1756) and died in 1791; widely regarded as a major Classical-period composer and former child prodigy. The reviews repeatedly mention 1791 as the year of his death, discuss unfinished late works (Requiem, Mass in C minor), commissions for specific soloists (e.g., Joseph Leutgeb for horn; Anton Stadler for clarinet), and note his financial difficulties in 1788.

Across these reviews, Mozart is treated as a near-universal reference point: melodically clear, formally perfect, and emotionally destabilizing. The Requiem is repeatedly framed as dark, fear-soaked, and intensified by being unfinished. Concertos and chamber works are praised for balance, dialogue between soloist and orchestra, and sudden mood reversals. Don Giovanni is read as an oxymoron—comic and tragic—where music exposes every character. Multiple writers stress Mozart’s reach beyond “relaxing classical music,” insisting on its dramatic and existential power.