Mozart's journeys

"A smart man will get the best education by traveling." - these words by Goethe find their best endorsement in the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The Mozart family: Leopold, Wolfgang and Maria Anna

Mozart traveled a lot during his short life. Only during his stay in Salzburg (and that was until his was 25), Wolfgang was on the road for about a third of the time. Like no other child of his age, Mozart had the opportunity to get to know the European music scene, composers and musical style of the time. However, these travels were not only significant for his musical creativity, but also played an important role in shaping his personality, primarily through appearances in front of European noble families. 

During his years in Vienna - from 1781 to 1791 - he did not travel as much. He lived in an artistic environment that shaped his personality and inspired him to compose. It should be remembered that he had a family back then, which was another reason for him to lead a more peaceful life. Thanks to these journeys, Mozart became what he ultimately was - a mature artistic personality. During those trips, he received orders for new compositions, got some valuable stimulus for further work and was inspired by the musical life of other cities, some of which were far more developed than his native Salzburg. Mozart learned a lot during those trips and he met not only a number of musicians, but also other celebrities of the time. All these experiences shaped his creativity and style.

There is no better way to understand the life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart than to consider his travels around Europe. During his short life, Mozart visited ten European countries and more than two hundred cities. Whether small or big, they still contain the traces of a great composer. The planning and realization of these trips, from 1762 to 1773, were in the hands of his father Leopold. The main reasons for such trips at that time were education and further training, making contacts with other people, which in Mozart's case were musicians and music theorists. People would also travel in order to gain knowledge, exchange opinions and academic experiences. 

A brief overview of the countries and cities he visited will be viewed from the perspective of today's European countries, bearing in mind that some of them did not exist as such in Mozart's time.

Belgium and Switzerland

Mozart traveled through Belgium when he was on his the way to France during a grand family tour of Western Europe. They wanted to reach major cities like Paris and London. Switzerland was also the country through which Mozart traveled, returning from Paris to Salzburg in the fall of 1766.

Germany

Mozart traveled to Germany five times. He visited Munich three times and Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main once. During his big family tour of Western Europe, as well as his second trip to Paris, Mozart left his mark in seventy-three cities. He has been to Augsburg five times, the hometown of his father Leopold. He visited Mannheim four times, where he met among others some of the members of the court orchestra. Three trips took him to Schwetzingen and Mainz.

Karl Theodore

Mozart made a special connection with the Mannheim court, led by princes Karl Theodore and Maximilian III. It was a place where the young composer hoped to get a permanent placement, though it did not eventually happen. However, playing of the orchestra there and establishing connections with excellent musicians greatly influenced his work. The reason why music played such a great role in Mannheim was because the nobles at the head of the court were very fond of it. Prince Karl Theodore was famous in history not only as a great aficionado, but also as a patron of music. Mozart wrote his opera Idomeneo for him. Karl Theodore's wife was an educated musician, so Mozart dedicated six sonatas for piano and violin to her.

Maximilian III

Prince Maximilian III was the first nobleman to whom Leopold introduced his talented children. It happened in 1763 during their big family tour of Europe. Later Mozart wrote his opera La finta giardiniera for him. 

In Mannheim, Mozart also met Christian Cannabich, a violinist and composer who was employed as chief conductor of the court orchestra. That ensemble was considered one of the best in Europe. Along with other representatives of the so-called Mannheim school, Cannabich contributed to the development of the Classicism, which paved the way for great composers such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. He was born into a family of musicians. He owes his education to the best teachers of the time. Mozart was certainly very fortunate to have heard the music played by the Mannheim orchestra. Historian Charles Barney called this ensemble one of the most disciplined in Europe.

Christian Cannabich

(1731-1798)

France

Wolfgang at the Paris court

Mozart visited France two times, so Parisians saw him both as a child and later as a young man. During his first visit, he performed before King Louis XV and Madame Pompadour. He delighted the members of the court with his performances. That's when his compositions first appeared in print - it was his sonatas for violin and piano.

During his second stay in Paris, Mozart's mother died. It happened on July 3, 1778. Although he was not able to find a permanent job, Mozart wrote some of his best works - for example, famous Piano sonata in A minor and Paris Symphony.

England

During their big family tour, the Mozart's traveled from Salzburg via Germany and Belgium, with longer stays in Paris, to England. The family stayed in London for a total of fifteen months. Wolfgang and his sister Maria Anna gave concerts, including one at the royal court. In London, Mozart met Johann Christian Bach. This was the time when Mozart wrote his first symphonies.

Johann Christian Bach
(1735-1782)

Italy

Palaces with lush gardens, cheerful parties, music, architecture, painting - these were all synonymous with 18th century Italy. Mozart traveled with his father Leopold three times to that country. During their first visit, they stayed there from December 1769 to March 1771. Then they returned to Italy again and stayed from August to December 1771. Last time they went to Italy was in October 1772 and they stayed there until March next year.

Mozart visited a total of fifty-one cities, such as Rovereto, Verona, Padua, Milan, Cremona, Mantova, Rome and Naples. He would always remember the time spent there, because it was a country with great musical tradition. Italy brought so much to him - new acquaintances and knowledge. Its rich musical life helped him shape his taste in music. Among his most significant encounters was the one with a distinguished music theorist and composer Giovanni Battista Martini, who taught many prominent composers of the time. During his stay in Italy, Mozart composed his first string quartets and the so-called Milan operas - Ascanio in Alba, Mitridate re di Ponto and Lucio Silla.

Mozart also received high honors as a musician - in 1770 he became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna and Pope Clement XIV named him a knight of the Order of the Golden Spur.

W. A. Mozart as the knight of the Order of the Golden Spur

Netherlands

Mozart and his family resided in the Netherlands from September 1765 to April 1766. They visited cities such as Utrecht, Amsterdam, Harlem and The Hague, where Wolfgang and his sister performed concerts. In The Hague, Maria Anna fell ill and then the same happened to Wolfgang. Thanks to Princess Carolina of Nassau, they were both taken care of by the court physician and successfully recovered from typhus. During this period Mozart composed twelve pieces, including two symphonies and Galimathias Musicum.

Czech Republic

In October 1767, due to the smallpox epidemic, the Mozart family left Vienna for the Czech Republic. During later trips, they visited seven cities. Prague played a very important role in the last years of Mozart's life. He achieved great success in that city as a composer of such masterpieces like Prague Symphony in D major or Don Giovanni. His opera The Marriage of Figaro was very popular with the Prague audience. Mozart was certainly very fond of Prague because of his friendship with the Duschek family. Franz Xsaver Duschek was a renowned pedagogue, composer and pianist. His wife Josephine was an opera singer for whom Mozart wrote several compositions, including the aria Bella fiamma addio.