A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Mozart, Leopold
MOZART, Leopold, father of the great composer, and son of Johann Georg, a bookbinder, of Augsburg, was born Nov. 14, 1719. Intelligent, sagacious, and persevering, he determined to push his way beyond the narrow circle of his parental home. From the first he was addicted to music; on leaving school he went for two years (1737–39) to the University of Salzburg, after which he devoted himself to the study of music as a profession, and having become an excellent violinist, was appointed Hofmusikus by Archbishop Leopold (Firmian) in 1743, afterwards Hofcompositor, and in 1762 vice-Capelhneister by Archbishop Sigismund (Schrattenbach). On Nov. 21, 1747, he married Anna Maria Pertlin, daughter of an official of St. Gilgen. They were described as the handsomest couple in Salzburg. Of seven children, only two survived—a daughter, Maria Anna, born July 30, 1751, and a son, the immortal Wolfgang. His travels with his children are detailed in the succeeding article. He discerned at once their immense gifts, and, with pious trust in Providence, devoted his whole energies to their education in music. He died at Salzburg May 28, 1787, bearing to the grave the honourable distinction of having trained one of the greatest musicians the world ever saw. He composed much—oratorios, dramatic music, including the operas 'Semiramis' and 'Die verstellte Gärtnerin'; but especially church and instrumental works, several of which were circulated either in print or MS. He engraved six of his own sonatas in 1740. His great work, however, was his 'Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule' (Augsburg, 1756), which passed through many editions in various Languages, and was for long the only Method for the violin. From this work alone we should judge him to have been a man of culture far above the average, and of solid worth, as indeed he was. Marpurg, Schubart, Zelter, and others, have all mentioned the book in the highest terms. A steel engraving of him from the family portrait in the Mozarteum at Salzburg, is given in vol. 1 of Otto Jahn's 'Mozart' (2nd ed.). His daughter
Maria Anna, whom he early taught the [1]piano, and who shared her brother's successes as a pianist on their joint tours, married in 1784 Baron von Berchthold zu Sonnenberg, Hofrath of Salzburg, and Warden of St. Gilgen. On his death she returned to Salzburg, and occupied herself with teaching. She became blind in 1820, and died Oct. 29th, 1829.[ C. F. P. ]
- ↑ Her lessons first brought out Wolfgang's extraordinary musical gifts.