As a music historian with a particular interest in the Classical period, I am delighted to delve into the life and works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most prodigious composers in Western classical music. Mozart's journey into the world of opera is a fascinating chapter in his extraordinary life.

Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756 and showed remarkable musical talent from a very young age. His father, Leopold Mozart, recognized his son's potential and began to cultivate it meticulously. At the tender age of five, Mozart was already playing the clavier with incredible skill. His precocious talent was not limited to performance; by the age of six, he had begun composing, and by eight, he had written his first symphonies.

However, it was not until later in his youth that Mozart turned his hand to opera. His first opera, "Apollo et Hyacinthus," was composed when he was just twelve years old, in 1767. This Latin-language opera was a significant step in his development as a composer. It was followed by "Mitridate, re di Ponto" in 1770, which was his first opera in Italian and his first public opera performance. Mozart composed this opera for the Teatro San Cassiano in Venice, and it marked his debut as a serious composer of opera seria, a genre that was popular in Italy at the time.

"Mitridate, re di Ponto" was well-received and demonstrated Mozart's ability to handle complex dramatic structures and to create engaging characters through music. This success set the stage for a prolific career in opera composition. Over the course of his life, Mozart would go on to write several more operas, including "Lucio Silla," "La finta giardiniera," "Idomeneo," "Die Entführung aus dem Serail," "Le nozze di Figaro," "Don Giovanni," "Così fan tutte," "Cosi fan tutte," "Die Zauberflöte," and "La clemenza di Tito," among others.

Each of these operas showcases Mozart's growth and mastery in the genre. His ability to convey emotion through melody, his innovative orchestration, and his understanding of dramatic pacing and character development are all evident in his operatic works. Mozart's operas are celebrated for their beauty, complexity, and emotional depth, and they continue to be performed and admired to this day.

In conclusion, while Mozart's early years were marked by prodigious feats in keyboard playing and composition, it was the composition of "Apollo et Hyacinthus" at the age of twelve that marked his first foray into opera. This early start, along with his subsequent works, solidified his place as one of the greatest opera composers of all time.

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At five he was playing the clavier incredibly well. At six he began composing, writing his first symphonies at the age of eight. He was constantly traveling all over Europe with his father, Leopold Mozart (1719-1787), a violinist, minor composer and Vice-Kapellmeister at the court of the Archbishop of Salzburg.read more >>