1. His baptism name was actually Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. Actually the now famous Amadeus - mainly due to Forman's brilliant movie - is the Latin translation of the Greek Theophilus, meaning "love of God". His nickname was Wolfie. 2. In his early years Mozart enjoyed a huge popularity as a child prodigy, and everyone who had listened to him was convinced that he was simply a genius. But he also had his share of detractors from the very beginning, and there were some who were convinced that he wasn't a gifted child musician, but a dwarf who simply took advantage of their trust and fascination. So he was officially tested by the Royal Society to prove that he was really just a child - a hugely talented one as well - and according to researchers it all became clear by accident. A funny accident, for during a performance, right in the middle of his playing, he was distracted and amused by a cat who had managed to enter the room. So it was clear as day: Mozart was just a kid.
3. Milos Forman's movie about Mozart was amazing, one of the very best motion pictures of all times, yet despite it all we still don't know for sure what really happened between Salieri and Mozart. According to researchers it is highly likely that they were rather close, even friends, for in real life they supported each other, even if at that time Salieri was better known and way more succesfull. There is no real proof about a conspiracy for killing Mozart, and surely not one led by Salieri, but still everyone still blames him for Mozart's death. Still when you put it all together various researchers have proposed over one hundred causes of death for Mozart, the ever so popular being poisoning, closely followed by a mysterious disease.
4. Maybe Mozart knew how important and talented he was, and surely after writing over 600 pieces of music he must have known. But he still held Handel as the most accomplished and the best composer of all times.
5. He was playing clavier when he was just 3, the violin and harpsichord when he was 5, and by the next year he was already playing in front of an audience. And not any audience, but a royal one. Not very much later he proved that he could simply hear a tune, no matter how complicated, and upon just one hearing could play it or write it down without mistakes.
6. Mozart has written over 600 works - he died when he was just 36 - and for those who loved numbers among them are 41 symphonies, 23 string quartets, 22 operas, no less than 18 massed, 27 piano concertos.
7. Mozart was a Freemason - he joined in 1784 - and many of his mature works have themes and motifs inspired by this organisation. Or say the specialists claim.
8. His final work was the now famous Requiem Mass in D minor, which he began writing in 1791 and, at the time of his passing, was still unfinished. His final completed opera was The Magic Flute, which premiered at the end of September 1791, little before he died, and with Mozart himself as a conductor. The last symphony was No. 41, written in the summer of 1788.
9. It is little kwown that young Mozart loved pets, and it is documented that he had a dog, a canary and even a sterling, which might have been his favourite. Not only it's singing inspired him, but when the bird died Mozart was simply heartbroken, and wrote a poem in the memory of his friend.
10. In 2016 Mozart was the best-selling artist due to a huge box-set comprising of 200 CDs. Released by Decca Records, in sold over 6200 copies in one year and so pushed the famous composer to the very first place.
Photo: wikipedia.org
