Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born: 27 January 1756 Birthplace: Salzburg, Austria Died: 5 December 1791 (mysterious fever) Best Known As: Composer of Eine kleine Nachtmusik Mozart is one of the heavyweights of classical music, generally placed in the top rank of composers along with Beethoven and Bach; many consider him the greatest composer of all time. A child prodigy who wrote his first symphony at age 8, Mozart grew into a prolific adult who wrote over 600 pieces of music. Among his most famous works are Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music, 1787) and the operas Don Giovanni (1787) and Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute, 1791). Mozart died of a mysterious fever at age 35; some have speculated that Mozart was murdered, perhaps by rival composer Antonio Salieri, but no proof exists to support that theory. In the year 2000 a scholarly panel concluded that Mozart died of rheumatic fever. Mozart was portrayed by actor Tom Hulce in the hit 1984 movie Amadeus.