Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. He was baptized Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus, but preferred Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His father, Leopoldo, began teaching him to play minuets on the harpsichord before he was four. It took him only half an hour to learn each minuet. Before the age of six he had composed sonatas and a harpsichord concerto. Mozart learned to play the violin without being taught. He had watched his father and developed an intuition for the game. As a child Mozart was so serious and thoughtful that he sometimes seemed older than he actually was. However, he was still a little boy and had a happy contentment about him. At the age of 6, Mozart began touring with his family where he played for the Emperor and Empress in Vienna, and for Marie Antoinette, the future Queen of France. In 1763 Mozart went to Paris where he wrote four sonatas which were published. Subsequently, Mozart traveled to England and played for the king and queen. Then at the age of nine he wrote his first symphonies for orchestra. In 1766 he returned to Salzburg. At this point Mozart could play music at sight on the piano, harpsichord, clavichord and organ. He was also talented on the violin and viola. It wasn't long before he started traveling again. In 1770, while in Milan, Mozart wrote the opera “Mitridate” and then another opera “Lucio Silla”. While in Italy, Mozart passed a composition exam and became a member of the Bologna Philharmonic So...