Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Family Tree: The Story Behind Classical Music's Boy Genius

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born 27 January 1756 in Salzburg, Archbishopric of Salzburg, Holy Roman Empire, was one of the most-prolific composers in Western music — 626 works (per the Köchel catalogue) including 41 symphonies, 27 piano concertos, 22 operas (Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte / The Magic Flute), and the unfinished Requiem (1791). He died 5 December 1791 in Vienna at age 35.

The Family's Roots: A Salzburg Court-Music Family

The Mozart family was a respectable middle-class Salzburg musical family. Father Leopold was a respected court musician and music theorist.

His Parents

Father: Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (1719–1787) — German-born violinist, composer, and music theorist; author of the influential Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (1756); deputy Kapellmeister at the Salzburg court. Manager of Mozart's prodigy career from age 6 to 25 — central figure of Wolfgang's life.

Mother: Anna Maria Walburga Pertl Mozart (1720–1778) — Salzburg native; died 3 July 1778 in Paris while accompanying Mozart on his trip to seek employment.

His Sister: Nannerl

Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia "Nannerl" Mozart (1751–1829) — Wolfgang's elder sister; child prodigy on the piano alongside him; toured Europe with him 1762–66; was forbidden from concertising after age 18 (per the customs of the time); composed pieces (now mostly lost); married Johann Baptist Berchtold zu Sonnenburg in 1784; had three children.

His Wife: Constanze Weber

Constanze Weber (1762–1842) — German-Austrian; daughter of Fridolin Weber (musician); sister of soprano Aloysia Weber (whom Mozart courted first, but was rejected). Mozart married Constanze on 4 August 1782 at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna. Constanze survived Mozart by 51 years; she organised concerts and publications of his works for decades after his death and was instrumental in preserving his legacy.

Their Children

Mozart and Constanze had six children, four of whom died in infancy:

Raimund Leopold Mozart (1783, died at 2 months).

Karl Thomas Mozart (1784–1858) — eldest surviving son; civil servant in Naples; pianist; never married.

Johann Thomas Leopold Mozart (1786, died at 1 month).

Theresia Constanze Adelheid Friederike Mozart (1787–1788, died at 6 months).

Anna Maria Mozart (1789, died at birth).

Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791–1844) — youngest son; born 5 months before his father's death; pianist and composer (about 30 published works); known as "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Jr." late in life; never married.

The Mozart Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Salzburg middle-class musical family.

Father: Leopold Mozart (1719–1787) — court musician; violin treatise author; manager of Mozart's career.

Mother: Anna Maria Pertl Mozart (1720–1778) — died in Paris during Mozart's job-search trip.

Sister: Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart (1751–1829) — child prodigy; forbidden from continuing public performances after 18.

Wife: Constanze Weber (1762–1842; m. 4 August 1782; survived Mozart 51 years).

Children: 6, of whom 4 died in infancy. Surviving: Karl Thomas (1784–1858); Franz Xaver Wolfgang Jr. (1791–1844).

Neither surviving son had children — the Mozart direct line ended with them.

Mozart:

  • Born 27 January 1756, Salzburg
  • First composition at age 5; first symphony at 8
  • Grand European Tour with Leopold and Nannerl: 1762–66 (London, Paris, The Hague, etc.) — toured as child prodigy
  • Vienna and Italy tours (1769–73)
  • Posts at the Salzburg court (1773–77)
  • Search for employment trip with mother: 1777–79 (Augsburg, Mannheim, Paris where mother died July 1778); returned to Salzburg without a major appointment
  • Quarrel with Archbishop Colloredo: 1781 — dismissed; moved permanently to Vienna
  • Vienna years (1781–91): freelance composer-performer; teaching, concerts, opera commissions
  • Major operas: Idomeneo (1781); Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1782); Le Nozze di Figaro (1786); Don Giovanni (1787); Così fan tutte (1790); Die Zauberflöte / The Magic Flute (1791)
  • Requiem K. 626: commissioned anonymously July 1791; unfinished at his death; completed by Süssmayr
  • Died 5 December 1791, Vienna, age 35 (likely rheumatic fever or trichinosis)
  • Buried in a common grave at St. Marx Cemetery (per Viennese custom)

What the Mozart Family Story Teaches Us

A court-musician father who was both manager and burden. A mother who died in Paris during a trip planned by Leopold to find Mozart a job. A sister whose own prodigy was extinguished by social custom at 18. A wife who survived 51 years and preserved his music. Six children, of whom four died in infancy; the two survivors had no children of their own — and the direct Mozart line ended after them.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Mozart story carries the same lesson. The famous person's family line sometimes ends in their lifetime or shortly after. The Mozart direct line ended with Karl Thomas (d. 1858) and Franz Xaver Wolfgang Jr. (d. 1844) — neither had children. Write down which family lines continued and which extinguished. The honest tree carries both.

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