Leopold Mozart Free Sheet Music, Recordings, Program Notes and Biography

The Master Behind the Wunderkind

One afternoon in 1761, the Salzburg court musician Leopold Mozart returned home to find his four-year-old son, Wolfgang, hunched over a piece of music paper. The boy was happily smearing ink everywhere, but when Leopold looked closer, he saw that the chaotic blotches were perfectly formed musical notes. He asked the boy what he was doing. "I'm writing a concerto for the harpsichord," Wolfgang replied, explaining that it was nearly finished. Leopold looked at the simple but coherent piece of music, and as he later told a friend, his eyes filled with tears of "wonder and delight." In that moment, the trajectory of his life changed forever. The ambitious composer and respected theorist made a conscious decision to set aside his own career and dedicate his life to a new, all-consuming mission: nurturing and presenting to the world the miraculous talent of his son.

From Augsburg to Salzburg

Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was born in Augsburg on November 14, 1719. Though his family were artisans (his father was a bookbinder), Leopold received an excellent education, studying logic, science, and theology at a Jesuit school. In 1737, he moved to Salzburg to study philosophy and law at the Benedictine University. However, his true passion was music, and his attendance at the university was lackluster. He was expelled in 1739 for poor attendance.

Casting aside a traditional academic career, he entered the musical world through a side door, becoming a valet and musician in the household of a Salzburg count. This position allowed him to compose and publish his first works. His talent did not go unnoticed, and in 1743 he was appointed as a fourth violinist in the court orchestra of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Over the next two decades, Leopold diligently worked his way up the ranks, earning promotions to court composer and, by 1763, deputy Kapellmeister.

Composer and Theorist: The Violinschule

During these years, before his son’s genius eclipsed his own, Leopold was a respected and prolific composer. He wrote a large body of work, including symphonies, concertos, serenades, and sacred music, all in the polished, elegant galant style that marked the transition from the late Baroque to the Classical era. His most famous work is the charming Kindersinfonie or "Toy Symphony", which uses toy instruments like cuckoo calls, toy trumpets, and rattles alongside the orchestra. (While his authorship has been debated by scholars, it has been associated with his name for centuries).

Leopold’s most significant and lasting achievement, however, was his landmark 1756 treatise, Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing). Published in the same year as his son’s birth, this book was one of the most important musical textbooks of the 18th century. It was a comprehensive guide covering everything from proper posture and bowing techniques to ornamentation and musical taste. It was translated into multiple languages and became a standard text for violin instruction across Europe, cementing Leopold’s reputation as one of the leading musical minds of his time.

The Miracle and the Mission

Leopold and his wife, Anna Maria, had seven children, but only two survived infancy: Maria Anna ("Nannerl"), born in 1751, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, born in 1756. Both children were musical prodigies. Nannerl was a brilliant harpsichordist, but Wolfgang's abilities were, as Leopold quickly realized, of a different order entirely.

Convinced that his son's talent was a "miracle" bestowed by God, Leopold felt it was his duty to showcase it to the world. In 1763, he secured an extended leave from his court duties and embarked on a "Grand Tour" with his two children. For three and a half years, the family journeyed across Europe, visiting the courts of Munich, Vienna, Paris, London, and The Hague. The children performed for royalty, including King George III in London and King Louis XV at Versailles. They were subjected to rigorous tests by skeptical court musicians, who would have them sight-read complex pieces, improvise, and identify obscure musical pitches. They passed every test, leaving audiences stunned and creating a sensation wherever they went.

The Impresario of Salzburg

The Grand Tour was a triumph, but it was also a grueling ordeal that permanently shaped the family’s life. From that point on, Leopold became his son's full-time manager. He was Wolfgang's teacher, publicist, booking agent, and travel coordinator. His vast and detailed correspondence from this period provides one of the richest sources of information we have about 18th-century musical life.

Back in Salzburg, Leopold’s relationship with his employer, the Prince-Archbishop, became increasingly strained. While Leopold was a loyal and competent deputy Kapellmeister, his constant requests for leave to tour with Wolfgang were a source of friction. The situation worsened under the stern new ruler, Archbishop Colloredo, who had little patience for the Mozarts' ambitions. Leopold’s primary goal was to secure a prestigious court appointment for his son outside of what he considered the provincial confines of Salzburg, a goal that would never be realized in his lifetime.

Later Years and Estrangement

The relationship between the devoted father and his maturing son grew complicated. In 1781, during a stay in Vienna, the 25-year-old Wolfgang made the momentous decision to break from his Salzburg employment and seek his fortune as a freelance artist in the imperial capital—a move Leopold fiercely opposed. The final break was sealed by Wolfgang’s marriage to Constanze Weber, a woman Leopold distrusted.

Though their correspondence continued, a painful distance remained. Leopold made one last visit to his son in Vienna in 1785. The trip was a revelation. He saw firsthand that Wolfgang had become the most celebrated composer in Vienna, and he was present at a quartet reading when Joseph Haydn made his now-famous remark to him: "Before God and as an honest man, I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name." Leopold Mozart died in Salzburg on May 28, 1787, two years after that visit. He died a respected figure, but one whose own considerable talents will forever be defined by his role as the master behind the wunderkind.

References and Further Reading

• Braunbehrens, Volkmar. Mozart in Vienna: 1781-1791. Grove Weidenfeld, 1990.

• Einstein, Alfred. Mozart: His Character, His Work. Oxford University Press, 1945.

• Glover, Jane. Mozart's Women: His Family, His Friends, His Music. HarperCollins, 2005.

• Halliwell, Ruth. The Mozart Family: Four Lives in a Social Context. Clarendon Press, 1998.

• Mozart, Leopold. A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing. Translated by Editha Knocker. Oxford University Press, 1985.