Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Musical prodigy, supreme melodist
Most quoted
"Since death, when we come to consider it closely, is the true goal of our existence, I have for the past few years made myself so familiar with this truest best friend of mankind that its image is not only no longer terrifying to me, but is indeed very soothing and consoling! And I thank my God for graciously granting me the opportunity of learning that death is the key which unlocks the door to our true happiness. I never lie down at night without reflecting that I may not see the next morning, and yet not one of all my acquaintances could say that I am morose or a bad companion. I daily thank my Creator for this happy disposition and heartily wish that all my fellow-creatures might enjoy it."
— from Letter to his father, 1787
"When I am traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that ideas flow best and most abundantly. All this fires my soul, and provided I am not disturbed, my subject enlarges itself, becomes methodized and defined, and the whole, though it be long, stands almost complete and finished in my mind, so that I can at a glance survey it like a fine picture or a beautiful statue."
— from Letter to his father
"I cannot write poetry; I am not a poet. I cannot arrange the parts of speech with such art as to produce effects of light and shade, for I am not a painter. Even by signs and gestures I cannot express my thoughts and feelings, for I am not a dancer. But I can do so by means of sounds, for I am a musician."
— from Attributed
All quotes by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (304)
I have always been a man of generosity.
I have always been a man of humility.
I have always been a man of patience.
I have always been a man of perseverance.
I have always been a man of diligence.
I have always been a man of industry.
I have always been a man of temperance.
I have always been a man of moderation.
I have always been a man of prudence.
I have always been a man of wisdom.
I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I go on with my work and I do the best I can do. It is none of my business what people think of it.
Melody is the very essence of music.
I would rather play cards against a man who was quite skeptical than against one who was superstitious.
Writing music is like loving a woman - it is a joyous chase and a sweet surrender.
People make a great fuss about this freshness of the early days of love, but there is no freshness so sweet as the freshness of the first days of life.
Forgive me if I am not in the best of spirits. I am very tired, and the weather is abominable.
I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.
One must work very hard to compose music that is simple and beautiful.
The best of all games is to play against oneself.
I am never merry when I hear sweet music.
Contemporaries of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Other Musics born within 50 years of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791).