While stereotypically portrayed as a bit of an eccentric in film, one could hardly consider Mozart a normal person. Of course, what is considered normal, these days and, frankly, how many geniuses, musical or otherwise, were truly without their flaws? Despite the general consensus there has been little presented in the way of concrete evidence to really prove that Mozart had or even dealt with Tourette syndrome. And while he was prone to bouts of frustration, alleged claims of involuntary verbal and motor tics were, for the most part insubstantial in all of the major publications that claimed Tourette’s.

In the end, we may never know if the rumors were true regarding Mozart and his alleged struggle with Tourette’s. For the most part, we can only really speculate on the matter but we should never let the mystery of his supposed disorder overshadow the genius of his work.

Mozart’s childhood was stolen from him by an exacting father who served as his manager and booked Mozart on exhausting performance tours spanning all of 18th century Europe’s greatest cities and courts, starting when the Austrian prodigy was only six years old.

At the age of four, Mozart wrote his first piano sonata. By 12, Mozart composed the first of his 22 operas. Music came effortlessly to Mozart. He could compose at any time, in any mood. The midwife who attended the birth of his first child even complained that Mozart was busily composing music all the while his wife was in labor! In all, Mozart composed over 600 pieces of music over the course of his brief lifetime, including 41 symphonies and 25 concertos. Nearly all of Mozart’s musical canon remains popular, widely listened to and played today.

Like so many of today’s pop music stars whose careers were launched while they still kids, Mozart’s personality was a blend of opposites. He was masterful and commandeering when it came to all things musical, but silly and childlike when it came to just about everything else. He was fond of bathroom humor and juvenile pranks. Like many creative people, Mozart was also very superstitious. Shortly before his death from kidney failure, he was approached to write a funeral mass. For the first time in Mozart’s life, he struggled with composition, convinced that the Requiem he was working on would be played at his own funeral. Perhaps it was because Mozart died while working on the piece.

Mozart was wildly impractical when it came to financial matters. Though he made a huge fortune during his own lifetime, by the time he in 1791, he was completely impoverished and was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave. Today, though, the Austrian National Tourist Office estimates that the Mozart brand is worth well over 6.5 billion.

Salzburg on the River Salazach is built on seven hills. Gaisberg, “the balcony of Salzburg”, overlooks the city and Wallersee Lake, while Festungsberg is the site of the famous Hohensalzburg Castle. The tranquility of the Rainberg nature reserve contrasts sharply with the sometimes dangerous Monchsberg, known for falling rocks.Didn’t catch that? This explains it. Visitors can enjoy hiking on Kapunzinerberg and Plainberg’s rolling hills, and explore the caves found in Untersberg mountain along the German border.

Speaking of caves, a famous one near Vienna is the Dreidrrischenhhle (“cave of the three deaf men”). Think “The Beautiful Blue Danube” is the city’s only river? Not so. Its huge catchment area includes three tributaries in this area: the Wien, the Schwechat and the Triesting. Here at the northeastern extremity of the Alps, the mountains gently decline into the Carpathian foothills and the forested highlands commonly called the Vienna Woods.

Such natural grandeur is a fitting backdrop to accompany the magical sounds of Mozart’s music.

Mozart was born in the late 1756 in what in Austria. He was a musical prodigy almost from the beginning. He started playing the clavier, which is very similar to the pianos of today, at the age of 3 and was composing songs by the age of 5 which his father wrote down for him. It has been that he was already a very talented clavier player by this age as well and could many pieces without making mistakes and still have a lot of emotion and musicality for a musician that was so young.

The rest is history. Mozart began touring and performing at a very young age for nobles around the area. He also went on to compose over 600 different musical works until his untimely death at the age of 35.

His three most popular works are:

Serenade No. 13 for Strings in G Major (K. 525), also know is “Eine Kleine Nachtmusic”. This is arguably Mozart’s most recognizable work. Composed in Vienna in 1787, its German name actually translates into, “A Little Serenade”.

Piano Concerto No. 21 (K. 467) was completed March 9, 1785 and is a symphonic piece with the piano being the focal point (hence the name, Piano Concerto). The piece features three movements: Allegro, Andante in F Major, and Allegro Vivace.

The Requiem Mass in D Minor (K. 626) is more popularly known as “Mozart’s Requiem”. It was composed in Vienna in 1791. This enigmatic piece contains numerous well-performed segments that are known worldwide.

Mozart’s works are widely performed and enjoyed throughout the world. Discover them yourself and you’re apt to hear pieces you know, but forget exactly where you heard them.

Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756 to Leopold and Maria Anna Mozart. He was their seventh child, but only Mozart and his older sister survived past infancy. Since his father was a musician, Mozart was exposed to music at an early age. In fact, when he was only three years old, Mozart would sit with his sister during her music lessons and play along. After a year, his father began to give Mozart his own lessons.

By age five it was clear that Mozart was a musical genius. He was now beginning to compose his own pieces. The first piece was short and simple, but it showed the passion and genius Mozart held for music. A year later his father took Mozart and his sister on the road to play. They played in various countries for royalty and won the hearts of their listeners. Mozart was already a legend.