Maria Anna Mozart: Forgotten Musical Prodigy
The story of Maria Anna Mozart, older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, illustrates how social expectations have limited success for women and girls. She was a musical prodigy, perhaps a better musician than her younger brother, but her career was cut short because at the time, it was not considered acceptable for an adult woman to be a professional musician. Early Life Maria Anna Mozart, like her more famous brother Wolfgang, was born in Salzburg, eldest of seven children; only Wolfgang and Anna survived infancy. She was born on July 30, 1751, and her brother (with two children who did not survive born in between) on January 27, 1756. Maria Anna was known within the family as Nannerl. Her father, Leopold Mozart, was a professional musician. He composed, conducted, and taught, as well as played violin. Her mother, Anna Maria Walburga Mozart, cared for her husband and children lovingly, and she often accompanied them on their musical tours. The difficult birth of Wolfgang left Anna Maria unable to have more children. Emerging Prodigies When Maria Anna was seven, her father began teaching her to play the harpsichord. She took to it readily, as did her two-year-old brother. Their father realized quickly the depth of their talent and continued teaching them over the next three years. In 1762, Leopold Mozart took his family on a concert tour throughout western and central Europe. They played private concerts for nobility and...
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