Vienna is home to some of the world’s greatest composers of all time and it still continues to produce such amazing musical talents particularly in the field of classical music. But unmindful to many, several of the past composers you’ve known were not actually born in Vienna. They only came to the Austrian capital and established their musical career here.
Get to know more about these classical geniuses and how they found a home in the city of Vienna.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria but spend most of his childhood years touring the different parts of Europe. Although he was forced to come home to Salzburg after failing to get a good position, his dream was to get to the big city of Vienna and it is here where he lived until his death. It is for this reason that Mozart is well known as a son of Vienna as he wrote his greatest works here until his last days.
Franz Joseph Haydn – Born in the lower part of Austria, Haydn started singing as a choirboy at the young age of 8 at the St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Unfortunately when his voice changed during his late teenage years, he was dismissed from the choir. But that incident didn’t stop Haydn from pursuing his musical dreams in Vienna. Through the years, he continued to work as a freelance composer, performer and teacher. He was among Mozart’s great mentors and was known as the father of symphony.
Ludwig Van Beethoven – A German by birth, Beethoven first came to Vienna at the age of 16 when he tried to escape from his father’s rude behavior. Although he returned to his home after that to stabilize his family, he went back to Vienna after six years. Since then, he had become a Vienna resident and became a well known figure in the city because of his musical works. Haydn was his former mentor too.
Franz Schubert – Among Vienna’s famous past composers, only Schubert was a real native of the city. He was so dedicated to music and although he started out as a freelance composer, he eventually won the support of friends and musicians for being a musical genius.
