A Freelance Artist 1784 - 1791

1784

Mozart's second child, Carl Thomas, was born. In February of 1784, Mozart began creating a "catalogue of all my works", which begins with the Piano Concerto in E-flat major K. 449, written for his student, Barbara von Ployer.

On April 1st, 1784, Mozart held his first "academy" at the Burgtheater, in which his Symphonies K. 425 and 385, the two Piano Concertos K. 450 and 451, as well as the Piano Quintet K. 452 were performed.

1786

1786 was devoted primarily to opera: it saw the first performance in Vienna of "Der Schauspieldirektor" K. 486 on February 7th in the Orangery of Palace Schönbrunn, as well as of "Le Nozze di Figaro" K. 492 at the Burgtheater on May 1st.

1787

Mozart travelled with his wife to the Prague performance of "Le Nozze di Figaro" and the premiere of "Don Giovanni" K. 527. Another trip took him to Dresden and Meissen, as well as to Potsdam and Berlin, where he attended the Prussian court of King Frederick William II.

His numerous journeys and social obligations forced Mozart to borrow money from friends repeatedly. After the death of Christoph Willibald Gluck, Mozart was appointed Court Chamber Musician by a decree of December 7th, 1787, with an annual salary of 800 gulden.

1789

Mozart travels to Berlin.

1790

On 23rd of September a further journey led him to Frankfurt, for the coronation of Emperor Leopold II. Early in November he returns to Vienna.

1791

Mozart becomes the unsalaried deputy Kapellmeister of St. Stephen's in Vienna. His sixth child, Franz Xaver Wolfgang, is born.

On the 25th of August Mozart starts for his last trip to Prague, where his opera "La Clemenza di Tito" K. 621, was performed on September 6th.

On September 30th, barely after his return to Vienna, Mozart directed from the piano the first performance of his opera "The Magic Flute" K. 620. Its librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder, sang the role of Papageno, while Mozart's sister-in-law, Josepha Hofer, was the very first Queen of the Night.

Ailing and suspecting his approaching death, Mozart worked on his last work - the unfinished Requiem K. 626. Shortly before one o'clock in the morning on December 5th, 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in his Vienna apartment at Rauhensteingasse No.8, after succumbing to a fever at the age of 35. The funeral was held at the cemetery of St. Marx in Vienna on December 6th.