In commemoration of Mozart's 250th birthday in 2006, all of Salzburg's church bells rung at the precise hour of his birth. ¹⁾

This contributes to the widely held belief that left-handed persons are artistically inclined. Having said that, there is some evidence to back it up. Aside from Mozart, other well-known left-handed artists and musicians include Bach and Beethoven. ²⁾

Mozart began studying music at the age of three. Nannerl, his elder sister, was his first music instructor, teaching him how to play the clavier. Almost as soon as he began to study, he began to strike thirds, with the mingling of notes delighting the young Mozart. ³⁾

Mozart acquired smallpox at the age of 11 during a smallpox outbreak in Vienna in 1767. The pandemic claimed the life of Empress Maria Josepha, but Mozart and his elder sister Nannerl survived. The ailment, however, left Mozart with small scars on his face for the remainder of his life. ⁴⁾

Historians say Mozart's older sister may have become a famous musician like him. She clearly shown her talent as Mozart's music instructor and musical collaborator in his childhood. She did not, however, pursue a musical career. Her father arranged a marriage for her as soon as she attained the legal age. He considered that, as a woman, Nannerl should devote her time to maternity duties rather than pursuing a public career as a singer. ⁵⁾

Mozart began performing at a young age since he excelled in music from an early age. Audiences found it incredible that someone his age could play so well, much alone produce original works, leading some to believe that Mozart was truly a miniature grown man. ⁶⁾

In 1782, Mozart established himself as a kid prodigy, performing exhibitions while his family toured Europe. During this time, he encountered Marie Antoinette at the Habsburg Dynasty's summer palace outside Vienna. ⁷⁾

One common rumor claimed that Marie Antoinette assisted Mozart to his feet after he slid on the polished floor of her family's house. According to rumors, Mozart answered with a juvenile proposal to the future Queen of France. One of the Mozart facts that explains why he was popular with ladies. ⁸⁾

Mozart also composed his first opera at the age of 11 years. Mozart created and composed Apollo et Hyacinthus in his homeland of Salzburg, Austria, in 1767. The opera, which premiered the same year, was a huge success, although it would only be performed once in Mozart's lifetime. ⁹⁾

Mozart wrote Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots with Michael Haydn and Anton Cajetan Adlgasser when he was 11 years old. The composers split the opera into three sections. Mozart composed the first part, Haydn the second, and Adlgasser the third. ¹⁰⁾

Mozart's legacy has reached the animal realm in the form of the Eleutherodactylus amadeus, often known as Mozart's Frog or the Haitian Robber Frog. The term derives from the frog's broad hearing range, which some scientists compare to musical tones. ¹¹⁾

Mozart wrote Mass in G Major in Vienna in 1768. Mozart's first liturgical composition, Kirie in F Major, was written in 1767. However, in addition to being Mozart's first mass, Mass in G Major is also his only missa brevis to incorporate a viola. ¹²⁾

If producing compositions at such a young age isn't enough to wow you, consider this: Allegri's Miserere was once perfectly memorized by Mozart. Mozart had heard it while visiting Rome with his family and after attending a ceremony at the Sistine Chapel. Despite only hearing it once, Mozart went on to produce a copy of the work, albeit he also attended a second service to make adjustments. ¹³⁾

Getting fired is a typical metaphor for losing your job. This was literal in Mozart's situation. When Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo fired Mozart, his servant not only escorted him out, but literally kicked him out. ¹⁴⁾

Constanze was seen as a flighty lady by Leopold. Other sources, however, never labeled Constanze as flighty, instead portraying her as a loyal wife in contemporary records. ¹⁵⁾

Haydn lavished admiration on the young Mozart, assuring his father that there was no one like him. ¹⁶⁾

He earned a famous assignment to play at the court of Vienna, Austria, when he was 17 years old. ¹⁷⁾

In 1784, he became a member of the Freemasons, an organization committed to fraternal brotherhood. ¹⁸⁾

Beethoven, at 16, travelled in Vienna in April 1787 to take two weeks of music instruction with Mozart. ¹⁹⁾

At 1789, he traveled to Germany to play in Prague, Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin. ²⁰⁾

In 1782, he married Constanze Weber. They had six children, but only two lived to adulthood. ²¹⁾

In 1783, he created the major work Mass in C minor, for which his wife Constanze performed a solo part when it was debuted in Salzburg.²²⁾

Mozart adored producing scatological music, which is very primitive, unsophisticated music made up of four-letter syllables, in addition to compositions such as Ave Verum Corpus. ²³⁾

Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister, refused to accept that Mozart, the musician, could have degraded himself by penning such ditties. ²⁴⁾

He enjoyed animals and had various pets, including a dog, a canary, and a starling. He also liked horseback riding. ²⁵⁾

Mozart made a good living from his great operas, but he was a spendthrift who frequently ran into financial troubles. ²⁶⁾

He was a devout Roman Catholic, and some of his most important works were religious in nature. ²⁷⁾

Mozart's last composition was Symphony No. 41 in C Major, often known as the Jupiter Symphony. This label was assigned to the work after Mozart's death, rather than by Mozart himself. It's still uncertain who named it originally, but Mozart's son Franz said composer and musician Johann Peter Salomon did.²⁸⁾

All that is confirmed is that he died of sickness, which was accompanied by symptoms such as pain, swelling, and vomiting. In Mozart's day and age, the official record merely cites his cause of death as acute miliary fever. This has given rise to a slew of speculations about the reason, ranging from streptococcus or a particularly nasty attack of the flu to suspicions that Mozart's enemies poisoned him with mercury. ²⁹⁾

Constanze is said to have crept onto Mozart's deathbed, wanting to catch his illness and die beside him. ³⁰⁾